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King County Council adopts memorandum with ATU Local 587 to raise sheet metal workers' pay, create apprenticeship
Summary
The council adopted Ordinance 2024-0419 formalizing a memorandum of agreement with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587 covering about 40 Metro Transit sheet metal workers, including wage step hiring, trainer premium pay, a two-year apprenticeship and a $410,000 fiscal impact for 2025.
The King County Council on Jan. 14 adopted Ordinance 2024-0419, approving a memorandum of agreement between King County and the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 587 that covers roughly 40 sheet metal workers in Metro Transit.
The agreement, presented to the council by Jeff Mumm, Chief Policy Officer for the King County Council, changes hiring and pay practices for the classification. Under the MOA, candidates deemed fully qualified by Metro may be hired at the third wage step rather than the first. Candidates judged minimally qualified but who fail to qualify through testing would be offered a starting wage at the second step, paired with a 12-month probationary period and an individualized training program. The agreement also authorizes a 10% trainer premium for qualified employees assigned in writing to provide training (not applicable to sheet metal leads). According to staff, the lead sheet metal worker top step would increase from $56.47 an hour to $61.00 an hour, and other sheet metal worker steps would move from $51.34 to $55.40 an hour. The parties also agreed to create a two-year apprenticeship program for sheet metal workers and electronic technicians and to withdraw a related grievance with prejudice.
Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda noted the agreement “is an opportunity for us to call out the type of work that can be celebrated together when labor-management partnerships work,” and thanked labor and county negotiators for the apprenticeship focus. Jeff Stanwell, vice president of ATU Local 587, urged the council to vote yes.
The council record shows the fiscal impact for 2025 is $410,000 to the Metro Transit Fund; the executive is not seeking additional appropriation authority for the MOA. The ordinance becomes effective 10 days after the executive signs it, at which point the wage changes and other provisions would take effect as described.
Ordinance 2024-0419 passed on a recorded vote of 9 ayes and 0 noes.
Details about the MOA were presented by the council’s central staff and King County’s labor negotiators; representatives of the union were available to answer questions during the council action.
