July 28, 2021

Stunning June CPI Numbers are a Game Changer for Negotiations

By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer

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The “All-Cities” index is published monthly and the “Seattle” and other regional indices are published every other month but of all those reports, it is the “June” numbers that are the most watched for their potential impact on contract negotiations. While some CBAs look towards the inflation report for different months, the vast majority of contracts that specifically apply CPI use the June numbers because they come out in mid-July about the time most negotiations are launching.

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June 15, 2021

Wage Series Part 14: Spring CPI Data Shows Predicted Inflation Bump, But More

By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer

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Spring Blip. For some time, we had been predicting a bump in the upcoming Spring CPI numbers. As the April and May numbers materialized, that prediction proved accurate. The question now is what lies ahead.

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April 12, 2021

Wage Series Part 11: Does Geographic Location Matter?

By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer

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In the previous two articles in this wage series, we discussed the extent to which population and assessed valuation correlated with wage rankings. In this article, we discussed geographic location and the effect of various labor markets on public safety wages.

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April 9, 2021

Wage Series Part 10: Does Assessed Valuation Matter?

By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer

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In the last issue we discussed whether – and to what extent — population influenced a jurisdiction's relative wage ranking. In this article, we discussed to what extent assessed valuation influences that ranking.

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April 8, 2021

Wage Series Part 9: Does Size Matter?

By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer

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In the last three parts of the wage series, we have discussed State wage rankings for the various public safety classifications. In the next part of the wage series, we run our series of articles on factors that might influence or explain, at least in part, those wage rankings, with updated 2019 wage rankings.

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April 7, 2021

Wage Series Part 8: Dispatcher and Records Clerk wages

By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer

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This is part 8 of our continuing series on Washington public safety employee wages. In this issue, we report on wage rankings for 911 dispatchers and police records clerks.

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April 6, 2021

Wage Series Part 7: Firefighter and Corrections Rankings

By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer

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This is Part 7 of our multi-part 2021 Wage Series. In our last article, we covered Commissioned Deputy and Police Officer Wages. In this article, we turn to Firefighter and Corrections Officer Wages. We’ll cover Dispatcher and Records Clerk Wages in the next article.

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April 5, 2021

Wage Series Part 6: How Do Your Wages Stack Up: Statewide Commissioned City and County Wage Rankings

By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer

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In part 6 of our ongoing wage series, we now turn to the rankings of County Deputy and City Police Officer rankings throughout the State. This series always produces both expected and unexpected information about the relative standing of jurisdictions.

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April 1, 2021

Wage Series Part 5: Economic Conditions

By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer

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This is the fifth in our extensive series on current negotiation conditions and trends. In this article, we focus on recent economic developments.

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March 22, 2021

Wage Series Part 4: The Impact of COVID on Recent Wage Settlement Trends in Washington Public Safety Labor Contracts

By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer

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This is the fourth part of our early 2021 wages series. In the last article in our 2021 wage series, we looked at all Washington public safety settlements from 2019 to 2021. That report showed a downward trend in 2021 settlements.

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Jim received his B.A. with distinction in Political Science. [More…]

Kate received her B.A. in Political Science. [More…]