City settles suit over 'temps'

Tuesday, March 7, 2006

City settles suit over 'temps'
$11.5 million for 2,000 long-term workers who were denied benefits

The city of Seattle has settled for $11.5 million a class-action lawsuit on behalf of 2,000 long-term employees who were denied benefits because they had been labeled "temporary."

Some had worked for the city for as long as eight or 10 years, but were given extra pay instead of health insurance and other benefits.

Now, temporary assignments can't last more than one year, according to the settlement approved Monday by King County Superior Court Judge Douglas McBroom.

"The city has decided they're not going to do that anymore, and they've taken a lot of steps to make sure that was not going to happen as part of the settlement," said one of the plaintiffs, Scott Roberts, a member of the park grounds crew who has been with the city about eight years. "I'm very satisfied with the settlement."

The city has agreed to give full benefits to anyone who works at least half time, or about 18 hours per week, for more than a year.

"It's a fair settlement," City Attorney Thomas Carr said. "The city's always tried to be fair to its employees regardless of how many hours they work."

Individual payouts from the settlement probably will range from several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, said David Stobaugh, an attorney for the plaintiffs in the suit, which was filed in 2002 and covers work from October 1996 to May 2005.

"If they're 'temporary,' they'll be genuinely temporary," Stobaugh said. "We're really glad that the city decided to change their practices. They should be commended for that."

The case alleged the city violated the terms of a similar suit settled in 1989. The recent settlement now establishes a review process to track temporary and part-time assignments. It also allows workers who believe they've been inappropriately labeled "temporary" to appeal.

"In the city, you tend to get lost in the numbers and stuff like that, and it's hard when you think you're being done wrong to get your voice heard," said plaintiff Larry Glaser, a golf-course supervisor who has worked for the city since 1996. "Now, with the settlement, there's methods and ways that you can go about that."

Glaser added, "The city is a great place to work, and that's why I stuck with it and went about the means and methods that I had to secure a job."

P-I reporter Angela Galloway can be reached at 206-621-5314 or angelagalloway@seattlepi.com.

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