City union endorses West, but some cry foul over vote

Some members of Spokane’s largest city employee union believe Mayor Jim West has treated them fairly and gave him a “vote of confidence” as he approaches one of the biggest political battles of his life.

But others aren’t as happy with West and upset at the way that vote was taken, without advance notice or ballots, and with some confusion over who was able to show their support or opposition.

“A lot of people have strong feelings on both sides,” Joe Cavanaugh, president of the city’s Local 270, said Thursday.

Cavanaugh said the vote was taken Wednesday night at the union’s monthly meeting, after a discussion of proposed changes in the contract between the local and the city. Estimates on attendance ranged from about 140 to 160 members – which is more than average for a monthly union meeting, but far less than the total membership of more than 1,100.

The motion centered around whether West had treated union members with dignity and respect, and whether they “support the work he’s done as mayor,” Cavanaugh said.

City workers haven’t had as good of a working relationship with a mayor since the early ‘90s, he said.

The motion does not specifically address the upcoming recall election, in which West faces a possible ouster for misuse of his office. It does not include a contribution to West’s campaign to fight the recall.

Cavanaugh said the vote was split about 60 percent to 40 percent, based on his estimate of a show of hands for and against a proposed motion for support.

But one union member who attended the meeting questioned whether the motion actually passed, because no formal hand count was taken and from his vantage point “it looked close.” Some people didn’t vote, he said.

“We have no business having a vote like that,” said the union member, who asked to remain anonymous because he is afraid of possible repercussions for speaking up. “You should have the whole membership involved, and ballots to be counted.”

Although the newsletter said the recall would be discussed, there was no mention of a vote to support West.

Cavanaugh said the motion was made and seconded on the floor, and he has no choice under meeting rules but to put a motion to a vote. Meeting rules also would have allowed anyone to call for a more precise count.

“We moved on to other business,” he said. “It’s not like I did the bum’s rush.”

But some members at the meeting may have been confused about whether they could vote on the motion, union officials said Thursday.

Dave Hanshaw, a union vice president, said during an interview on KGA radio Thursday morning that some members who don’t live in the city, and therefore can’t vote in the Dec. 6 recall, may have thought they couldn’t vote on the motion, either. That was incorrect, he added, because any union member can vote on a union matter.

“People basically didn’t understand what was going on,” Hanshaw said on the “Mark Fuhrman Show.”

Cavanaugh later agreed that may be true for some members, but added some people could have “basically sat on their hands,” which happens on many union matters.

The motion of support generated a significant amount of critical discussion from callers to the radio show. Cavanaugh said he didn’t listen to the show, but he’s not surprised that some people would disagree with the motion, considering a significant number voted against it. Wednesday’s vote, he said, was “just a snapshot” of what the union members were thinking that night.