Washington State
House of Representatives
Office of Program Research
BILL
ANALYSIS
Labor & Workplace Standards Committee
HB 1776
Brief Description: Concerning wages for journeypersons in high-hazard facilities.
Sponsors: Representatives Sells, Berry, Eslick, Ortiz-Self, Simmons, Valdez, Pollet, Ormsby, Harris-Talley and Bronoske.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Requires at least the prevailing wage rate for certain workers in petroleum refining or petrochemical manufacturing. 
Hearing Date: 1/12/22
Staff: Lily Smith (786-7175).
Background:

High-hazard Facility Work.
An owner or operator of a stationary source that is engaged in petroleum refining or petrochemical manufacturing, when contracting for the construction, alteration, installation, repair, or maintenance of the stationary source, must require its contractors and subcontractors to use a skilled and trained workforce to perform onsite work in an occupation with an approved apprenticeship program.  A skilled and trained workforce means all the workers are either registered apprentices or skilled journeypersons.
 
A skilled journeyperson means the worker:

  • has either graduated from an apprenticeship program for the applicable occupation or has at least as many hours of on-the-job experience as would be required to graduate; and
  • is being paid at least a rate commensurate with the wages typically paid for the occupation in the applicable geographic area. However, a worker may not be paid less than a rate consistent with the seventy-fifth percentile in the applicable occupation and geographic area in the most recent occupational employment statistics published by the Employment Security Department. The prevailing wage rate may be used but a contractor is not required to pay prevailing wage rates.

 
Prevailing Wage.
The prevailing wage is the wage paid on public works in each trade or occupation and is established by the industrial statistician at the Department of Labor and Industries under standards in law.

Summary of Bill:

Beginning January 1, 2024, a skilled journeyperson working on stationary sources in petroleum refining or petrochemical manufacturing must be paid at least a rate consistent with the prevailing wage rate in that occupation and area.

Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Not requested.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect on January 1, 2024.