S-1431.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 5991

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Senators Gardner, Horn, Haugen, Kline, Patterson, McCaslin and Rasmussen

Read first time 02/18/1999.  Referred to Committee on Labor & Workforce Development.

Allowing parties to agree on the length of collective bargaining for public employees.

    AN ACT Relating to the length of collective bargaining for public employees; and amending RCW 41.56.070.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

    Sec. 1.  RCW 41.56.070 and 1975 1st ex.s. c 296 s 18 are each amended to read as follows:

    In the event the commission elects to conduct an election to ascertain the exclusive bargaining representative, and upon the request of a prospective bargaining representative showing written proof of at least thirty percent representation of the public employees within the unit, the commission shall hold an election by secret ballot to determine the issue.  The ballot shall contain the name of such bargaining representative and of any other bargaining representative showing written proof of at least ten percent representation of the public employees within the unit, together with a choice for any public employee to designate that he does not desire to be represented by any bargaining agent.  Where more than one organization is on the ballot and neither of the three or more choices receives a majority vote of the public employees within the bargaining unit, a run-off election shall be held.  The run-off ballot shall contain the two choices which received the largest and second-largest number of votes.  No question concerning representation may be raised within one year of a certification or attempted certification.  Where there is a valid collective bargaining agreement in effect, no question of representation may be raised except during the period not more than ninety nor less than sixty days prior to the expiration date of the agreement.  Any agreement which contains a provision for automatic renewal or extension of the agreement shall not be a valid agreement((; nor shall any agreement be valid if it provides for a term of existence for more than three years)).  However, an agreement may be for a term of any length as the parties may mutually agree.

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