Title: An act relating to implementing a collective bargaining agreement with Western Washington University.

Brief Description: Implementing a collective bargaining agreement with Western Washington University.

Sponsors: By House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Sommers, Hasegawa, Linville, P. Sullivan, Quall, Kenney and Conway).

Brief History:

Appropriations: 1/23/06 [DPS].

Floor Activity:

Passed House: 2/9/06, 98-0.
Passed Senate: 2/24/06, 47-0.
Passed Legislature.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 28 members: Representatives Sommers, Chair; Fromhold, Vice Chair; Alexander, Ranking Minority Member; McDonald, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Armstrong, Bailey, Buri, Chandler, Clements, Cody, Conway, Darneille, Dunshee, Haigh, Hunter, Kagi, Kenney, Kessler, Linville, McDermott, McIntire, Miloscia, Pearson, Priest, Schual-Berke, P. Sullivan, Talcott and Walsh.

Staff: Brian Enslow (786-7143).

Background:

Collective bargaining agreements must be submitted to the Office of Financial Management and to the Legislature as part of the Governor's budget proposal. The Legislature must accept or reject the request for funds necessary to implement the agreements as a whole.

In 2004, the Washington Public Employees' Association (WPEA) was certified to represent Bargaining Unit C in collective bargaining with Western Washington University (WWU). The WPEA reached an agreement with WWU, which was submitted to the Governor, and funded and approved by the Legislature in the 2005-07 biennial budget. Among other things, the agreement provided cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) effective July 1 of 2005 and 2006, along with salary survey adjustments.

By June 2005, the employees in Unit C decertified WPEA as their bargaining representative and certified the Public School Employees (PSE) to represent them. At this time, Bargaining Unit C was renamed Professional Technical Employees (PTE). This action negated the agreement between the WPEA and WWU. Additionally, since this bargaining unit elected a new union to represent them, they were not covered by the September 1 COLA for non-represented employees.

An agreement was reached between the PSE and WWU in October 2005, and a contract was submitted to the Legislature for approval. Western Washington University currently has an appropriation sufficient to fund the economic terms of the new contract.

Summary of Substitute Bill:

The collective bargaining agreement between the PTE, represented by the Public School Employees of Washington, and Western Washington University is approved. Economic provisions of the agreement include a 3.2 percent salary increase retroactive to July 1, 2005; a 1.6 percent increase effective July 1, 2006 until June 30, 2007; and for implementation of a salary survey adjustment.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Effective Date: The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

Testimony For: The Public School Employees of Washington appreciate that the Legislature is considering this issue in a separate bill and encourage the Legislature to move forward with the issue quickly. Additionally, we had asked that WWU provide local funding to accommodate the economic provision of the contract prior to legislative action and are disappointed that WWU determined that legislative authority was needed.

The Civil Service Rreform Act of 2002 requires legislative approval of a collective bargaining agreement before WWU can provide employees with the economic provisions of the agreement and we support providing legislative approval for the collective bargaining agreement between the PSE and WWU as quickly as possible.

Testimony Against: None.

Persons Testifying: Ken Kanikeberg, Public School Employees of Washington; and Val Berry, Western Washington University.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.