Title: An act relating to collective bargaining agreements.

Brief Description: Allowing six-year long collective bargaining agreements.

Sponsors: Senators Doumit, Parlette, Pridemore, Delvin, Fraser, McAuliffe, Shin and Kohl-Welles.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Labor, Commerce, Research & Development: 1/31/06, 2/2/06 [DP, DNP].

Passed Senate: 2/13/06, 43-4.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON LABOR, COMMERCE, RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Majority Report: Do pass.Signed by Senators Kohl-Welles, Chair; Franklin, Vice Chair; Parlette, Ranking Minority Member; Keiser and Prentice.

Minority Report: Do not pass.Signed by Senator Honeyford.

Staff: Jennifer Strus (786-7316)

Background: Collective bargaining agreements entered into between a county, municipal corporation, or political subdivision of the state and an exclusive bargaining representative cannot extend for more than three years.

Summary of Bill: The length of collective bargaining agreements between local government and an exclusive bargaining representative is changed from three years to six years.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: This legislation applies only to local governments and is not mandatory. It provides flexibility in the collective bargaining process. Other states have longer periods for their collective bargaining agreements and it seems appropriate that Washington should too.

Testimony Against: None.

Testimony Other: The language of this statute came from the National Labor Relations Act. The reason for the language was to give real unions access to employees who would otherwise be trapped in long term contracts signed by their employers with employer-dominated unions. This statute overshot the mark set by the NLRA by prohibiting contracts for more than 3 years. It should have just limited the contract bar effect to 3 years. An amendment is suggested.

Who Testified: PRO: Senator Doumit, Prime Sponsor; Jim Justin, Association of Washington Counties; J. Pat Thompson, County and City Employees.

OTHER: Marv Schurke, PERC.