FINAL BILL REPORT

ESSB 6486

PARTIAL VETO

C 255 L 12

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Granting collective bargaining for postdoctoral and clinical employees at certain state universities.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Kohl-Welles, Conway, Chase, Keiser, Harper, Prentice, Nelson, Pridemore, Kline, Murray and Frockt).

Senate Committee on Labor, Commerce & Consumer Protection

Senate Committee on Ways & Means

House Committee on Labor & Workforce Development

House Committee on Ways & Means

Background: Certain employees of institutions of higher education are covered for purposes of collective bargaining under the Public Employees' Collective Bargaining Act (PECBA), the Personnel System Reform Act (PSRA), or laws applicable to faculty members and academic personnel.

PECBA applies to the following employees of institutions of higher education:

• certain employees who are exempt from civil service;

• certain teaching assistants and research assistants at the University of Washington (UW) and Washington State University (WSU);

• printing craft employees in UW's Department of Printing; and

• certain classified employees of technical colleges.

PSRA applies to employees of institutions of higher education covered under the state civil service law.

Other collective bargaining laws apply to public four-year institutions with respect to faculty members, and to community colleges with respect to academic personnel.

Summary: Postdoctoral and clinical employees at UW and WSU who are excluded from collective bargaining as faculty may participate in collective bargaining under the provisions of the PECBA.

Votes on Final Passage:

Partial Veto Summary: The Governor vetoed section 2, which made the legislation null and void if specific funding was not provided in the budget.