SENATE BILL REPORT

HB 1987

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Title: An act relating to adding certain commissioned court marshals of county sheriff's offices to the definition of uniformed personnel for the purposes of public employees' collective bargaining.

Brief Description: Adding certain commissioned court marshals of county sheriff's offices to the definition of uniformed personnel for the purposes of public employees' collective bargaining.

Background: Employees of cities, counties, and other political subdivisions bargain their wages and working conditions under the Public Employee's Collective Bargaining Act (PECBA). For certain uniformed personnel, PECBA provides for binding interest arbitration if negotiations for a contract reach impasse and cannot be resolved through mediation. Under the interest arbitration process, the director of the Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC), in consultation with the mediator, will certify a list of unresolved mandatory subjects of bargaining for an impartial third-party arbitrator to consider and resolve.

Uniformed personnel currently entitled to interest arbitration as a process for dispute resolution include police officers and state troopers, certain correctional employees, firefighters, security forces at a nuclear power plant, and publicly employed advanced life support technicians.

Summary of Bill: Court marshals of any county are added to the list of uniformed personnel entitled to use interest arbitration under PECBA, provided the marshals are:

employed by, trained for, and commissioned by the county sheriff; and
charged with the responsibility of enforcing laws, protecting and maintaining security in all county-owned or contracted property, and performing any other duties assigned to them by the county sheriff or mandated by judicial order.