FINAL BILL REPORT

SHB 498

PARTIAL VETO

                                  C 521 L 87

BYHouse Committee on Commerce & Labor (originally sponsored by Representatives Sayan, Patrick, Wang, Winsley, Fisch, Day, Walker, Vekich, R. King and Dellwo)

Changing provisions relating to collective bargaining for fire fighters and emergency medical personnel.

House Committe on Commerce & Labor

Rereferred House Committee on Way & Means/Appropriations

Senate Committee on Commerce & Labor

SYNOPSIS AS ENACTED

BACKGROUND:

Uniformed personnel, including law enforcement officers, fire fighters and advanced life support technicians, are required to submit to binding interest arbitration if collective bargaining negotiations reach impasse.

Only fire fighters who are members of the Law Enforcement Officers and Fire Fighters Retirement System are subject to the interest arbitration procedures.  In making awards in cases involving fire fighters, arbitrators have reached conflicting decisions on the meaning of "like personnel of like employers" when used for comparison purposes.

SUMMARY:

The reference to "fire fighters" as defined in the Law Enforcement Officers and Fire Fighters Retirement System is deleted from the definition of "uniformed personnel" for the purposes of collective bargaining.  The definition of "uniformed personnel" is amended to include employees regularly employed on a full-time basis in a public fire department in fire suppression, fire investigation, fire inspection, fire dispatching and emergency medical services.

In making awards involving employees in a public fire department, an arbitrator must take into consideration comparisons with other fire departments of similar size on the west coast of the United States, unless an adequate comparison is available among Washington public fire departments.

VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:

      House 89   9

      Senate    30    17(Senate amended)

      House 84  11(House concurred)

EFFECTIVE:July 26, 1987

Partial Veto Summary:  The amendment changing the definition of "uniformed personnel" is vetoed.  The veto returns application of binding arbitration provisions to fire fighters covered under the LEOFF system and restores a technical change made in the codification of advanced life support technicians.  (See VETO MESSAGE)