Z-0608.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 1457

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Representative Fisher; by request of Marine Employees' Commission

Read first time 01/26/1999.  Referred to Committee on State Government.

Reporting the salary survey of ferry employees.

    AN ACT Relating to a salary survey report by the marine employees' commission; amending RCW 47.64.220; adding a new section to chapter 42.17 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

    Sec. 1.  RCW 47.64.220 and 1989 c 327 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Prior to collective bargaining, the marine employees' commission shall conduct a salary survey.  The results of the survey shall be published in a report which shall be a public document comparing wages, hours, employee benefits, and conditions of employment of involved ferry employees with those of public and private sector employees in states along the west coast of the United States, including Alaska, and in British Columbia doing directly comparable but not necessarily identical work, giving consideration to factors peculiar to the area and the classifications involved.  Such survey report shall be for the purpose of disclosing generally prevailing levels of compensation, benefits, and conditions of employment.  It shall be used to guide generally but not to define or limit collective bargaining between the parties.  The commission shall make such other findings of fact as the parties may request during bargaining or impasse.

(2) Salary and employee benefit information collected from private employers that identifies a specific employer with the salary and employee benefit rates which that employer pays to its employees is not subject to public disclosure under chapter 42.17 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 42.17 RCW to read as follows:

    Salary and employee benefit information collected under RCW 47.64.220(1) and described in RCW 47.64.220(2) is exempt from disclosure under this chapter.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  Section 1, chapter . . ., Laws of 1999 (section 1 of this act) is a clarification of existing law and applies retroactively.

                            --- END ---