E2SHB 2449 -
By Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research & Development
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 The legislature finds that, as of 2008, the
challenges posed by low wages and lack of training that the legislature
identified in enacting the child care career and wage ladder persist,
and the availability of quality child care in the state continues to
suffer. The legislature intends to address these problems by creating
the possibility for a new relationship between child care center
directors and workers and the state. Child care center directors and
workers are to be given the opportunity to work collectively to improve
standards in their profession and to expand opportunities for
educational advancement to ensure continuous quality improvement in the
delivery of early learning services. Family child care providers in
the state have recently been given a similar opportunity, and the
results of their efforts have improved standards and quality for that
segment of the child care industry.
The legislature intends to create a new type of collective
bargaining for these directors and workers whereby they can come
together and bargain with the state over matters within the state's
purview and support for improving the quality of child care for the
state's families. Unlike traditional collective bargaining, this new
approach will afford these directors and workers the opportunity to
bargain with the state only over the state's support for child care
centers, a matter of common concern to both directors and workers.
Specific terms and conditions of employment at individual centers,
which are the subjects of traditional collective bargaining between
employers and their employees, fall outside the limited scope of
bargaining defined by this act. Accordingly, traditional policy
concerns over supervisors and employees being organized into a common
bargaining unit are inapplicable. Sharing a community of interest in
the subjects of bargaining enables directors and workers to work side
by side in the same bargaining unit for common goals.
All child care center directors and workers will equally be able to
maintain full membership in the organization that represents them in
their efforts to improve the quality of child care they provide to the
state's children. This new bargaining relationship does not intrude in
any manner upon those relationships governed by the national labor
relations act (29 U.S.C. Sec. 151 et seq). Child care center directors
and workers do not forfeit their rights under the national labor
relations act by becoming members of an organization that represents
them in their dealings with the state. Under the national labor
relations act, an organization that represents child care center
directors and workers in bargaining with the state under this act is
precluded from representing workers seeking to engage in traditional
collective bargaining with their employer over specific terms and
conditions of employment at individual child care centers.
Sec. 2 RCW 41.56.028 and 2007 c 278 s 2 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) In addition to the entities listed in RCW 41.56.020, this
chapter applies to the governor with respect to family child care
providers and to child care center directors and workers. Solely for
the purposes of collective bargaining and as expressly limited under
subsections (2) and (3) of this section, the governor is the public
employer of family child care providers and of child care center
directors and workers who, solely for the purposes of collective
bargaining, are public employees. The public employer shall be
represented for bargaining purposes by the governor or the governor's
designee appointed under chapter 41.80 RCW.
(2) This chapter governs the collective bargaining relationship
between the governor and family child care providers and between the
governor and child care center directors and workers, except as
follows:
(a) ((A statewide unit of all family child care providers is)) The
only units appropriate for purposes of collective bargaining under RCW
41.56.060 are:
(i) A statewide unit for family child care providers; and
(ii) The units for child care center directors and workers
determined by the commission which shall conform to the unit requested
in the application for certification as the bargaining representative
if consistent with the terms of this act. In determining the units,
the commission shall include in the same unit all child care center
directors and workers employed at child care centers located in
department of social and health services regions existing on the
effective date of this section, and may group together regions to
minimize the number of units.
(b) The exclusive bargaining representative of family child care
providers or of child care center directors and workers in the units
specified in (a) of this subsection shall be the representative chosen
in an election conducted pursuant to RCW 41.56.070, except that:
(i) In the initial election conducted under chapter 54, Laws of
2006, or this act, if more than one labor organization is on the ballot
and none of the choices receives a majority of the votes cast, a
run-off election shall be held; and
(ii) To show at least thirty percent representation within a unit
to accompany a request for an initial election under this act, the
written proof of representation is valid only if collected not more
than two years prior to the date the request is filed with the
commission.
(c) For the exclusive bargaining representatives who represent the
units for child care center directors and workers certified by the
commission, negotiations of a collective bargaining agreement shall be
by a coalition of all of those exclusive bargaining representatives.
The coalition shall bargain for a master collective bargaining
agreement covering all of the child care center directors and workers
represented by the coalition.
(d)(i) Notwithstanding the definition of "collective bargaining" in
RCW 41.56.030(4), the scope of collective bargaining for family child
care providers under this section shall be limited solely to: (((i)))
(A) Economic compensation, such as manner and rate of subsidy and
reimbursement, including tiered reimbursements; (((ii))) (B) health and
welfare benefits; (((iii))) (C) professional development and training;
(((iv))) (D) labor-management committees; (((v))) (E) grievance
procedures; and (((vi))) (F) other economic matters. Retirement
benefits shall not be subject to collective bargaining. By such
obligation neither party shall be compelled to agree to a proposal or
be required to make a concession unless otherwise provided in this
chapter.
(((d))) (ii) Notwithstanding the definition of "collective
bargaining" in RCW 41.56.030(4), the matters subject to bargaining
under this section shall be within the purview of the state and within
the community of interest of child care center directors and workers.
The public employer is: (A) Required to bargain over the manner and
rate of subsidy and reimbursement, including tiered reimbursements; (B)
permitted, but not required, to bargain over: (I) Professional
development and training; (II) mechanisms and funding to improve the
access of child care centers to health care insurance and other benefit
programs; (III) other economic support for child care centers; and (IV)
related grievance procedures; and (C) prohibited from bargaining over
retirement benefits. By such obligation neither party shall be
compelled to agree to a proposal or be required to make a concession
unless otherwise provided in this chapter.
(e) The mediation and interest arbitration provisions of RCW
41.56.430 through 41.56.470 and 41.56.480 apply, except that:
(i) With respect to commencement of negotiations between the
governor and the exclusive bargaining representative of family child
care providers or the coalition of all the exclusive bargaining
representatives of child care center directors and workers,
negotiations shall be commenced initially upon certification of an
exclusive bargaining representative under (a) of this subsection and,
thereafter, by February 1st of any even-numbered year; and
(ii) The decision of the arbitration panel is not binding on the
legislature and, if the legislature does not approve the request for
funds necessary to implement the compensation and benefit provisions of
((the)) an arbitrated collective bargaining agreement for family child
care providers or the subsidy and reimbursement provisions of an
arbitrated collective bargaining agreement for child care center
directors and workers, is not binding on the state.
(((e))) (f) Nothing in chapter 54, Laws of 2006, or this act grants
family child care providers ((do not have)) and child care center
directors and workers the right to strike.
(3) Family child care providers and child care center directors and
workers who are public employees solely for the purposes of collective
bargaining under subsection (1) of this section are not, for that
reason, employees of the state for any purpose. This section applies
only to the governance of the collective bargaining relationship
between the employer and family child care providers and between the
employer and child care center directors and workers as provided in
subsections (1) and (2) of this section.
(4) This section does not create or modify:
(a) The parents' or legal guardians' right to choose and terminate
the services of any family child care provider that provides care for
their child or children;
(b) The child care centers' right to choose, direct, and terminate
the services of any child care worker who provides care in the center;
(c) The rights of employers and employees under the national labor
relations act, 29 U.S.C. Secs. 151 et seq.;
(d) The secretary of the department of social and health services'
right to adopt requirements under RCW 74.15.030, except for
requirements related to grievance procedures and collective
negotiations on personnel matters as specified in subsection (2)(c) of
this section;
(((c))) (e) Chapter 26.44 RCW, RCW 43.43.832, 43.20A.205, and
74.15.130; and
(((d))) (f) The legislature's right to make programmatic
modifications to the delivery of state services through child care
subsidy programs, including standards of eligibility of parents, legal
guardians, ((and)) family child care providers and child care centers
participating in child care subsidy programs, ((and)) the nature of
services provided, and the right to determine standards for
professional development and training, quality criteria, or ratings
through programs such as a quality rating system. The governor shall
not enter into, extend, or renew any agreement under this section that
does not expressly reserve the legislative rights described in this
subsection (4)(((d))) (f).
(5) Upon meeting the requirements of subsection (6) of this
section, the governor must submit, as a part of the proposed biennial
or supplemental operating budget submitted to the legislature under RCW
43.88.030, ((a)) requests for funds necessary to implement the
compensation and benefit provisions of a collective bargaining
agreement for family child care providers and the subsidy and
reimbursement provisions of a collective bargaining agreement for child
care center directors and workers entered into under this section or
for legislation necessary to implement such agreements.
(6) ((A)) Requests for funds necessary to implement the
compensation and benefit provisions of a collective bargaining
agreement for family child care providers and the subsidy and
reimbursement provisions of a collective bargaining agreement for child
care center directors and workers entered into under this section shall
not be submitted by the governor to the legislature unless such
((request has)) requests have been:
(a) Submitted to the director of financial management by October
1st before the legislative session at which the request is to be
considered, except that, for initial negotiations under this section
for family child care providers, the request must be submitted by
November 15, 2006, and for child care center directors and workers, the
request must be submitted by November 15, 2008; and
(b) Certified by the director of financial management as being
feasible financially for the state or reflects the binding decision of
an arbitration panel reached under this section.
(7) The legislature must approve or reject the submission of the
requests for funds as a whole. If the legislature rejects or fails to
act on the submissions, any such agreements will be reopened solely for
the purpose of renegotiating the funds necessary to implement the
agreements.
(8) The governor shall periodically consult with the joint
committee on employment relations established by RCW 41.80.010
regarding appropriations necessary to implement the compensation and
benefit provisions of ((any)) a collective bargaining agreement for
family child care providers and the subsidy and reimbursement
provisions of a collective bargaining agreement for child care center
directors and workers and, upon completion of negotiations, advise the
committee on the elements of the agreements and on any legislation
necessary to implement such agreements.
(9) After the expiration date of any collective bargaining
agreement entered into under this section, all of the terms and
conditions specified in any such agreement remain in effect until the
effective date of a subsequent agreement, not to exceed one year from
the expiration date stated in the agreement, except as provided in
subsection (4)(((d))) (f) of this section.
(10) If, after the compensation and benefit provisions of ((an)) a
collective bargaining agreement for family child care providers or for
the subsidy and reimbursement provisions of a collective bargaining
agreement for child care center directors and workers are approved by
the legislature, a significant revenue shortfall occurs resulting in
reduced appropriations, as declared by proclamation of the governor or
by resolution of the legislature, both parties shall immediately enter
into collective bargaining for a mutually agreed upon modification of
the agreement.
(11) In enacting this section, the legislature intends to provide
state action immunity under federal and state antitrust laws for the
joint activities of family child care providers and their exclusive
bargaining representative and of child care center directors and
workers and their exclusive bargaining representatives to the extent
such activities are authorized by this chapter.
Sec. 3 RCW 41.56.030 and 2007 c 184 s 2 are each amended to read
as follows:
As used in this chapter:
(1) "Public employer" means any officer, board, commission,
council, or other person or body acting on behalf of any public body
governed by this chapter, or any subdivision of such public body. For
the purposes of this section, the public employer of district court or
superior court employees for wage-related matters is the respective
county legislative authority, or person or body acting on behalf of the
legislative authority, and the public employer for nonwage-related
matters is the judge or judge's designee of the respective district
court or superior court.
(2) "Public employee" means any employee of a public employer
except any person (a) elected by popular vote, or (b) appointed to
office pursuant to statute, ordinance or resolution for a specified
term of office as a member of a multimember board, commission, or
committee, whether appointed by the executive head or body of the
public employer, or (c) whose duties as deputy, administrative
assistant or secretary necessarily imply a confidential relationship to
(i) the executive head or body of the applicable bargaining unit, or
(ii) any person elected by popular vote, or (iii) any person appointed
to office pursuant to statute, ordinance or resolution for a specified
term of office as a member of a multimember board, commission, or
committee, whether appointed by the executive head or body of the
public employer, or (d) who is a court commissioner or a court
magistrate of superior court, district court, or a department of a
district court organized under chapter 3.46 RCW, or (e) who is a
personal assistant to a district court judge, superior court judge, or
court commissioner. For the purpose of (e) of this subsection, no more
than one assistant for each judge or commissioner may be excluded from
a bargaining unit.
(3) "Bargaining representative" means any lawful organization which
has as one of its primary purposes the representation of employees in
their employment relations with employers.
(4) "Collective bargaining" means the performance of the mutual
obligations of the public employer and the exclusive bargaining
representative to meet at reasonable times, to confer and negotiate in
good faith, and to execute a written agreement with respect to
grievance procedures and collective negotiations on personnel matters,
including wages, hours and working conditions, which may be peculiar to
an appropriate bargaining unit of such public employer, except that by
such obligation neither party shall be compelled to agree to a proposal
or be required to make a concession unless otherwise provided in this
chapter.
(5) "Commission" means the public employment relations commission.
(6) "Executive director" means the executive director of the
commission.
(7) "Uniformed personnel" means: (a) Law enforcement officers as
defined in RCW 41.26.030 employed by the governing body of any city or
town with a population of two thousand five hundred or more and law
enforcement officers employed by the governing body of any county with
a population of ten thousand or more; (b) correctional employees who
are uniformed and nonuniformed, commissioned and noncommissioned
security personnel employed in a jail as defined in RCW 70.48.020(5),
by a county with a population of seventy thousand or more, and who are
trained for and charged with the responsibility of controlling and
maintaining custody of inmates in the jail and safeguarding inmates
from other inmates; (c) general authority Washington peace officers as
defined in RCW 10.93.020 employed by a port district in a county with
a population of one million or more; (d) security forces established
under RCW 43.52.520; (e) firefighters as that term is defined in RCW
41.26.030; (f) employees of a port district in a county with a
population of one million or more whose duties include crash fire
rescue or other fire fighting duties; (g) employees of fire departments
of public employers who dispatch exclusively either fire or emergency
medical services, or both; or (h) employees in the several classes of
advanced life support technicians, as defined in RCW 18.71.200, who are
employed by a public employer.
(8) "Institution of higher education" means the University of
Washington, Washington State University, Central Washington University,
Eastern Washington University, Western Washington University, The
Evergreen State College, and the various state community colleges.
(9) "Home care quality authority" means the authority under chapter
74.39A RCW.
(10) "Individual provider" means an individual provider as defined
in RCW 74.39A.240(4) who, solely for the purposes of collective
bargaining, is a public employee as provided in RCW 74.39A.270.
(11) "Child care subsidy" means a payment from the state through a
child care subsidy program established pursuant to RCW 74.12.340 or
74.08A.340, 45 C.F.R. Sec. 98.1 through 98.17, or any successor
program.
(12) "Family child care provider" means a person who: (a) Provides
regularly scheduled care for a child or children in the home of the
provider or in the home of the child or children for periods of less
than twenty-four hours or, if necessary due to the nature of the
parent's work, for periods equal to or greater than twenty-four hours;
(b) receives child care subsidies; and (c) is either licensed by the
state under RCW 74.15.030 or is exempt from licensing under chapter
74.15 RCW.
(13) "Adult family home provider" means a provider as defined in
RCW 70.128.010 who receives payments from the medicaid and state-funded
long-term care programs.
(14) "Child care center directors and workers" includes all
employees of child care centers who work on-site at the centers.
"Child care center directors and workers" also includes owners of child
care centers.
(15)(a) "Child care center" means a child care center licensed by
the state under RCW 74.15.030 that has at least one child care slot
filled by a child for whom it receives a child care subsidy.
(b) "Child care center" does not include a child care center:
(i) Operated directly by another unit of government or a tribe;
(ii) Operated by an individual, partnership, profit or nonprofit
corporation, or other entity that operates ten or more child care
centers statewide; or
(iii) Operated by a local nonprofit organization whose primary
mission is to provide social services, including serving children and
families, and that pays membership dues or assessments to either: (A)
A national organization, exempt from income tax under section 501(c)(3)
of the internal revenue code, with more than three million dollars in
membership dues and assessments annually, as reported to the internal
revenue service; or (B) a regional council that is affiliated with a
national organization, exempt from income tax under section 501(c)(3)
of the internal revenue code, with more than two hundred affiliates.
Sec. 4 RCW 41.56.113 and 2007 c 184 s 3 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) Upon the written authorization of an individual provider, a
family child care provider, or an adult family home provider within the
bargaining unit and after the certification or recognition of the
bargaining unit's exclusive bargaining representative, the state as
payor, but not as the employer, shall, subject to subsection (((3)))
(4) of this section, deduct from the payments to an individual
provider, a family child care provider, or an adult family home
provider the monthly amount of dues as certified by the secretary of
the exclusive bargaining representative and shall transmit the same to
the treasurer of the exclusive bargaining representative.
(2) If the governor and the exclusive bargaining representative of
a bargaining unit of individual providers, family child care providers,
or adult family home providers enter into a collective bargaining
agreement that:
(a) Includes a union security provision authorized in RCW
41.56.122, the state as payor, but not as the employer, shall, subject
to subsection (((3))) (4) of this section, enforce the agreement by
deducting from the payments to bargaining unit members the dues
required for membership in the exclusive bargaining representative, or,
for nonmembers thereof, a fee equivalent to the dues; or
(b) Includes requirements for deductions of payments other than the
deduction under (a) of this subsection, the state, as payor, but not as
the employer, shall, subject to subsection (((3))) (4) of this section,
make such deductions upon written authorization of the individual
provider, family child care provider, or adult family home provider.
(3) In lieu of the deductions authorized under subsections (1) and
(2) of this section, and the union security provisions authorized under
RCW 41.56.122, the governor and the exclusive representative of a
bargaining unit of child care center directors and workers shall agree
to a representation fee to be paid to the exclusive representative for
the costs of representation of child care center directors and workers
as provided in this chapter. The state shall deduct the representation
fee from the monthly amount of the child care subsidy due to a child
care center and transmit the representation fee to the secretary of the
exclusive bargaining representative. Any child care center that is
operated by a church or other religious body for which payment of a
representative fee is contrary to bona fide religious tenets shall pay
an amount equivalent to the representation fee to a nonreligious
charity or to another charitable organization mutually agreed upon by
the child care center and the exclusive representative to which the
center would otherwise pay the representation fee. The child care
center shall furnish written proof that such payment has been made. If
the child care center and the exclusive representative do not reach
agreement on such matter, the commission shall designate the charitable
organization.
(4)(a) The initial additional costs to the state in making
deductions ((from the payments to individual providers, family child
care providers, and adult family home providers)) under this section
shall be negotiated, agreed upon in advance, and reimbursed to the
state by the exclusive bargaining representative.
(b) The allocation of ongoing additional costs to the state in
making deductions ((from the payments to individual providers, family
child care providers, or adult family home providers)) under this
section shall be an appropriate subject of collective bargaining
between the exclusive bargaining representative and the governor unless
prohibited by another statute. If no collective bargaining agreement
containing a provision allocating the ongoing additional cost is
entered into between the exclusive bargaining representative and the
governor, or if the legislature does not approve funding for the
collective bargaining agreement as provided in RCW 74.39A.300,
41.56.028, or 41.56.029, as applicable, the ongoing additional costs to
the state in making deductions ((from the payments to individual
providers, family child care providers, or adult family home
providers)) under this section shall be negotiated, agreed upon in
advance, and reimbursed to the state by the exclusive bargaining
representative.
(((4))) (5) The governor and the exclusive bargaining
representative of a bargaining unit of family child care providers may
not enter into a collective bargaining agreement that contains a union
security provision unless the agreement contains a process, to be
administered by the exclusive bargaining representative of a bargaining
unit of family child care providers, for hardship dispensation for
license- exempt family child care providers who are also temporary
assistance for needy families recipients or WorkFirst participants.
Sec. 5 RCW 41.56.465 and 2007 c 278 s 1 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) In making its determination, the panel shall be mindful of the
legislative purpose enumerated in RCW 41.56.430 and, as additional
standards or guidelines to aid it in reaching a decision, the panel
shall consider:
(a) The constitutional and statutory authority of the employer;
(b) Stipulations of the parties;
(c) The average consumer prices for goods and services, commonly
known as the cost of living;
(d) Changes in any of the circumstances under (a) through (c) of
this subsection during the pendency of the proceedings; and
(e) Such other factors, not confined to the factors under (a)
through (d) of this subsection, that are normally or traditionally
taken into consideration in the determination of wages, hours, and
conditions of employment. For those employees listed in RCW
41.56.030(7)(a) who are employed by the governing body of a city or
town with a population of less than fifteen thousand, or a county with
a population of less than seventy thousand, consideration must also be
given to regional differences in the cost of living.
(2) For employees listed in RCW 41.56.030(7) (a) through (d), the
panel shall also consider a comparison of the wages, hours, and
conditions of employment of personnel involved in the proceedings with
the wages, hours, and conditions of employment of like personnel of
like employers of similar size on the west coast of the United States.
(3) For employees listed in RCW 41.56.030(7) (e) through (h), the
panel shall also consider a comparison of the wages, hours, and
conditions of employment of personnel involved in the proceedings with
the wages, hours, and conditions of employment of like personnel of
public fire departments of similar size on the west coast of the United
States. However, when an adequate number of comparable employers
exists within the state of Washington, other west coast employers may
not be considered.
(4) For ((employees)) family child care providers listed in RCW
41.56.028:
(a) The panel shall also consider:
(i) A comparison of child care provider subsidy rates and
reimbursement programs by public entities, including counties and
municipalities, along the west coast of the United States; and
(ii) The financial ability of the state to pay for the compensation
and benefit provisions of a collective bargaining agreement; and
(b) The panel may consider:
(i) The public's interest in reducing turnover and increasing
retention of child care providers;
(ii) The state's interest in promoting, through education and
training, a stable child care workforce to provide quality and reliable
child care from all providers throughout the state; and
(iii) In addition, for employees exempt from licensing under
chapter 74.15 RCW, the state's fiscal interest in reducing reliance
upon public benefit programs including but not limited to medical
coupons, food stamps, subsidized housing, and emergency medical
services.
(5) For child care center directors and workers listed in RCW
41.56.028, the panel shall also consider:
(a) A comparison of child care provider subsidy rates and
reimbursement programs by public entities, including counties and
municipalities, along the west coast of the United States; and
(b) The financial ability of the state to pay for the subsidy and
reimbursement provisions of a collective bargaining agreement.
(6) For employees listed in RCW 74.39A.270:
(a) The panel shall consider:
(i) A comparison of wages, hours, and conditions of employment of
publicly reimbursed personnel providing similar services to similar
clients, including clients who are elderly, frail, or have
developmental disabilities, both in the state and across the United
States; and
(ii) The financial ability of the state to pay for the compensation
and fringe benefit provisions of a collective bargaining agreement; and
(b) The panel may consider:
(i) A comparison of wages, hours, and conditions of employment of
publicly employed personnel providing similar services to similar
clients, including clients who are elderly, frail, or have
developmental disabilities, both in the state and across the United
States;
(ii) The state's interest in promoting a stable long-term care
workforce to provide quality and reliable care to vulnerable elderly
and disabled recipients;
(iii) The state's interest in ensuring access to affordable,
quality health care for all state citizens; and
(iv) The state's fiscal interest in reducing reliance upon public
benefit programs including but not limited to medical coupons, food
stamps, subsidized housing, and emergency medical services.
(((6))) (7) Subsections (2) and (3) of this section may not be
construed to authorize the panel to require the employer to pay,
directly or indirectly, the increased employee contributions resulting
from chapter 502, Laws of 1993 or chapter 517, Laws of 1993 as required
under chapter 41.26 RCW.
Sec. 6 RCW 41.04.810 and 2007 c 184 s 4 are each amended to read
as follows:
Individual providers, as defined in RCW 74.39A.240, family child
care providers, as defined in RCW 41.56.030, child care center
directors and workers, as defined in RCW 41.56.030, and adult family
home providers, as defined in RCW 41.56.030, are not employees of the
state or any of its political subdivisions and are specifically and
entirely excluded from all provisions of this title, except as provided
in RCW 74.39A.270, 41.56.028, and 41.56.029.
Sec. 7 RCW 43.01.047 and 2007 c 184 s 5 are each amended to read
as follows:
RCW 43.01.040 through 43.01.044 do not apply to individual
providers under RCW 74.39A.220 through 74.39A.300, family child care
providers under RCW 41.56.028, child care center directors and workers
under RCW 41.56.028, or adult family home providers under RCW
41.56.029.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 8 A new section is added to chapter 43.215 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) Every child care center shall provide to the department a list
of the names and addresses of all current child care center directors
and workers, as defined in RCW 41.56.030, annually by January 30th,
except that initially the lists shall be provided within thirty days of
the effective date of this section.
(2) The department shall, upon request, provide to a labor
organization seeking to organize child care center directors and
workers, a list of all directors and workers in the unit that the
organization seeks to organize. The list shall contain the information
collected with regard to the directors and workers pursuant to
subsection (1) of this section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 9 (1) The Washington state institute for
public policy shall study outcomes associated with granting collective
bargaining rights to child care center directors and workers.
(2) The study shall, at a minimum, report whether:
(a) Standards for the child care profession have improved;
(b) Continuous quality improvement in the delivery of early
learning services has been achieved;
(c) Expanded opportunities for educational advancement for child
care center directors and workers, including degree and certificate
completion, are available; and
(d) Wage and benefit progression for child care center directors
and workers has occurred.
(3) The results of the study shall be reported biennially, no later
than December 1st, beginning in 2009, to the governor and to
appropriate committees of the legislature.
(4) This section expires January 1, 2014.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 10 If any provision of this act or its
application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the
remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other
persons or circumstances is not affected.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 11 If any part of this act is found to be in
conflict with federal requirements that are a prescribed condition to
the allocation of federal funds to the state, the conflicting part of
this act is inoperative solely to the extent of the conflict and with
respect to the agencies directly affected, and this finding does not
affect the operation of the remainder of this act in its application to
the agencies concerned. Rules adopted under this act must meet federal
requirements that are a necessary condition to the receipt of federal
funds by the state.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 12 This act may be known and cited as the
access to quality child care workforce act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 13 If specific funding for the purposes of
this act, referencing this act by bill or chapter number, is not
provided by June 30, 2008, in the omnibus appropriations act, this act
is null and void."
E2SHB 2449 -
By Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research & Development
On page 1, line 3 of the title, after "workers;" strike the remainder of the title and insert "amending RCW 41.56.028, 41.56.030, 41.56.113, 41.04.810, and 43.01.047; adding a new section to chapter 43.215 RCW; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date."
EFFECT: Deletes the requirement that the Public Employment Relations Commission determine bargaining units based on Department of Social and Health Services subregions and permits but does not require PERC to minimize the number of units. Requires that negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement be conducted by a coalition of all the exclusive bargaining representatives who represent the units of child care center directors and workers. Creates mandatory and permissive items subject to collective bargaining for child care centers under the act. The sole mandatory item is the manner and rate of subsidy and reimbursement. The permissive items are professional development and training, mechanisms and funding to improve the access of child care centers to health insurance and other benefits programs, other economic support for child care centers, and related grievance procedures. Specifies that an arbitration panel for child care center directors and workers must consider a comparison of child care provider subsidy rates and reimbursement programs by public entities along the west coast of the United States and the financial ability of the state to pay for the subsidy and reimbursement provisions of a collective bargaining agreement. Modifies the exemptions to the definition of child care centers by reducing the amount of membership dues and assessments a national organization must report annually to the IRS from five million to three million dollars. Provides that the WSIPP study requirement ends January 1, 2014.