HOUSE BILL REPORT

ESB 6092

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 providing funding for certain commissioned court marshals of county sheriff's offices to be added to the definition of uniformed personnel for the purposes of public employees' collective bargaining.

Brief Summary of Engrossed Bill

Grants interest arbitration to county court marshals who meet certain criteria, including being employed by, trained for, and commissioned by the county sheriff.

Background:

Employees of cities, counties, and other political subdivisions of the state bargain their wages

and working conditions under the Public Employee's Collective Bargaining Act (PECBA). For certain uniformed personnel, the PECBA provides binding interest arbitration if the parties' negotiations for a contract reach impasse and cannot be resolved through mediation.

Uniformed personnel include, among others: firefighters; employees of fire departments of public employers who dispatch exclusively either fire or emergency medical services, or both; law enforcement officers in larger cities and counties; general authority peace officers and firefighters employed by certain port districts; correctional employees who are employed in jails by counties with a population of 70,000 or more, and who are trained for and charged with responsibility for custody of inmates in the jail; security forces at a nuclear power plant; and publicly employed advanced life support technicians. Other public employees covered by interest arbitration include Washington State Patrol officers.

Summary of Bill:

Interest arbitration under the PECBA is provided to court marshals of any county who are employed by, trained for, and commissioned by the county sheriff and charged with the responsibility of enforcing laws, protecting and maintaining security in county-owned or contracted property, and performing any other duties assigned to them by the county sheriff or mandated by court order.