SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 6184

As of February 5, 2018

Title: An act relating to adding part-time employees to state civil service.

Brief Description: Adding part-time employees to state civil service.

Sponsors: Senator Wellman.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Labor & Commerce: 1/18/18, 1/29/18 [DP-WM, w/oRec].

Ways & Means: 2/05/18.

Majority Report: Do pass and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

Signed by Senators Keiser, Chair; Hasegawa, Vice Chair; Conway, Kuderer and Saldaña.

Minority Report: That it be referred without recommendation.

Signed by Senators Braun, King and Wilson.

Staff: Jarrett Sacks (786-7448)

Staff: Amanda Cecil (786-7460)

Background: State Civil Service. State civil service law governs the appointment, promotion, transfer, layoff, removal, discipline, and welfare of most state agency employees. State civil service law applies to most state agency employees, unless expressly excluded. For example, civil service law does not apply to the legislative branch, the judiciary, academic personnel, state patrol officers, the chief executive officers of each agency, and certain other management staff. Part-time employees, as defined by the Washington Personnel Resources Board, are also excluded from state civil service.

For part-time higher education positions, a person who is employed to work 1,050 hours or less in 12 consecutive months is exempt from civil service. However, a higher education employee who works more than 350 hours in a 12-month period may be included in the appropriate bargaining unit for collective bargaining purposes.

Additionally, certain part-time professional consultants of higher education employers are exempt from civil service.

For general government employees, the following types of employees are exempt from civil service:

• part-time local health officers;

• persons employed on a part-time, or temporary basis for medical, nursing, or other professional service who are not engaged in the performance of administrative duties;

• part-time or temporary employees who are enrolled as full-time students whose employment is largely to provide a training opportunity;

• patient and resident help in general government residential facilities;

• inmate help in correctional facilities; and

• skilled and unskilled labor employed temporarily on construction and maintenance projects or agricultural production.

Personnel System Reform Act (PSRA). The PSRA provides for collective bargaining of wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment between the Governor and classified employees of state agencies and institutions of higher education. Employees covered by the PSRA include all state civil service employees except:

• employees covered by the Public Employees' Collective Bargaining Act;

• confidential employees;

• members of the Washington Management Service;

• internal auditors in any agency; and

• any employee of the Public Employment Relations Commission, the Office of Financial Management, and the Office of Risk Management.

Summary of Bill: Part-time employees are added to state civil service.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony (Labor & Commerce): PRO: Part-time employees can collectively bargain in the private sector, they should be able to in the public sector. Especially with certain health care employees whose work is intermittent, they should be able to bargain, but are barred by law, which excludes them from obtaining certain rights.

Persons Testifying (Labor & Commerce): PRO: Tracy Stanley, WFSE; Lindsey Grad, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying (Labor & Commerce): No one.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony (Ways & Means): PRO: Part-time nurses voted overwhelmingly to join the union a few years ago, but the law would not allow it. This gives workers full access to the contract. It does not make sense to lump part-time employees in with employees like commissioned state patrol officers so, this fixes that.

OTHER: The institutions are requesting to cover the costs associated with this bill.

Persons Testifying (Ways & Means): PRO: Matt Zuvich, Washington Federation of State Employees; Lindsey Grad, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. OTHER: Ed McCallister, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying (Ways & Means): No one.