State civil service law governs the appointment, promotion, transfer, layoff, removal, discipline, and other personnel matters of most state agency employees. The Washington Management Service (WMS) is a separate personnel system for managers within state government. Agencies have delegated authority to determine if a position is appropriate for WMS. 

A manager is any employee of a position that:

• formulates statewide policy or directs the work of an agency or agency subdivision;
• administers one or more statewide policies or programs of an agency or agency subdivision; 
• manages, administers, and controls a local branch office of an agency or an agency subdivision, including the physical, financial or personnel resources; 
• has substantial responsibility in personnel administration, legislative relations, public information or the preparation and administration of budgets; or 
• functions above the first level of supervision and exercises authority that is not merely routine or clerical in nature and requires the consistent use of independent judgment. 

The Personnel System Reform Act (PSRA) provides for collective bargaining of wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment with classified employees of state agencies and institutions of higher education. Employees covered under the PSRA include all state civil service employees, unless an exemption applies. One such exemption is members of the WMS.

WMS members are granted the right to collectively bargain by removing the provisions that prohibit their inclusion in collective bargaining units and exclude them from the definition of employee in the PSRA.