Washington State
House of Representatives
Office of Program Research
BILL
ANALYSIS
Labor & Workplace Standards Committee
SSB 5040
Brief Description: Expanding the definition of uniformed personnel to all law enforcement officers employed by a city, town, county, or governing body of a municipal airport operating under the provisions of chapter 14.08 RCW.
Sponsors: Senate Committee on Labor & Commerce (originally sponsored by Senators Stanford, Holy, Saldaña, Lovick, Wilson, J., Conway, Hasegawa, Valdez and Wellman).
Brief Summary of Substitute Bill
  • Expands interest arbitration rights to the exclusive bargaining representatives of city, town, and county law enforcement officers regardless of the employing local government's population size, as well as to municipal airport law enforcement officers.
Hearing Date: 3/14/25
Staff: Benjamin McCarthy (786-7116).
Background:

Public Employees' Collective Bargaining Act.

Counties, cities, and other political subdivisions and their employees bargain wages and working conditions under the Public Employees' Collective Bargaining Act (PECBA).  For uniformed personnel, the PECBA recognizes the public policy against strikes as a means of settling labor disputes.  To resolve impasses over contract negotiations involving uniformed personnel, the PECBA requires binding interest arbitration.

 

Uniformed Personnel.

For the purposes of the PECBA, uniformed personnel include law enforcement officers in cities and towns with populations of 2,500 or more, and counties with populations of 10,000 or more, and general authority peace officers employed by certain port districts.  Other employees listed as uniformed personnel include firefighters in all cities and counties, firefighters employed by certain port districts, correctional employees in counties with a population of 70,000 or more, security forces at nuclear power plants, and publicly employed advanced life support technicians.

 

Municipal Airport Guards or Police.

Municipalities, which include counties, cities, towns, airport districts, and port districts, are authorized to own and operate airports.  A municipality that establishes an airport may appoint airport guards or police.  These airport law enforcement officers do not have interest arbitration under the PECBA.
Summary of Bill:

The definition of "uniformed personnel" is expanded to include law enforcement officers of cities and towns with populations of less than 2,500, counties with populations of less than 10,000, and municipal airport law enforcement officers.  This expansion gives these additional law enforcement officers interest arbitration rights.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.