HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 2884

BYRepresentatives Prentice, Holland, Leonard, Ebersole, Miller, Kremen, Spanel, Dorn, P. King, Winsley and Wineberry

Excluding vocational-technical instructors from certain salary and benefit limitations.

House Committe on Commerce & Labor

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.  (11)

      Signed by Representatives Vekich, Chair; Cole, Vice Chair; Smith, Ranking Republican Member; Forner, Jones, R. King, Leonard, O'Brien, Prentice, Walker and Wolfe.

House Staff:Chris Cordes (786-7117)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE & LABOR JANUARY 31, 1990

BACKGROUND:

Certificated employees of school districts are authorized to collectively bargain with the districts over wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment.  However, collective bargaining over wages is limited by statutory salary and benefits restrictions. These limitations apply to the instructors at the five vocational- technical institutes administered by school districts.

SUMMARY:

BILL AS AMENDED:  Certificated instructional staff at vocational-technical institutes are not subject to the statutory salary and benefits limitations imposed on other school district certificated instructional staff.

AMENDED BILL COMPARED TO ORIGINAL:  The amended bill changes "instructor" to "certificated instructional staff" to conform with other references in the bill.

Fiscal Note:      Requested January 27, 1990.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Barbara Otterson, Washington Federation of Teachers; Mark S. Peila; David Westberg, Council of Stationary Engineers; and Tim Strege, Council of Vocational-Technical Institutes.

House Committee - Testified Against:      No one.

House Committee - Testimony For:    Instructors at vocational-technical institutes work under conditions that are like the community colleges, not like primary and secondary schools.  These instructors should have parity with teachers at community colleges.  It is very difficult to recruit good instructors under the current system when the students, after graduation, can make more in the field than the instructor who teaches them.  The top paid instructors are not keeping up with cost of living increases with the raises authorized by the state.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None.