Collective bargaining bill signed

State employees savor victory after 14-year battle

PATRICK CONDON, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Thursday, April 4, 2002

OLYMPIA -- It took 14 years, but with the stroke of Gov. Gary Locke's pen Wednesday, state workers gained the right to collectively bargain for wages, benefits and working conditions.

In addition, House Bill 1268 includes a sweeping reform of the state's civil service system, and allows for some private contracting of work traditionally performed by state workers.

But it's the collective bargaining rights that excited the hundreds of state workers who gathered for the signing ceremony in the towering rotunda at the Department of Labor and Industries. A loud cheer rose when Locke signed the bill.

"Today we're here to celebrate an event that's a long time in coming," Locke said. "Victory is always a little sweeter after a long struggle."

Traditionally, the Legislature has set pay and benefits for state workers in its biennial budgeting process. When collective bargaining is implemented starting with the 2005-07 biennium, union officials will directly negotiate with a team set up by the governor, and agree on a package that will be subject to an up or down vote by the Legislature.

"It's one thing to have a union in name, and another thing to have a union with some power behind it," said Mary Miller, an occupational health nurse at L&I.

All workers covered

About 34,000 of the state's 57,400 classified state workers are represented by one of several employee unions. However, under collective bargaining, all state workers -- whether in unions or not -- will be subject to the compensation package set by the administration and the union negotiators.

The bill took heavy criticism from many Republicans and their allies, who argue that it shifts nearly a third of the state budget out of the hands of the Legislature. They also called it a conflict of interest that a governor such as Locke who receives campaign contributions from organized labor will be sitting down to negotiate contracts with those same donors.

Jami Lund, a research analyst at the conservative Evergreen Freedom Foundation, said contrary to most reports, collective bargaining will benefit union chieftains more than rank-and-file state workers. Often, Lund said, a big part of contract negotiations is agreeing on designated leave time for union shop stewards and other officials within worker ranks.

"If you have to give something up to win benefits like that, you're probably giving up something that would benefit the broader group of workers who don't directly associate with the unions," Lund said.

Union officials had sought collective bargaining since the late 1980s, saying it will bring stability and fairness to the yearly changes in state worker compensation.

"If it was going to pass, I knew it had to be this year," said Greg Devereux, the executive director of the Washington Federation of State Employees, who was singled out by Locke for his efforts.

Democrats, who this year had their first full majority in the Legislature since 1994, vowed that the legislation would get a vote.

On the Web:

- Dept. of Labor and Industries

- Gov. Gary Locke

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