Tag Archives: Collective Bargaining

Senate approves changes to collective bargaining for Department of Fish and Wildlife officers

Enforcement officers for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife must currently bargain collectively for a master agreement with the governor’s office that may include provisions not requested by the agency. The Senate passed Senate Bill 5763, sponsored by Senator Judy Warnick, R – Moses Lake which allows enforcement officers to negotiate separately with the governor’s office.

“Those responsible for keeping millions of acres safe for our citizens have requested this change to allow more flexibility in their bargaining process,” Warnick said. “The current requirements aren’t meeting the need of this unique group of state employees and I believe this change will help in the long run to make the process more efficient and fair.”

The legislation allows for the enforcement officers to remain under the current bargaining structure of the Personnel System Reform Act of 2002. The bill now moves to the House for consideration.

Bill curbing tax dollars on union activities passes committee

Sen. Judy Warnick’s legislation to curb the use of public funds for non-public purposes, Senate Bill 5602, moved out of the Senate Commerce & Labor Committee Wednesday. The bill prohibits public employers from having employment contracts that require public resources to support private activities, such as a collective bargaining representative.

“This bill is about transparency and fairness for the employers, employees and ultimately the public,” said Warnick, R- Moses Lake. “It isn’t fair that the taxpayers must pay for the salary of a person that does not necessarily have their best interests in mind, especially when unions are already collecting significant dues from members to advance their goals.”

A recent article points out that despite collecting nearly a million dollars in dues annually to fund union activities, the Yakima Education Association requires local taxpayers to fund the majority of the union president’s salary who has 100 percent release time to work on union activities.

“The case in Yakima is somewhat unique, although there was a similar issue with the police union in Seattle.” Warnick said. “I want to be sure that we create a clear distinction in how public funds are used. The Washington State Constitution addresses the gifting of public funds and I believe the drafters of our constitution were pretty plain in their intent to prohibit this practice.

The bill addresses a specific issue where union representatives are given no work duties, only representing the unions at taxpayer expense, known as “release time.”