Job class. bargaining

AN ACT Relating to collective bargaining for state employee job 1
classifications; amending RCW 41.80.020; and reenacting and amending 2
RCW 41.06.157. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
Sec. 1. RCW 41.06.157 and 2024 c 330 s 11 and 2024 c 70 s 2 are 5
each reenacted and amended to read as follows: 6
(1) To promote the most effective use of the state's workforce 7
and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the delivery of 8
services to the citizens of the state, the director shall adopt and 9
maintain a comprehensive classification plan for all positions in the 10
classified service. The classification plan must: 11
(a) Be simple and streamlined; 12
(b) Support state agencies in responding to changing 13
technologies, economic and social conditions, and the needs of its 14
citizens; 15
(c) Value workplace diversity; 16
(d) Facilitate the reorganization and decentralization of 17
governmental services; 18
(e) Enhance mobility and career advancement opportunities;19
(f) Consider rates in other public employment and private 20
employment in the state; 21
H-3060.1
HOUSE BILL 2630
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Fosse, Davis, Parshley, Obras, Goodman, Pollet,
and Scott
Read first time 01/22/26. Referred to Committee on Labor & Workplace
Standards.
p. 1 HB 2630
(g) Not require a two-year or four-year college degree as the 1
only way to demonstrate qualifications for the role unless that 2
degree is required by law for an employee to perform the essential 3
functions of a classification; and 4
(h) Recognize that persons legally authorized to work in the 5
United States under federal law, including deferred action for 6
childhood arrivals recipients, are eligible for employment unless 7
prohibited by other state or federal law. 8
(2)(a) An appointing authority and an employee organization 9
representing classified employees of the appointing authority for 10
collective bargaining purposes may jointly request the director of 11
financial management to initiate a classification study.12
(b) Beginning January 1, 2028, the director may not adopt any 13
classification plan unless the plan has been negotiated with the 14
appropriate employee organization representing classified employees.15
(3) For institutions of higher education and related boards, the 16
director may adopt special salary ranges to be competitive with 17
positions of a similar nature in the state or the locality in which 18
the institution of higher education or related board is located.19
(4) The director may undertake salary surveys of positions in 20
other public and private employment to establish market rates. Any 21
salary survey information collected from private employers which 22
identifies a specific employer with salary rates which the employer 23
pays to its employees shall not be subject to public disclosure under 24
chapter 42.56 RCW. 25
Sec. 2. RCW 41.80.020 and 2021 c 13 s 6 are each amended to read 26
as follows: 27
(1) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, the matters 28
subject to bargaining include wages, hours, and other terms and 29
conditions of employment, and the negotiation of any question arising 30
under a collective bargaining agreement. 31
(2) The employer is not required to bargain over matters 32
pertaining to: 33
(a) Health care benefits or other employee insurance benefits, 34
except as required in subsection (3) of this section;35
(b) Any retirement system or retirement benefit; or36
(c) Rules of the director of financial management, the director 37
of enterprise services, or the Washington personnel resources board 38
adopted under RCW 41.06.157. 39
p. 2 HB 2630
(3)(a) Matters subject to bargaining include the number of names 1
to be certified for vacancies, promotional preferences, and the 2
dollar amount expended on behalf of each employee for health care 3
benefits. However, except as provided otherwise in this subsection 4
for institutions of higher education, negotiations regarding the 5
number of names to be certified for vacancies, promotional 6
preferences, and the dollar amount expended on behalf of each 7
employee for health care benefits shall be conducted between the 8
employer and one coalition of all the exclusive bargaining 9
representatives subject to this chapter. The exclusive bargaining 10
representatives for employees that are subject to chapter 47.64 RCW 11
shall bargain the dollar amount expended on behalf of each employee 12
for health care benefits with the employer as part of the coalition 13
under this subsection. Any such provision agreed to by the employer 14
and the coalition shall be included in all master collective 15
bargaining agreements negotiated by the parties. For institutions of 16
higher education, promotional preferences and the number of names to 17
be certified for vacancies shall be bargained under the provisions of 18
RCW 41.80.010(4). For agreements covering the 2013 -2015 fiscal 19
biennium, any agreement between the employer and the coalition 20
regarding the dollar amount expended on behalf of each employee for 21
health care benefits is a separate agreement and shall not be 22
included in the master collective bargaining agreements negotiated by 23
the parties. 24
(b) Beginning January 1, 2028, matters subject to bargaining 25
include the benchmark descriptions and job classifications that will 26
be used by the office of financial management in conducting salary 27
surveys. Negotiations must be conducted between the employer and one 28
coalition of all bargaining representatives representing specific 29
classifications.30
(4) The employer and the exclusive bargaining representative 31
shall not agree to any proposal that would prevent the implementation 32
of approved affirmative action plans or that would be inconsistent 33
with the comparable worth agreement that provided the basis for the 34
salary changes implemented beginning with the 1983-1985 biennium to 35
achieve comparable worth. 36
(5) The employer and the exclusive bargaining representative 37
shall not bargain over matters pertaining to management rights 38
established in RCW 41.80.040. 39
p. 3 HB 2630
(6) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, if a conflict 1
exists between an executive order, administrative rule, or agency 2
policy relating to wages, hours, and terms and conditions of 3
employment and a collective bargaining agreement negotiated under 4
this chapter, the collective bargaining agreement shall prevail. A 5
provision of a collective bargaining agreement that conflicts with 6
the terms of a statute is invalid and unenforceable.7
(7) This section does not prohibit bargaining that affects 8
contracts authorized by RCW 41.06.142. 9
(8) RCW 41.58.070 applies to uniformed personnel.10
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p. 4 HB 2630