Concerning collective bargaining by fish and wildlife officers.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Mike Chapman and 3 co-sponsors

Transfers DFW captains and lieutenants from PSRA to PECBA, granting them interest arbitration rights under PECBA.

Effective date 7/27/2025.

Purpose

To change the collective bargaining status of Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) captains and lieutenants so they are covered by the Public Employees' Collective Bargaining Act (PECBA) rather than the Personnel System Reform Act (PSRA), and to give them access to interest arbitration consistent with other DFW officers.

Key provisions

Amends RCW 41.56.030 to expand the statutory definition of “fish and wildlife officer” to explicitly include DFW captains and lieutenants (officers who rank below deputy chief).

Transfers captains and lieutenants out of PSRA coverage and into PECBA coverage for collective bargaining purposes.

Grants captains and lieutenants the interest arbitration rights available under PECBA.

Includes an appropriations/contingency provision: the act is null and void unless specific funding for it is included in the omnibus (operating) appropriations act by June 30, 2025. The bill itself contains no appropriation.

Who is affected

Primary: Approximately a dozen DFW captains and lieutenants (testimony described “about a dozen”); broadly, DFW commissioned law enforcement staff total over 160 officers.

Secondary: DFW as the employer and existing bargaining representatives (unions) representing DFW officers, because bargaining structures and arbitration procedures may change when captains/lieutenants shift into PECBA coverage.

Fiscal/administrative entities: Public Employment Relations Commission (PERB/PERC) procedures and the state budget may be affected if arbitration activity or bargaining support costs increase.

Practical effects / implications

Captains and lieutenants will no longer be subject to the PSRA requirement that exclusive bargaining representatives with fewer than 500 employees must bargain as part of a coalition of small bargaining units; instead they will follow PECBA procedures that apply to other DFW officers.

Under PECBA arbitration rules: if multiple DFW bargaining units jointly go to interest arbitration, arbitration is conducted as a coalition and the arbitrator’s decision binds all coalition parties; a single exclusive bargaining representative may still choose arbitration independently and be bound with the employer.

Testimony described the change as a technical cleanup: when other DFW officers received PECBA arbitration rights, captains/lieutenants were classified as Washington Management Service (WMS) and lacked collective bargaining rights; they are no longer WMS and now qualify.

Fiscal and procedural notes

Fiscal note: Available (bill contains no direct appropriation).

Appropriations committee added the null-and-void-if-not-funded clause; proponents acknowledged potential costs associated with collective bargaining activities and suggested some options to reduce costs.

Legislative timeline: Introduced 2/4/2025 → passed both chambers (House amendments concurred) → delivered to Governor 4/24/2025 → signed 5/17/2025 → effective 7/27/2025 (subject to funding condition above).

Bill