Court Rules WA State Workers Pay Negotiations Must be Revealed
Friday, according to information on Twitter from the Washington Policy Center's Jason Mercier, a Superior Court has ruled state employees 'deals' for pay raises must be publicly disclosed sooner.
Court rules public disclosure mandatory prior to budget signing
Prior to this ruling, Washington state employees salary negotiations and deals were done in secret, including the largest compensation package in state history that was done last fall.
According to an article by Mercier last October 4, Senate Minority Leader John Braun said this about the process:
"Even worse is that the agreements were negotiated in secret. The governor refuses to open up negotiations. The only opportunity the Legislature has to provide input is to either approve them as is or not. We can’t change any of the specifics."
The legislature had to wait for the Office of Financial Management to release the details after the deal was already finalized for some time.
Now, this ruling means more transparency. According to Jason Mercier on Twitter:
"Superior Court rules today that the offers and counteroffers for state employee pay raises are disclosable public records once a deal is reached with Governor and posted online - not when budget signed."
This will mean more transparency, and give legislators and others a look at previously secret negotiations between the public workers' unions and the state.
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