SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - The Washington Supreme Court will hear arguments about whether local governments should be able to require public contract negotiations.
An attorney for Teamsters Local 690, which represents some Lincoln County law enforcement officers, said this week they would appeal a Nov. 3 ruling by appellate judges finding both the union and county committed unfair labor practices.
A decision from the state’s highest court could affect future contract negotiations in Spokane County, where commissioners have passed a resolution similar to Lincoln County’s requiring collective bargaining to take place publicly. The city of Spokane also saw voters approve a charter amendment in 2019 requiring open negotiations.
The appellate decision was handed down by a three-member panel of judges in Spokane.
Caleb Jon Vandenbos, an attorney with the Libertarian-leaning think tank the Freedom Foundation, which is representing Lincoln County in the lawsuit, acknowledged the case’s potential importance to other efforts to opening bargaining statewide.
The Freedom Foundation has pushed for negotiations between governments and public sector employees to occur publicly. They argue such discussions involve taxpayer money and should thus be open to public scrutiny. Unions, meanwhile, have pushed back, arguing that public discussions would be used as a method to politicize negotiations.
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