Labor Relations and Compensation Policy’s vision is to advance the priorities of a high performance government and its competitive workforce through positive labor relations.

Better contracts, better public service

The Labor Relations and Compensation Policy Section manages the collective bargaining process on behalf of the Governor with union-represented state employees. Our mission is to negotiate and implement labor agreements that enable state managers and employees to perform their jobs more effectively.

Being part of OFM allows for close coordination with all aspects of budget development, revenue forecasting and public compensation and benefit systems, which are all important resources to the collective bargaining process.

Negotiators and compensation policy analysts use their knowledge of the governor's priorities and initiatives, revenue and caseload forecasting, and compensation modeling to negotiate compensation, benefits and other terms of employment that are consistent with state's priorities.

About our team

The Labor Relations and Compensation Policy section of OFM is made up of a team of labor negotiators, compensation analysts and labor relations administrative specialists. Labor negotiators are responsible for negotiating collective bargaining agreements and the administration of those agreements. Compensation policy analysts create fiscal projections used during bargaining and are responsible for developing equitable interpretations and application of compensation and benefit components of labor agreements. Labor relations administrative specialists manage the collective bargaining process and provide administrative support in contract negotiations, interest arbitration, grievances and associated labor relations and human resource processes.

Past restrictions are today's opportunities

Historically, union-represented state employees bargained with their employing agencies in more than 100 bargaining units across state government.

Under the Personnel System Reform Act of 2002, the state, not individual agencies, negotiates collective bargaining agreements with employee labor unions. A collective bargaining agreement applies to all agencies with employees who are in bargaining units represented by the same union. The governing board of each higher education institution may negotiate its own contract, or may choose to have the Governor's Office or designee (State Human Resources/Labor Relations Section & Compensation Policy section) conduct negotiations on its behalf. For unions that represent fewer than a total of five hundred employees each, negotiation is by a coalition of all those exclusive bargaining representatives. The coalition shall bargain for a collective bargaining agreement covering all of the employees represented by the coalition.

For just over two decades, Washington's union-represented state employees have enjoyed the same collective bargaining rights realized by other public employees in the state.