Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Labor Relations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County posts PERC order finding unlawful contracting of courthouse security; orders restoration and back pay
Summary
Okanogan County posted a Washington State Public Employment Relations Commission order requiring it to restore courthouse security work to the sheriff’s bargaining unit and to make affected employees whole, including back pay computed under WAC rules.
Okanogan County posted an official notice after the Washington State Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) found the county unlawfully contracted out bargaining‑unit work for courthouse security.
The posted decision (Case No. 137412‑UD‑23; Decision 14019‑PECB) states the county “unlawfully contracted out work of the employees in the bargaining unit represented by the Okanogan County Sheriff Employee Association” and refused to bargain regarding the transfer of bargaining‑unit work. The PERC order directs the county to restore the contracted courthouse security work exclusively to the sheriff’s office and to negotiate in good faith with the Sheriff Employees Association before transferring bargaining‑unit work in the future.
The order requires the county to ascertain the number of contracted employees and hours worked on courthouse security, and to make eligible bargaining‑unit employees whole by paying back pay and benefits, including overtime, from the date of the unlawful contracting until the county returns the work to the bargaining unit. The notice cites payment computation in accordance with WAC 391‑45‑410.
The posting also includes the PERC remedy that the county must cease interfering with employees’ collective bargaining rights and provide required notices and remedies specified in the decision.
Why it matters: the order requires the county to restore bargaining‑unit work and to provide financial remedies that may include interest and overtime, and it constrains future contracting of courthouse security work to non‑bargaining employees without bargaining with the union.
What’s next: the county must comply with the PERC order: restore work to the sheriff’s bargaining unit, calculate back pay per the cited WAC, and notify the union and affected employees. The posting of the PERC decision was read into the record at the meeting.
