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Bill would allow Washington ferry captains to vote to consolidate bargaining units
Summary
House Bill 1511 would permit captains in the Washington State Ferries system to vote to consolidate the captains’ bargaining unit with the mates’ bargaining unit; proponents said the change would reduce duplication and potential contract inconsistencies created when units bargain separately.
House Bill 1511 would allow members of the Washington State Ferries captains’ bargaining unit to vote to consolidate with the ferries’ mates’ bargaining unit, and it would update captain duties to add a responsibility to follow applicable international law and regulation, staff said during a Jan. 28 committee hearing.
Representative Parsley (first-time presenter before the Labor Committee) described the measure as a “good little bill” intended to reduce administrative inefficiencies that resulted from a 2011 decision splitting masters, mates and pilots from the captains’ unit. ‘‘By allowing the captains to vote for rejoining the larger International Association of Masters, Mates and Pilots, the bill promotes unity and a collaborative approach to labor relations,’’ Parsley said.
Dan Tuig (Vice President, International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots for the West Coast) testified in support. He said keeping separate bargaining tables risks inconsistent arbitration results, pay compression or inversion, and dispatch rules that do not align when two arbitrators interpret identical contract language differently. Tuig said consolidation would reduce those inefficiencies and potential confusion.
The bill does not itself mandate consolidation; staff said it permits a vote by the captains’ bargaining unit to determine whether to join. No committee vote was taken during the hearing.
