Jenny Sheehan, labor and policy strategy officer for the Office of Financial Management, gave an educational overview of state collective bargaining to the Joint Committee on Employee Relations, covering what groups OFM bargains for, the annual bargaining calendar, interest arbitration and funding trade‑offs.

Sheehan said OFM‑bargained agreements cover roughly 65,000 employees and explained that OFM also bargains for certain non‑state providers identified by statute (adult family homes, home providers, childcare providers and language access providers). She noted that some bargaining units have interest arbitration as an impasse process for mandatory subjects such as wages, hours and working conditions, and listed examples including Teamsters 117, Washington Federation of State Employees units at the Department of Corrections, Washington State Ferries and Fish and Wildlife patrol officers.

Sheehan walked the committee through the annual cycle: agencies submit classification and comp proposals in September, class‑and‑comp staff review through April, the June economic forecast provides bargaining parameters, and interest arbitration awards (when used) must be received before Oct. 1 to be included in the submittal. She described the OFM director’s financial feasibility review — which relies on the June, September and November revenue forecasts — and explained that feasible agreements are proposed in the governor’s budget and then the Legislature votes on funding.

Sheehan also discussed OFM’s guiding priorities: offering general wage increases where possible, targeting funds to recruitment‑challenged classifications, maintaining an $18 starting wage above the minimum and attempting to preserve an 85/15 employer‑employee health‑care cost split within budget constraints.

Senator King asked about the statutory basis for bargaining on behalf of non‑state employees; Sheehan answered that the Legislature required OFM to bargain for those groups (citing RCW 41.56).