Cities, counties and corrections workers clash over Senate Bill 5972 expanding interest arbitration
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Summary
SSB 5972 would extend binding interest arbitration to correctional employees regardless of jurisdiction population. Corrections unions and Teamsters supported the change for parity and retention, while the Association of Washington Cities and counties warned of significant local costs and urged statutory protections for arbitrators to consider employer ability to pay.
Committee staff summarized SSB 5972, which would remove a 70,000-population threshold so correctional employees in city and county jails would be eligible for binding interest arbitration under the Public Employees Collective Bargaining Act when negotiations reach an impasse.
Public testimony was sharply divided. Darren Smith of Teamsters Local 231 urged passage, noting the bill passed the Senate with bipartisan support and arguing it addresses retention problems caused by compensation disparities between city and county facilities. "The disparities in compensation and workplace conditions are creating retention issues for the city jail, which leads to overtime and sometimes result in having to use law enforcement personnel to staff the jail," he said.
Opponents included Candace Bach (Association of Washington Cities) and Paul Jewell (Washington State Association of Counties). Bach said only a handful of city-operated misdemeanor jails exist and warned binding arbitration could increase costs and legal complexity; Jewell urged two amendments already in state statute for other jurisdictions: require arbitrators to consider an employer's ability to pay and make arbitrator awards non‑binding on a legislative authority's appropriation decision. Kirkland council member Jay Arnold similarly warned that the bill could lead to jail closures and longer transports if costs force municipalities to shutter local jails.
Correctional employees and guild leaders described stressful working conditions and retention problems in small local jails. Rashid Bin Sultana, a corrections sergeant from a 22,000-population county, said his facility ran with minimal staffing and that negotiations had not been conducted in good faith. Committee members asked about local impacts and closures; county witnesses pointed to recent small-jail closures due to staffing shortages.
No committee vote was taken; supporters urged passage to equalize bargaining rights while local governments urged statutory safeguards.