In addition to the classes of employees listed in *RCW 41.56.030(7), the provisions of RCW 41.56.430 through 41.56.452, 41.56.470, 41.56.480, and 41.56.490 shall also be applicable to the employees of a public passenger transportation system of a metropolitan municipal corporation, county transportation authority, public transportation benefit area, or city public passenger transportation system, subject to the following:

Terms Used In Washington Code 41.56.492

  • Bargaining representative: means any lawful organization which has as one of its primary purposes the representation of employees in their employment relations with employers. See Washington Code 41.56.030
  • Commission: means the public employment relations commission. See Washington Code 41.56.030
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Public employer: means any officer, board, commission, council, or other person or body acting on behalf of any public body governed by this chapter, or any subdivision of such public body. See Washington Code 41.56.030
(1) Negotiations between the public employer and the bargaining representative may commence at any time agreed to by the parties. If no agreement has been reached ninety days after commencement of negotiations, either party may demand that the issues in disagreement be submitted to a mediator. The services of the mediator shall be provided by the commission without cost to the parties, but nothing in this section or RCW 41.56.440 shall be construed to prohibit the public employer and the bargaining representative from agreeing to substitute at their own expense some other mediator or mediation procedure; and
(2) If an agreement has not been reached following a reasonable period of negotiations and mediation, and the mediator finds that the parties remain at impasse, either party may demand that the issues in disagreement be submitted to an arbitration panel for a binding and final determination. In making its determination, the arbitration panel shall be mindful of the legislative purpose enumerated in RCW 41.56.430 and as additional standards or guidelines to aid it in reaching a decisions [decision], shall take into consideration the following factors:
(a) The constitutional and statutory authority of the employer;
(b) Stipulations of the parties;
(c) Compensation package comparisons, economic indices, fiscal constraints, and similar factors determined by the arbitration panel to be pertinent to the case; and
(d) Such other factors, not confined to the foregoing, which are normally or traditionally taken into consideration in the determination of wages, hours, and conditions of employment.

NOTES:

*Reviser’s note: RCW 41.56.030 was alphabetized pursuant to RCW 1.08.015(2)(k), changing subsection (7) to subsection (14). RCW 41.56.030 was subsequently amended by 2011 1st sp.s. c 21 § 11, changing subsection (14) to subsection (13). RCW 41.56.030 was subsequently amended by 2020 c 298 § 1, changing subsection (13) to subsection (14).