OLYMPIA — Washington State Ferry System workers received a boost to their collective bargaining efforts with HB 1511 passing off the House floor Tuesday afternoon. Sponsored by Rep. Lisa Parshley (D-Olympia) the bill reclassifies Washington State Ferry captains into the same bargaining unit as mates, machinists and pilots.
“This bill is going to make it easier for these workers to negotiate their contracts and increase efficiency in our state,” said Rep. Parshley. “Having two bargaining units can lead to different interpretations of identical language in contracts, an inversion of wages, and different dispatch priorities. This is an easy way for us to improve our ferry service at no cost.”
The bill passed with a vote of 93 to 3 and now moves onto the Senate for consideration.
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