Union talks may go to high court

DAVENPORT – A lawsuit by the Lincoln County Commissioners to ensure that negotiations with public employee labor unions are open to the public has received a ruling from the state appeals court. The decision sets the case to potentially be considered by the Washington State Supreme Court.

In the lawsuit, which dates back to 2019, the Lincoln County Commissioners asked the courts to ensure that negotiations with public employee unions, like Teamsters 690 that represents the county’s law enforcement employees, not be allowed to have closed-door negotiations with the county.

“This case is about transparency. Specifically: who may decide how transparent the government is going to be? This Court is asked to decide whether the people—directly or by elected representatives—have the right to transparent bargaining over public resources with private labor organizations representing public employees—i.e., unions,” the commissioners outlined in their suit. “The answer is obvious: the people enjoy the right to see and observe how their resources are being used in negotiations with unions.”

Asking for transparency via the courts was a move that the county commissioners took in an effort to uphold a promise regarding a tax increase. In 2016, Lincoln County voters were asked to pay an increase in sales tax to fund law enforcement with the commitment from the county commissioners that bargaining with labor unions would become more transparent. The commissioners passed a resolution in 2016 outlining their desire that negotiations be open to the public.

The Teamsters union asked the commissioners to take back their resolution and refused to have negotiations in public. The union did not respond to a request for comment from The Times.

With the parties being unable to come to bargaining terms, the case was sent to the county superior court and later referred to the state Div. 3 Court of appeals. The appeals court held that the union’s argument that negotiations had always been in private and should be continued was not persuasive. The appeals court has sent the matter back to the Washington State Public Employment Relations Commission who acts as a mediator in these matters.