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Contracting out foes win one in court

• Published June 05, 2008

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I'm tardy on this one, but the Washington Federation of State Employees won in its court challenge of the rules on contracting state services to the private sector.

The Department of General Administration wrote the rules outlining when employees could engage in the formal process to challenge a move to contract work out, either by appealing the decision or by forming a unit and bidding for the work themselves.

"The GA rules were extremely restricted, only if you were going to lose your job if you were being moved to another job, would the rules kick in," said union spokesman Tim Welch.

The rules should allow workers to enter negotiations with management if they will be displaced and reassigned, or if they lose work to the private company, he said.

Thurston County Superior Court agreed with the union's argument, ruling the agency exceeded its authority in restricting the process so. Hat tip to the Washington Policy Center on that one.

Now the ball is back in GA's court. It could appeal the ruling, and even if it doesn't, agencies can still contract out work, but would follow this broader interpretation of the rules, said spokesman Steve Valandra.