Judge: Notes from union talks are public

By Adam Wilson | The Olympian • Published July 14, 2007

A King County judge has ruled that notes made by the governor’s negotiators during union talks are public record.

Some public-employee unions fought a request for the notes by the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, an Olympia think tank and frequent foe of organized labor.

The unions, including the Washington Public Employees Association, argued that releasing such notes would undermine their ability to candidly fight for pay raises and other benefits by making their strategies public.

Superior Court Judge Christopher Washington, in a letter to the parties involved, said the notes should be public once the Legislature agrees to pay for them.

“Disclosure prior to this time could adversely affect the collective bargaining process,” he wrote.

After the judge issues a formal order, the notes could be released within a month, said Michael Reitz, an attorney for the foundation.

He added that it’s unclear what the notes will reveal.

State worker unions negotiated contracts with Gov. Chris Gregoire last year that included the largest pay raises in recent state history. After being extended to nonunion workers, they amounted to $2.1 billion in extra pay statewide.

“The point of the request … was just to find out the process of negotiations,” Reitz said. “We wanted to see the state’s and the union’s starting positions and how they came to a final agreement.”