State workers union sues over contracting rules
Source: ADAM WILSON, THE OLYMPIAN (WA), May 18, 2007
The major state workers union has sued over rules that allow the state to send work to the private sector. The rules, part of the same changes that allowed unions to bargain for pay and benefits, seldom are used directly. A legislative audit released this year found only two colleges and one agency that had contracted out work since that became an option in 2005. But Washington Federation of State Employees officials say state agencies often try to replace state workers with private companies; one example is the use of a private company for employment security work in Snohomish County.