Gregoire will set terms of 2013-15 state union contracts

When it comes to determining the Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) with state employee unions, there is no such thing as a lame duck Governor in Washington. Even though Governor Gregoire is not running for re-election and come January 2013 we'll have either Governor Inslee or McKenna at the helm, Gregoire will finalize the state's 2013-15 CBAs by October 1 of this year - a month before the next Governor is chosen. Based on the 2002 law that granted state employee unions exclusive bargaining rights with the Governor, a CBA is to be submitted to the Office of Financial Management (OFM) by October 1 . . . READ MORE