The Washington State Supreme Court denied WPEA’s request for a preliminary injunction that would have required OFM to submit ratified contract proposals to the legislature. This ruling is not a decision on the merits of WPEA’s claim, but rather a ruling that at this point in the case, the Court is not deciding that submission to the legislature is required.
This ruling is obviously a disappointment; however, OFM’s attorney committed in open court that they will submit any ratified agreements to the legislature for funding this year, even without an injunction.
This is also not a ruling on whether or not OFM has been bargaining in good faith, and WPEA’s case in the trial court maintaining that OFM’s actions throughout the bargaining cycle amount to bad faith is ongoing.
This decision doesn’t change the fact that OFM has been standing in the way of improving state employee salaries, working conditions, and public services
