Senior Labor Negotiator - Taft Hartley Expert

State of Washington • Thurston County – Olympia, WA

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

Join the OFM's State Human Resources Division as a Senior Labor Negotiator – Taft-Hartley Expert and play a key role in shaping retirement benefit policies that may impact employees across Washington State government. As a senior-level lead negotiator within the Labor Relations and Compensation Policy Section, you will serve as the Governor’s designee for retirement benefit negotiations, helping develop and implement statewide labor relations strategies, collective bargaining policies, and retirement benefit programs, including Taft-Hartley provisions. In this highly collaborative and influential role, you will independently manage complex negotiations, provide expert guidance on retirement benefit issues, and serve as a resource and mentor to fellow labor negotiators. Working with agency leaders, labor organizations, retirement system representatives, and other partners, you will help advance fair, effective, and sustainable retirement benefit solutions that support the state's workforce and organizational goals. This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled labor relations professional who enjoys strategic problem-solving, policy development, and making a meaningful impact at the enterprise level.

Requirements

• Demonstrated experience negotiating collective bargaining agreements that include Taft-Hartley trusts, including multiemployer health, pension, or welfare benefit plans.
• Must also have negotiated the terms of a Taft-Hartley trust from its inception.
• Expertise in the negotiation, administration, and compliance oversight of Taft-Hartley trusts, including familiarity with ERISA, trust documents, fiduciary responsibilities, applicable federal laws and regulations governing multiemployer plans and multiemployer plan governance structures.
• Demonstrated ability to formulate and articulate labor relations principles and negotiating strategies, including the role of the union and its business interests and goals.
• Demonstrated experience effectively managing or leading teams by using influence, collaboration, and developing teamwork, demonstrating effective people interaction skills (not via command & control or hierarchy).
• Demonstrated ability to research, interpret, and understand RCWs and their implementing WACs.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the state legislative process, including bill analysis.
• Demonstrated knowledge of State Government budget related to collective bargaining implementation and statewide accounting principles related to employees (SAAM, travel, pay checks, etc.).
• Demonstrated ability to build healthy working relationships with labor organizations as well as internal teams or groups.
• Ability to manage collective bargaining proposal development and use of legislative track changes.
• The ability to learn and grow.
• The ability to meet the needs of others.

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience as a Labor Negotiator on the OFM Labor Relations and Compensation Policy team.
• Knowledge of WA State Government budget and operations.
• Knowledge of WA State Government Human Resources best practices.
• Knowledge of personnel and practices of public employee labor organizations in WA state.
• Interest arbitration experience.

Responsibilities

• Chief spokesperson representing the State of Washington and is assigned to complex caseloads and bargaining tables, specializing in retirement and healthcare benefits.
• Manage a complex caseload and bargaining tables, while also keeping the chain of command informed of critical issues.
• Conduct research, training, and implementation of labor relations and collective bargaining statute changes, specializing in retirement and healthcare benefits.
• Work on complex labor relations issues, lead work on emergent statewide issues, and represent the State Human Resources/Labor Relations & Compensation Policy Section on committees and workgroups regarding issues and projects that have enterprise-wide impacts.
• Represent the state as the employer representative on a Taft-Hartley board.
• Negotiate retirement and healthcare benefits based on Taft-Hartley and serve as a lead for other staff negotiating and administering collective bargaining agreements that include those provisions or are covered by the same bargaining law.
• Strategy communication, ensuring consistency in collective bargaining agreements.
• Provide guidance to other negotiators with complex situations.
• Responsible for identifying issues that need to be elevated and addressed within the chain of command.
• Serve as the Governor’s designee in the process, and is also responsible for: Proposal development, approval processes, and accuracy for state bargaining proposals and agreements during the bargaining process.
• Research, prepare, and obtain costing for proposals and agreements as part of the bargaining process or settlement negotiations.
• Compose, train, and manage a team of employer bargaining team members.
• Research, develop, and present proposals at any table where a Taft-Hartley agreement is legislatively required to be bargained.
• Coordinate with the State Health Care Authority, the Special Assistant Attorney General (SAAG), and other authorities to ensure that any such retirement benefits comply with state laws.
• Coordinate with agency/institution stakeholders to develop bargaining proposals and understanding, and appropriately respond to stakeholder interests and priorities.
• Independently assess the need for assistant attorney general input or seek input from other OFM teams as appropriate for proposals and settlement agreements.
• Raise awareness and share sensitive or global impact proposals and agreements with co-workers, the chain of command, and other teams within SHR.
• Seek pre-approval for economic or items with statewide impact from OFM leadership.
• Negotiate with labor unions to reach tentative agreements during successor bargaining and mid-term bargaining, and clearly articulate the entire agreement in proper written form.
• Execute agreements and ensure that all required documentation is filed and published timely and properly, and in accordance with RCW 43.88.583.
• Review draft “roll-up” of agreements and work with the LR Assistant and the respective union to achieve a final print-ready version of agreements.
• Develop training for stakeholder agencies/institutions for the implementation of assigned agreements.
• Track and respond to union information requests.
• Provide statewide guidance and interpretation for CBA assignments, often requiring historical research of intent and past bargaining activities.
• Conduct pre-arbitration review meetings and/or grievance meetings for the assigned area of responsibility.
• Conduct union outreach regarding questions of contract interpretation, implementation, and processing.
• Lead the development and administration of state labor relations policies and strategies to ensure consistency and uniformity.
• Conduct research and provide recommendations for labor relations best practices.
• Keep agencies/institutions apprised of situations requiring new approaches to successful labor relations.
• Represent the LR&CP Section in issues brought forward to the Public Employment Relations Commission, independent grievance arbitrators, and interest arbitrators.
• Provide representation, assistance, consultation, documentation, and records, and testimony with assigned assistant attorneys general in grievance or contract mediation, grievance arbitration, interest arbitration, unfair labor practice cases, or other hearings.
• Participate in cross-divisional teams, committees/forums within OFM and/or on behalf of the LR&CP Section.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance
• 12 paid holidays, 14 paid vacation days (minimum), and 12 days of sick leave per year
• State retirement programs

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed