Senior Labor Negotiator - Taft Hartley Expert

About the role

The Office of Financial Management (OFM) seeks a Senior Labor Negotiator – Taft-Hartley Expert to join the State Human Resources Division. This role plays a key role in shaping retirement benefit policies impacting employees across Washington State government.

Responsibilities

• Manage a complex caseload and bargaining tables, while 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.
• 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.
• Lead the development and administration of state labor relations policies and strategies to ensure consistency and uniformity.
• Provide statewide guidance and interpretation for CBA assignments, often requiring historical research of intent and past bargaining activities.

Requirements

Must have 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.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience negotiating collective bargaining agreements that include Taft-Hartley trusts, including multiemployer health, pension, or welfare benefit plans.
• 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.