The bill amends existing laws to allow the Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) to accept electronic signatures for new organizing petitions aimed at forming new bargaining units or adding unrepresented workers to existing units. A new section is added to chapter 41.58 RCW, outlining the requirements for electronic signature submissions, which must include the signer's name, contact information, authorization language, submission date, and employer's name. Additionally, the petitioning party is required to provide a declaration detailing the technology used for signature verification and methods to ensure authenticity. PERC is tasked with adopting rules to implement these provisions.

Furthermore, the bill amends RCW 41.56.060 to clarify the process for determining appropriate bargaining units. It specifies that the commission may decide on the bargaining representative by examining organization membership rolls or conducting elections as provided under RCW 41.56.070 or 41.56.095, while removing the previous requirement to compare signatures on organization bargaining authorization cards. This change aims to streamline the certification process for exclusive bargaining representatives while considering various factors such as employee duties, skills, working conditions, and the desire of the public employees involved.

Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 41.56.060
Substitute Bill: 41.56.060
Bill as Passed Legislature: 41.56.060
Session Law: 41.56.060