SB 6117 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Concerning collective bargaining for employees not covered by the national labor relations act.

SB 6117 establishes a state framework for collective bargaining when federal labor laws no longer apply to certain workers in Washington. It directly affects employees not covered by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRB), such as some private-sector workers whose employers or industries fall outside federal jurisdiction. The bill creates procedures for certifying bargaining representatives through the Public Employment Relations Commission, preserves existing collective bargaining agreements during certification, and defines key terms like "employee" and "bargaining representative." It applies automatically if federal law ceases to preempt state regulation of labor relations for specific employers or industries. The law aims to maintain stable labor-management relations and protect workers' collective bargaining rights in gaps left by federal coverage.

Issues: ✓ Labor & Employment

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 14, 2026 Last action Feb 26, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill → Substitute Bill · 7 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to update its title and sponsor information to reflect committee assignment, change the effective date trigger from a hypothetical future event to the actual effective date of the act, and significantly shorten the text by removing the detailed definitions and procedural sections that were present in the original version.

Scope change

The scope of applicability was narrowed by removing the detailed definitions of terms like 'employee' and 'employer' and the specific procedures for certification, elections, and arbitration that were included in the original draft.

TECHNICAL

The bill title and sponsor list were updated to show the bill was referred to the Senate Labor & Commerce committee.

TIMELINE

The date the bill was read first time was changed from January 14, 2026, to February 2, 2026.

SCOPE

Section 2 was rewritten to trigger the state law immediately upon the act's effective date rather than waiting for a future federal change in law.

Sections covering strikes, construction industry agreements, and amendments to other RCW chapters were removed.

DEFINITION

All detailed definitions for terms such as 'employee,' 'employer,' 'bargaining representative,' and 'labor dispute' were removed.

REQUIREMENT

Entire sections detailing how to select bargaining representatives (certification, cross-checks, elections), resolve disputes, and conduct interest arbitration were removed.

ENFORCEMENT

Provisions regarding the commission's enforcement powers, jurisdiction over violations, and rules for arbitration hearings were removed.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Minority; do not pass.

upper

Feb 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

WM - Majority; do pass 1st substitute bill proposed by Labor & Commerce.

upper

Feb 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 10:30 AM.

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.

upper

Feb 2, 2026

Committee

Referred to Ways & Means.

upper

Jan 30, 2026

Upper · Passed

Minority; do not pass.

upper

Jan 30, 2026

Committee

And refer to Ways & Means.

upper

Jan 30, 2026

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Labor & Commerce at 8:00 AM.

upper

Jan 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Labor & Commerce at 10:30 AM.

upper

1 primary · 6 co-sponsors