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In 2002, the Washington State legislature passed the Personnel System Reform Act that called for the reform of the state civil service system, created a new option for the state to competitively contract work done by state employees, and expanded collective bargaining to include wages and benefits.
Washington Works was the state’s coordinated, integrated approach to implementing the 2002 Personnel System Reform Act. The effort brought together state agencies and higher education institutions to renovate the state’s 40-year-old personnel system — a team approach that was unprecedented in state government.
Three state agencies shared primary responsibility for Washington Works:
- The Office of Financial Management had primary responsibility for collective bargaining and overall project coordination.
- The Department of General Administration wrote the rules and administered the competitive contracting process.
- The Department of Personnel developed and implemented the new civil service system.