The Public Records Act (Chapter 42.56 RCW) is a Washington State law that allows you to review government records. Public records include documents in all formats, whether electronic or paper, that relate to government operations or conduct. Public records requests are processed in accordance with (Chapter 44-14 WAC).

You cannot save entries and the entire form must be completed before submitting. A case form takes about five minutes to complete. Prepare any attachments you plan to include before you start the form. You have two hours to complete your entry before the system times out. Do not refresh the page or hit the back button during the filing process, as this could result in a loss of work.

The agency shall preserve the confidentiality of certain records, as follows:

(1) To protect the privacy of individual employees, the agency shall not disclose evidence furnished as a showing of interest in support of a representation petition or motion for intervention.

(2) To respect the confidential nature of mediation, the agency shall not disclose notes and memoranda made by any member of the commission or agency staff as a recording of communication made or received while acting in the capacity of a mediator between the parties to a labor dispute.

(Plain talked)

Voter Privacy: The agency will not reveal who signed cards or petitions to start a union or join a labor group (the "showing of interest"). This prevents employers or outside parties from knowing which specific employees supported the petition.

Mediation Confidentiality: If an agency staff member acts as a mediator to help solve a labor dispute, their personal notes, emails, and records of those conversations are strictly off-limits.

You will receive a reply by email or mail (depending on which option you chose) within 5 business days after receiving your request. The response will include one of the following:

● A copy, or a link to a copy, of the records requested.

● A request for clarification to proceed with your request.

● A reasonable estimate of the time it will take to produce the records.

● A referral to another agency or website where the records are available.

● A denial of the request if the records are exempted from public disclosure under state law.

For some large requests, records may be provided in installments. With each installment we will provide an estimate of the time it will take to produce the next one.

Please note that requests are generally answered in the order in which they are received. While your request may appear to be simple and straightforward, we may need to work on requests received prior before we can focus on yours.

Specific details about a public records request, such as the date it was received, the date it was closed, the name and email address of the requestor, and the nature of the request itself, may be released upon request as part of a public records log.  

(1) Providing "fullest assistance." The public records officer or designee will process requests in the order allowing the most requests to be processed in the most efficient manner.

(a) Upon receipt of a request, the agency will assign it a tracking number and enter it into a log.

(b) The public records officer or designee will evaluate the request according to the nature of the request, the volume of requested records, and the availability of the requested records.

(2) Acknowledging receipt of request. Within five business days of receipt of the request, the public records officer will do one or more of the following:

(b) Provide a reasonable estimate of when records will be available (the public records officer or designee may revise the estimate of when records will be available);

(c) If the request is unclear or does not sufficiently identify the requested records, request clarification from the requestor.

(i) Clarification may be requested and provided by telephone and memorialized in writing;

(ii) If the requestor fails to respond to a request for clarification and the entire request is unclear, the agency need not respond to it. The agency will respond to those portions of a request that are clear.

Please describe your request in as much detail as you can. Be as specific as possible about the record(s) you are requesting. Include a clear description of the records (i.e. request for documents, reports, emails, etc.) and provide the date range (e.g. January 1, 2025 - June 30, 2025).

Please Note: If you do not include a valid email address and the department has questions about your request, we will be unable to notify you and your request will be closed.

The Public Employment Relations Commission is not currently charging a fee for paper or electronic records but reserves the right to do so in accordance with the sample fee schedule provided in WAC 44-14-07001

An exemption refers to content within a public record, or possibly the entire record itself, which is protected by law and will not be disclosed. This protected content will be redacted, or blacked out, from the record. If the entire record is exempt, it will not be provided at all. In either case, the reason for the exemption will be provided along with the portion of law allowing its exemption.