Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

AGO 1995 NO. 2 >

A college may increase the vacation leave of its employees without thereby increasing their "salaries" for purposes of interpreting salary increase limits contained in the 1993-95 state operating budget.

AGO 1975 NO. 3 >

(1) Where the salary of a superior court aide is fixed by statute, or by the county commissioners or other legislative authority pursuant thereto, a judge of the court is without power to set a higher salary by a directive or order in a nonjudicial proceeding; the court may, however, entertain an action for a writ of mandamus to require the salary fixing authority to raise the salaries of its personnel, but it will only be justified in granting the writ if, applying recognized judicial standards, it finds that the legislative authority involved has acted arbitrarily or capriciously.  (2) Under RCW 2.28.139 it is the obligation of each county (acting through its county commissioners) to furnish the courtroom and related necessary facilities for the conduct of the superior court; if the county fails to do so, the court may order the sheriff to provide the requisite facilities at county expense or, if this administrative remedy fails, the court may compel the commissioners to comply with the requirement of the statute by issuance of a writ of mandamus in a judicial proceeding ‑ subject to a right of appeal and all other procedural requisites of a regular court case.

AGO 1973 NO. 4 >

(1) Under the provisions of Initiative No. 276, all records of a school district pertaining to the salaries of its employees and their payroll deductions must be made available for inspection and copying at the request of any person unless disclosure of particular information in such records would violate a right of privacy of the subject employee and this information cannot be deleted from the record without destroying it. (2) The question of whether disclosure of any particular information in a school district's salary or payroll records would violate an employee's right of privacy is to be decided on a case‑by‑case basis in the courts in accordance with procedures set forth in §§ 31, 33 and 34 of Initiative No. 276.

AGO 1965 NO. 22 >

(1) School districts are required to grant salary increases in the percentages specified in § 1, chapter 169, Laws of 1965, Ex. Sess., "subject to the availability of funds for all district functions." (2) Same: The prescribed percentage increases are to be determined on the basis of the average salary in the individual districts. (3) Same: The percentage increase need not be granted to each employee of the district but the "average" salary increase must be in the percentage specified "subject to the availability of funds for all district functions." (4) The basis for computing the percentage increase for the 1966-67 school year is the average salary paid in the district in the 1964-65 school year.

AGO 1963 NO. 27 >

County superintendents of schools elected in November, 1962, to take office in September, 1963, may not receive the raise in salary granted by the 1963 legislature because of Article XI, § 8, of the State Constitution which prohibits increasing or decreasing the salary of a county officer after his election or during his term.

AGO 1978 NO. 28 >

(1) There is, at present, no state statutory authority whereby a state employee may cause portions of his or her salary or wages to be withheld, through a payroll deduction system, for the specified purpose of making voluntary political contributions to a labor union or other employee organization.   (2) Nothing contained in the Federal Elections Campaign Act of 1971, as amended, either authorizes or requires a state to provide for a system of payroll deductions in order to facilitate voluntary political contributions by state employees.

AGO 1951 NO. 29 >

The Department of Labor and Industries may employ a physician and surgeon to assist in administering medical aid, and such physician and surgeon may be paid from the medical aid fund.

AGLO 1973 NO. 53 >

The salary applicable to the remainder of an unexpired legislative term filled by election in November, 1973, (as provided in chapter 4, Laws of 1973) will be $3,600 per annum, the same salary as was fixed by law at the commencement of that term.

AGO 1963 NO. 54 >

(1) Counties in which the justice court act of 1961 is not presently in effect may put the act into effect at any time, although the term of office of existing justices of the peace might thereby be terminated. (2) When a justice of the peace, under the 1961 justice court act, serves in a municipal department or as a municipal judge, the city pays a portion of his salary as justice of the peace, not an additional salary.

AGO 1957 NO. 72 >

For the period of time prior to June 13, 1957, the compensation of an employee on military leave of absence must be computed under Chapter 113, Laws of 1939, and the amount of compensation for the period beginning June 13, 1957, under chapter 236, Laws of 1957.