(1) There is hereby created the public employment relations commission (hereafter called the "commission") to administer the provisions of this chapter. Notwithstanding RCW 41.58.100, the commission shall consist of three members who shall be citizens appointed by the governor by and with the advice and consent of the senate. One of the original members shall be appointed for a term of three years, one for a term of four years, and one for a term of five years. Their successors shall be appointed for terms of five years each, except that any person chosen to fill a vacancy shall be appointed only for the unexpired term of the member whom he or she succeeds. Commission members shall be eligible for reappointment. The governor shall designate one member to serve as chair of the commission. Any member of the commission may be removed by the governor, upon notice and hearing, for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office, but for no other cause. Commission members shall not be eligible for state retirement under chapter 41.40 RCW by virtue of their service on the commission.

(2) In making citizen member appointments initially, and subsequently thereafter, the governor shall be cognizant of the desirability of appointing persons knowledgeable in the area of labor relations in the state.

(3) A vacancy in the commission shall not impair the right of the remaining members to exercise all of the powers of the commission, and two members of the commission shall, at all times, constitute a quorum of the commission.

(4) The commission shall at the close of each fiscal year make a report in writing to the legislature and to the governor stating the cases it has heard, the decisions it has rendered, the names, salaries, and duties of all employees and officers in the employ or under the supervision of the commission, and an account of all moneys it has disbursed.

Effective date—2024 c 333: See note following RCW 44.90.025.