Disparity in Pay Among State Workers Doing Same Jobs Violates Equal Protection

State? employees? working? in? general? government and higher education performing essentially the same jobs as each other sued the state alleging that wage disparities between the groups violates the state civil service laws and the state and federal guarantees of equal protection.? ?The employees contended that the Personnel Resources Board was required by state law to adopt a single state salary schedule for all the employees.?? ?Finding it unnecessary to resolve the issue, the Court held that the Plaintiffs could not establish what single salary schedule the Board would have adopted, when the Board would have adopted it, and that the director? of? financial? management,? the? Governor, and the legislature would have approved it. However, reversing summary judgment for the State, the Court of Appeals held that the state?s rate classifications distinctions bear ?no rational relationship to the purposes of Washington?s Civil Service Laws?and therefore deny the Plaintiffs federal? ?equal? protection? by? failing? to? provide equal pay for essentially equal work.? Washington Public Employees Assoc. v. State of Washington, No. 31824-5-II (04/26/05; Armstrong, Van Deren, Morgan).