Summit Law Group: LRI 2026

Rise Above the Usual Practice.

46TH ANNUAL AWC LABOR RELATIONS INSTITUTE MAY 6-8, 2026 | WENATCHEE CONVENTION CENTER

L AW G R O U P

TRUSTED & EXPERIENCED Meet the Summit attorneys speaking at this year's 46th Annual Labor Relations Institute!

Peter Altman Partner

Kristin Anger Partner

Maki Arakawa Partner

Colin Boyle Partner

Hathaway Burden Partner

Austin Cooper Labor Analyst

Gina Comeau Partner

Heath Dixon Partner

Britaney Garrett Partner

Molly Gibbons Partner

John Henry Partner

John Lee Partner

Sofia Mabee Partner

Doug Morrill Partner

Kelsey Papst Partner

Learn more about our exceptional L&E team:

LA Tim Reynolds Partner

Monica Romero Partner

Vanessa Williams-Hall Partner

Rod Younker Partner

Date

Time

Speakers

Session

Wednesday, May 6th

9 AM - Noon

Gina Comeau, Rod Younker, Tim Reynolds

The Basics of Bargaining

Wednesday, May 6th

1 - 4 PM

John Henry, John Lee, Tim Reynolds, Gina Comeau

Interactive Bargaining Simulation: How to Address Common Issues in Bargaining

Wednesday, May 6th

4:15 - 5:30 PM

Peter Altman, Sofia Mabee, Kristin Anger, Colin Boyle, John Henry, John Lee, Kelsey Papst, Tim Reynolds, Rod Younker

Q&A with Summit Law Group

Thursday, May 7th

10:30 - 11:30 AM

Kelsey Papst, Peter Altman

The Big, Beautiful Headache: What "No Tax on Overtime" Actually Means

Thursday, May 7th

11:30 AM - 12:45 PM

Doug Morrill, Rod Younker, Austin Cooper

Bargaining in the Shadow of Interest Arbitration

Thursday, May 7th

12:45 - 2:00 PM

Colin Boyle, Heath Dixon, Maki Arakawa

AI in Public Agencies: Where Policy, Procurement and Practice Meet Reality

Thursday, May 7th

2:30 - 3:45 PM

Britaney Garrett, Doug Morrill

Grievance-Proofing Discipline: What Arbitrators Look For—and What Employers Get Wrong

Thursday, May 7th

2:30 - 3:45 PM

Hathaway Burden, Molly Gibbons, Monica Romero, Vanessa Williams-Hall

Employment Litigation: Trends, Tactics, Verdicts and Takeaways

Thursdays, May 7th

2:30 - 3:45 PM

Kristin Anger, Kelsey Papst

Washington PFML Updates: Key Changes, Compliance and Practical Guidance

Thursdays, May 7th

4:00 - 5:00 PM

John Henry, Monica Romero, Sofia Mabee

The True Cost of Cuts: Layoffs and Concession Bargaining

Friday, May 8th

8:45 - 10:00 AM

John Henry, Robin Vasquez

Ready or Not: Succession Planning for Uncertain Times

Friday, May 8th

10:15 - 11:45 AM

Rod Younker

2026 Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) Update

SUMMIT'S COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE

Summit is consistently recognized as a top law firm, both on the regional and national levels, and has been consistently ranked by US News & World Report - Best Lawyers and Chambers USA. Summit was also named Washington Firm of the Year at the 2021, 2022 & 2023 Benchmark Litigation US Awards and has also been recognized as one of Washington’s Best Workplaces since 2021 by the Puget Sound Business Journal. We are especially proud that in its 2022, 2023 & 2024 Diversity Snapshot, Law360 recognized Summit as being among the leading law firms across the nation for diversity.

Additionally, we have consistently received Mansfield Rule Plus Certification since 2022 for our diversity in leadership efforts.

Summiteers take pride in working here. Learn more here: L&E WEBINARS

FROM THE SUMMIT NEWSLETTERS

Summit Law Group's attorneys are well known for providing practical, high-quality training on a wide range of employment topics. Now training can be available to your entire organization through a series of webinar offerings in key areas designed to meet your most important training needs. Summit Law Group, PLLC is proud to be a recertification provider through the HR Certification Institute (HRCI) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

From the Summit is a subscription-based newsletter summarizing recent and noteworthy PERC decisions. In the decade since its debut in 2016, From the Summit has evolved into a trusted, go-to resource offering subscribers insight into PERC decisions and new rulings, interest arbitrations, and other legal developments relevant to Washington public sector employers.

Volume 41: April 2026 is hot off the press— subscribe today to enjoy the latest edition alongside archive access!

ON-DEMAND &

SUMMIT LAW GROUP, PLLC

315 5th Avenue South, Suite 1000 Seattle, Washington 98104

206.676.7000 | summitlaw.com

THE POWER OF ALL At Summit, we believe inclusion sparks innovation. We embrace the differences that make each of us unique and make us stronger as a team. We are committed to advancing diversity within our ranks, which we know creates power through addition: more ideas, improved Labor & Employment Team | 4 solutions and a better workplace. The view is better from the Summit – let’s reach it together.

Bargaining shouldn't be this hard.

Dealing with economic issues during collective bargaining may be challenging for many reasons:

Key Advantages:

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Often, the market landscape shifts beneath you.

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As other agencies strike their own deals, your market position changes from one bargain to the next.

Choose from 1 to 5 modules: Police, Fire, Transit, Corrections, and Dispatch.

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Access a statewide (WA) collective bargaining agreement (CBA) document library.

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You learn about the changes too late to plan and budget proactively.

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The lack of real-time visibility into statewide trends limits your ability to be as effective as you would like to be at the table.

Subscribers gain unprecedented visibility and point-and-click insights into position-specific wage increases, base wage rates, inflation rates, education premiums, longevity premiums, work hours, and time off.

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Explore statewide trends and compare your agency to others with data tools that allow you to drill all the way down to a specific position at a specific agency (or comp set).

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Evaluate the deals other agencies have reached before you settle your next contract.

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Access CBAs from other jurisdictions with the click of a mouse to research other elements of comparative compensation that may be of interest to you and your team.

Comp Trends makes it easy.

Comp Trends — an intuitive, interactive database — reflects the market as it exists. It’s a new resource that empowers you to understand your agency's relative market position, allowing you to craft informed, strategic proposals to present at the table.

Public-sector collective bargaining agreements and economic data are updated in the database on a near-daily basis, so you can see wage and inflation trends as they happen—a powerful tool that has no equal.