According to the Department of Retirement Systems,
The Washington State Supreme Court has agreed to accept direct review of litigation over discontinuation of annual benefit increases for retirees from two of the state’s older pension plans — and will hear that case in conjunction with arguments over a separate lawsuit related to gain sharing and early retirement provisions in other pension plans.
Under an order signed June 4 by Chief Justice Barbara Madsen, the court will hear arguments on the gain sharing and annual increase cases together. The order indicated that oral arguments in both cases will most likely be set for either Nov. 12 or Nov. 18, 2013.
I wrote about the possibility here, and that post includes background on the issue. If the court decides that the legislature does not have the right to repeal gain sharing or COLAs, it would significantly impact the state budget (to the tune of about $640 million in the upcoming biennium). Further, it could have serious implications for any future benefits changes. If pension benefit increases can never be taken back — even if legislation is explicit that they are not contractual rights — perhaps legislators will be a bit more careful in giving them in the first place.
Washington Research Council 