@matthew.ross.hdrinc
Ok... I have been using it since 1999
Just for the sake of general knowledge and information, maybe @kimberly_fuhrman-jones can also validate this with the dev team.
The functionality of this feature has been reversed since Revit version 8 or 8.1, meaning in 2005, shortly after Autodesk purchased it. Before that, it was always checked/true until manually unchecked by the user. This change was made due to numerous user complaints. Personally, I can totally understand how it could be convenient for some users, but for the majority of users, namely BIM coordinators and managers, work across multiple disciplines. Having this option default to "Editable Only" would be a nightmare.
Add to that the fact that it is a contextual option. Meaning it is only available when the Project is workshared with worksets loaded/open. Hence, there are users who have not even heard about it or affected by it
I’m not saying you shouldn’t get what you’re wishing for; I’m only clarifying that it’s not a bug. That said, you really need to post this request on the Ideas Forum.
I’m 100% sure the dev team wouldn’t find it too hard to implement this option in a way similar to "Select by Face" or "Select Pinned Element," where users can choose to keep it always on or always off. Below is the link to the Ideas Forum.
Revit Ideas - Autodesk Community