‘Important progress can be made’ in 2018

WSLC announces Shared Prosperity Agenda for session that begins Monday

OLYMPIA (Jan. 3, 2018) — The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO — the state’s largest union organization, representing the interests of approximately 450,000 rank-and file members in more than 600 union organizations — today released its Shared Prosperity Agenda for the 2018 session of the State Legislature that begins Monday, Jan. 8. The WSLC’s budget and policy priorities will focus on creating family-wage jobs, protecting workers’ safety and health, and making government more accountable to the people.

“After five years of legislative gridlock, state lawmakers have the opportunity to put people first and focus on good jobs,” said WSLC President Jeff Johnson. “It’s a short session, but important progress can be made on some issues that have been thoroughly studied and considered but blocked by partisan politics.”

The WSLC’s 2018 legislative priorities include:

► Swift passage of a capital construction budget.

► Approving the Washington Voting Rights Act that empowers local governments to change discriminatory voting systems without the need for costly lawsuits.

► Passing the Equal Pay Opportunity Act to ensure differences in pay are not driven by sex or gender.

► Protecting local authority to set labor standards above-and-beyond the state-established floor.

► Ensuring workers at Hanford, who are cleaning up one of the most toxic places on Earth, are protected by the workers’ compensation safety net if they get sick.

► Prohibiting non-competition contracts that unjustly block people from seeking better jobs in their industry.

► Requiring drug companies to provide transparency and disclose reasons for price hikes.

See the entire 2018 Shared Prosperity Agenda for a more comprehensive list of WSLC legislative goals. As the agenda notes, in addition to the priorities listed there, the WSLC will support a range of issues that address economic opportunity and justice, as well as legislation championed by its affiliated unions.