TLM CLC makes the case for Olympia’s Prop 1

On the ballot this year are common-sense measures to improve the working conditions and economic security of low-wage workers 

The following is from the Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council:

OLYMPIA, WA (October 27, 2025) — The Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council strongly condemns the recent resolution by the Olympia City Council opposing ballot initiative Proposition 1, the Workers’ Bill of Rights.

Having previously stated that they would leave the matter up to the voters to decide, they have since gone back on their word, passing a resolution opposing the Workers’ Bill of Rights at the October 7th Council meeting.

Prop 1 will provide much-needed relief to low-wage workers who face rising costs of living, and ensure that workers have greater safety guarantees on the job and secure scheduling to better plan their lives.

These are common-sense measures that will bring Olympia’s labor standards into line with other cities in Washington and around the country. In other cities where similar laws have been passed, they have improved the economic condition of local workers, without significant negative impacts on local businesses. In fact, many businesses in those cities reported revenue growth, due to working people having more money to spend in their communities.

Photo illustration: TLM CLC

The purpose of Prop 1 is to make sure that those who work in Olympia can afford to live here. A city that is unaffordable for its working families is not a healthy community. Prop 1’s most stringent and immediate requirements are aimed at holding large out-of-town employers to a fair standard. Higher wages and secure scheduling for their employees will mean more money and leisure time being spent in Olympia, yielding a net gain for our local economy.

In spite of this, the corporate-funded Washington Retail Association has collaborated with a small minority of local business owners to instigate a campaign of misinformation against Prop 1, misrepresenting the provisions of the bill and proclaiming disastrous consequences if it is passed. It is sad and unfortunate that this group has made such an effort to undermine Olympia’s economic future and the financial wellbeing of our neighbors.

It is more unfortunate, however, that they have also been able to convince four of the seven Olympia City Council members to drink from the same poisoned well. Mayor Dontae Payne and Councilmembers Yen Huynh, Dani Madrone, and Kelly Green have been staunch opponents of the Workers’ Bill of Rights from its inception, ignoring the clear economic benefits that local businesses would see if the hardworking members of our community had more economic and scheduling security.

At previous Council meetings, these four have patronized voters by insisting that those who wanted to see Prop 1 on the ballot didn’t know what they were signing, as though working people lack the intelligence to understand our own interests. They have leaned heavily into the insinuation that Prop 1 is poorly written, acting as if common sense regulation is a threat to all business. They act as if working people should not have a say in the political process, and have shown that they will steamroll the other three members of the Council when workers’ priorities are brought up for discussion.

Union workers and community members at a TLM CLC-led May Day rally at the State Capitol. Photo: TLM CLC

By their actions, these four members of the Council have shown their steadfast hostility to the interests of everyday working people in Olympia. In spite of hearing directly from scores of working people about their struggles to afford basic necessities, in spite of Prop 1 supporters handily outnumbering opponents at every meeting where it was discussed, and in spite of the data from other cities supporting the economic common sense of Prop 1, they have at every turn sided with one of the largest corporate-funded lobbying associations in the state and a small group of wealthy people over all of Olympia’s working families.

At the same time, the Labor Council wishes to express our gratitude to Councilmembers Jim Cooper, Clark Gilman, and Robert Vanderpool for consistently supporting the Workers’ Bill of Rights, and to Council candidate Caleb Gieger for also being a strong advocate from the campaign trail. They have had the foresight to understand that Prop 1 is vital for Olympia’s long-term economic prospects, and the courage to act on that understanding. The Labor Council is proud to have endorsed Gilman and Vanderpool in their reelection campaigns, and Gieger in his first run for office.

Prop 1 will pass, because Olympians, both workers and the forward-looking majority of small business owners, understand what is in their own economic interest and will vote accordingly.

But working people in Olympia will not forget that Payne, Huynh, Madrone, and Green have opposed us at every opportunity. By their stance against Prop 1, they have placed themselves firmly on the side of big businesses with no loyalty to our local communities, and they have staked out a position that fully aligns with the federal administration’s anti-worker, pro-corporate agenda. The Labor Council and our member unions will be doing our part to ensure that, going forward, the interests of Olympia’s working majority are adequately represented on the Olympia City Council.

Learn more about the Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council at tlmlabor.org.