WSLC 2019 Legislative Report summarizes session, how each legislator voted OLYMPIA (July 18, 2019) — The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO has published its 2019 Legislative Report summarizing this year’s session of the State Legislature, describing how bills on working family issues fared, and scoring all legislators on how they voted. Download the full […]
(July 16, 2019) — It’s summer and across Washington state, temperatures — and primary election races — are heating up. This year, our access to register to vote is growing. Our democracy is strongest when everyone participates and our unions are strongest when all of our members and their family members are registered to make […]
L&I hearings to begin in Western Washington, starting Monday in Tumwater TUMWATER (July 12, 2019) — Washington state is poised to close a gigantic loophole in the state’s wage-and-hour laws, and help its citizens bring their working lives back into balance. The state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) has proposed to restore overtime […]
TUMWATER (June 6, 2019) — The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) announced Wednesday its long-awaited proposal to restore overtime pay rights, which is projected to return time-and-a-half pay to more than 250,000 workers who’ve lost those protections because rules haven’t been updated in more than 40 years. And the support for L&I […]
Long-awaited rule update will help Washington workers ‘get their time back’ TUMWATER, Wash. (June 5, 2019) — Washington state is poised to begin closing a gigantic loophole in the state’s wage-and-hour laws — and to help its citizens bring their working lives back into balance. The state Department of Labor and Industries announced today […]
OLYMPIA (May 21, 2019) — In 2018, the Legislature passed the Washington Fair Chance Act to protect job applicants with a criminal record so they can fairly compete for job opportunities for which they are otherwise qualified. This legislation was supported by the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO and a broad coalition of business, labor, […]
100% clean energy law with labor standards hailed as Inslee signs climate bills SEATTLE (May 8, 2019) — Gov. Jay Inslee signed a set of landmark climate and clean energy policies into law on Tuesday, surrounded by a diverse coalition of supporters and community groups, including representatives of organized labor. The new laws approved […]
OLYMPIA (April 30, 2019) — The 2019 session of the Washington State Legislature — which featured some major twists and turns, great successes and disappointing failures — wrapped up at midnight on Sunday with the passage of the biennial budget. Importantly, that budget will fully fund state employee contracts and school employee health care coverage. […]
‘Clean’ rest break bill passes both houses after massive show of support OLYMPIA (April 25, 2019) — The safety of hospital patients and their frontline caregivers drew national attention in the past week, culminating in hundreds of nurses, medical technicians, and their supporters rallying at the State Capitol on Wednesday — and then celebrating. […]
OLYMPIA (April 25, 2019) — Initiative 1000, an Initiative to the Legislature that would repeal Washington state’s I-200 ban on affirmative action policies, was unanimously endorsed at the Washington State Labor Council’s COPE Convention because Washington’s working families value fairness and shared opportunities for us all. I-1000 will ensure we all have access to better […]
Union membership is on the rise here in Washington state. CLICK HERE to find out why, and how YOU can get started forming a Union at your workplace!
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