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WSLC 2010 agenda focuses on jobs

The Washington State Labor Council’s 2010 legislative agenda -- at both the state and national levels -- is focused on jobs, jobs, jobs. Creating jobs. Retaining jobs. Strengthening jobs. But while we are mindful that quality jobs will lead us out of recession, the WSLC and its 500 affiliated unions also recognize the moral imperative of protecting the social safety nets that the victims of this recession need to survive, and we must raise revenue to protect our families’ health and safety. Read more. 

"Track" legislation with the WSLC Legislative Tracker™

The Washington State Labor Council has posted the WSLC Legislative Tracker™, a highly sophisticated online device for  "tracking" the status of state legislation of interest to the council. If your affiliated union would like to add a bill of particular concern to the WSLC Legislative Tracker®, just contact the staff of this Web Site©.

A fresh look at our business climate

"Outside the Echo Chamber" is a special series of reports by the Washington State Labor Council aiming to restore perspective about our state's business climate and examine the successes we can build upon as business, labor and government leaders work together to maintain and increase the number of good-paying jobs in this state, particularly in the aerospace industry. (These reports have been updated effective January 2010.)

PART 1: Washington: A business-friendly state -- National publications, universities and public policy groups that analyze state policies affecting business consistently rank Washington among the very best states for business.

PART 2: Our state's workers' compensation advantage -- Our public system pays comparatively high benefits while Washington employers' costs are the fifth lowest of any state. But some business groups want to cut benefits and privatize  the system. UPDATES:

• Labor: Let's talk, not privatize (Feb. 2) -- At a Senate work session, labor leaders express a willingness to continue working with the business community to identify workers' comp changes that all parties can support, but expressed strong opposition to the idea of privatizing the system. 

• Why the grass is greener on THIS side of the fence (Feb. 1) -- All independent national evidence points to Washington as having both high benefits and low employer costs. Opportunistic business lobbying groups are seizing upon the current recession to try to turn Washington from a high-benefit, low-cost state into a lower-benefit, even lower-cost state.

• It's Time to Set the Record Straight About Workers' Compensation (January 2010) -- Unions organizations, including the WSLC, distributed this fact sheet to legislators in January 2010, not only to counter misinformation about the our public workers' compensation system, but to offer suggestions on the best ways to improve it.

• Just the facts, please (October 2009) -- As some business groups seek to undermine public confidence in our public workers' compensation system, the WSLC issued this October 2009 report to respond to some of their false claims.

• An honest discussion about workers' compensation (October 2009) -- A recent column by Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles and Rep. Steve Conway.

PART 3: Unemployment Insurance saving businesses, jobs -- Washington's system pumped $4 billion into our state economy in 2009. That money is keeping businesses afloat and saving jobs in this recession. UPDATE:

• Unemployment benefits are SAVINGS JOBS (January 2010) -- Our state's unemployment system not only helps desperate families who've lost their income, it is saving jobs. It is saving businesses by pumping $6.5 billion worth of economic activity into our state in 2009. But business groups complain about its tax structure... which THEY created.

There are approximately 574,000 union members in the state -- 20.2% of the non-agricultural workforce -- ranking Washington as the 4th most unionized state in the nation. But the legislative positions taken by the Washington State Labor Council are on issues affecting ALL working people, not just union members.

From minimum wage to workers' compensation, from overtime pay to unemployment insurance -- the Washington State Labor Council are all too often the only voice in Olympia on behalf of everyday working people on many legislative issues. That is unfortunate, given the number of corporate and trade association lobbyists who often fight to remove or roll back hard-earned workplace standards and rights. But it is a banner the WSLC and other labor organizations carry with pride.

The WSLC Position Papers -- listed at the right under "Where We Stand" -- are intended to provide a summary of the issues affecting working families that have come up and are likely to come up again in the State Legislature. These are intended to be a quick educational and reference tool for legislators and others who follow the legislative process. More detailed information about these issues are available upon request. For more information, email Communications Director Kathy Cummings or call her at 206-281-8901.

WSLC 2009 Legislative Report and Voting Record

Citing their concerns about harming Washington's "business climate" amid a recession, Democratic legislative leaders in Olympia killed most of organized labor's priority policy bills in 2009, adding insult to an injurious all-cuts budget that targeted the state's public employees and low-income workers.

Copyright © 2010 -- Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO