Despite intense pressure from the business community to sign one of their legislative priorities for 1998, Governor Gary Locke instead used his veto pen late Wednesday to protect workers from a bill that would have granted employers virtual legal immunity for giving negative or harmful job references — even if they were outright lies.

"We are very pleased that Governor Locke saw that this measure went way too far and shouldn't become law," said Rick Bender, President of the Washington State Labor Council.

SB 6699, the Worker Blacklisting Bill, would have changed the law to grant immunity from civil lawsuit to employers who show a "reckless disregard" for the truth when giving job references about current or former employees.  If the governor had signed this bill, the only way a harmed worker could get legal redress would be if he or she could prove the employer knew the information they gave was false.

"An employer could have simply said 'Whoops, I made a mistake. I must have confused you with someone else who did have a drug and attendance problem.'  And the employer would be off the hook," said Bender.  "It's not hard to imagine that employers might choose to target or blacklist good workers they simply didn't like for whatever reason, and prevent them from getting a job and providing for their families.   That's just plain wrong."

Proponents of SB 6699 have argued that many employers give no references at all because they fear lawsuits, and that hurts the businesses trying to hire and the workers trying to get hired.

But current law already offers protection for employers regarding the references they give.  They are only civilly liable if they give out false information or show reckless disregard for the truth.  In addition, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that there has never been a significant judgment against an employer for references they gave in the history of Washington state.

"If a dysfunctional network of businesses is too afraid to give each other references, they have created this problem on their own.  They should solve it on their own by educating each other that all they have to do to avoid lawsuits is be honest and careful about they references they give," Bender said.  "Not by taking away workers' only legal protection from being slandered and blacklisted."

"As an employer myself, and I have never had any problem understanding or complying with this fair, simple standard in giving references.  And they shouldn't either."

Many among this sometimes overlooked group of voters have held (or continue to hold) minimum wage jobs, and should be very supportive of the issue and receptive to signature gatherers.  If 225,000 signatures are gathered by July 2 and voters approve I-688 in November, the state minimum wage would be increased in two steps from $4.90 to $6.50 an hour and then be indexed to the rate of inflation. 

"Anyone who's gone out collecting signatures for this campaign knows it's extremely easy to get people to sign the petition," said Tarik Burney, an I-688 activist on staff at the Washington State Labor Council.  "Unlike some other initiatives, it's a simple, straightforward proposal and the vast majority of people support it."

Also unlike most recent initiatives in Washington state, I-688 will only use volunteers; there will be no paid signature gatherers.

About two-thirds of the 90 volunteers necessary to do the job have already signed up.   If you are interested in helping or want more information, please contact event organizer Dave Asher at dasher@scn.org. 

If you can't volunteer Monday but would like to volunteer on some other day(s), get petitions mailed to you, or just get more information about I-688, call the campaign office at (206) 256-6391 or send an e-mail.

Adapted from Associated Press report

The U.S. House of Representatives emphatically rejected a series of Republican leadership-sponsored campaign finance bill Monday night, including a so-called "Paycheck Protection" measure that would have created cumbersome administrative hurdles for labor union to participate in the political process.  Angry Democratic and GOP critics decried the voting process as a "fraud" and "sham" that barred consideration of their bipartisan plan to curb fund-raising abuses.

The controversial proposal to restrict campaign spending by labor unions was rejected, 166 to 246, with virtually every Democrat and 52 of 246 Republicans opposed.

Among Washington state's delegation, voting YES on "Paycheck Protection" were Reps. Rick White (R-1st), Linda Smith (R-3rd and a candidate for U.S. Senate), "Doc" Hastings (R-4th), George Nethercutt (R-5th) and Jennifer Dunn (R-8th).   Voting NO on the measure were Reps. Jack Metcalf (R-2nd), Norm Dicks (D-6th), Jim McDermott (D-7th) and Adam Smith (D-9th).

By a vote of 74 to 337, the House scuttled the most comprehensive of four campaign finance reform bills brought up by the leadership under procedures that barred amendments and required a two-thirds "supermajority" for passage, virtually guaranteeing defeat of all but the least controversial proposals.  Even Republicans voted overwhelmingly against the bill, despite last-minute efforts by GOP leaders to broaden the measure to pick up support.  

The unusual voting strategy was employed by House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and other GOP leaders after they discovered last week that the bipartisan bill might pass if normal voting procedures were followed, prompting bitter complaints from its chief backers.

Quoting Woody Allen in the movie "Bananas," Rep. Martin T. Meehan (D-Mass.) described the process as "a travesty of a mockery of a sham." "An unbelievable outrage," added Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), co-sponsor with Meehan of the House version of the bill that stalled earlier this year in the Senate.

As a last resort, Shays, Meehan and others are trying to gather support for a petition to force a vote on their measure. They are about 30 votes short of the required 218 signatures but said yesterday that the leadership strategy will backfire and help garner the necessary signers.

The tactics of GOP leaders – which everyone agrees were aimed at fulfilling promises to address the issue without risking passage of legislation they do not want – have triggered a ferocious response from both Republican and Democratic sponsors, drawing renewed attention to the issue and assuring that it will not go away quietly.   The House Republican leadership's commitment to tackle the issue dates to June 1995, when Gingrich shook hands with President Clinton in a mutual pledge to create a blue-ribbon panel on campaign finance.

After two years of no action, pressure last year mounted on Gingrich from within his party to deliver on his promise.  Reform advocates began gathering signatures on a petition to force a vote.  In November, Gingrich promised a vote by the end of March and said he anticipated a "very fair, bipartisan process of voting."

Last July, warehouse workers at Jet Equipment and Tool in Auburn organized into Teamsters 117.  After months of negotiations, contract talks broke down early this year when Jet refused to consider basic worker rights as part of contract negotiations.

On the first day of the strike, the company permanently replaced the workers.  Teamsters 117, Jobs With Justice, the King County Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and the Pierce County Labor Council, AFL-CIO are organizing a rally to support the Jet strikers Friday, April 3rd, at 3:30 p.m. outside Jet at 2415 West Valley Highway N., Auburn.

By permanently replacing strikers, Jet is following in the footsteps of Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre.  Let's show Jet that the labor-community response at the 5th Avenue was not an aberration!

For more information about the rally, please call Rosalinda Aguirre at Jobs With Justice, 206-441-7102, or email her at wsjwj@igc.org.  If you or your organization are interested in making a contribution to the strikers' fund at Teamsters 117, please call Leonard Smith, Teamsters 117 Organizing Director, at 206-441-4860, x237.