OLYMPIA, Wash. - In Olympia today, Washington state lawmakers are debating ways to shore up the safety net for workers who get sick or have to take extended time off for new children or family emergencies. At a House Labor Committee hearing this morning, they'll focus on two bills. One is based on a Seattle city ordinance that allows workers to earn five to nine days of paid sick time.

As an hourly worker in Sea-Tac, Jeanette Randall said it would be an improvement over her employer's current policy of paying for sick time only after the first three days of an illness.

"If I just don't feel well but I'm upright and able to function, I go to work sick, and many of my coworkers do as well," she admitted. "We're grocery store workers; I'm a checker - I touch everybody's food. That's kind of the situation that we're faced with is: miss out on pay or stay home and get better."

Some businesses say they can't afford to offer workers paid time off, because they also have to pay their replacements and could be forced to raise prices as a result. But some Seattle business owners have said the city ordinance hasn't had much effect on their bottom line and has been good for workers' morale.

Rep. Tami Green (D-Dist. 28) of Lakewood is a co-sponsor of the Paid Sick Days bill and the chief House sponsor of another bill that covers time off for longer absences. Family and Medical Leave Insurance would cost workers a few dollars a month, and give them a partial paycheck if they need the leave.

Rep. Green, a nurse, pointed out that emergencies aren't planned and most families don't budget for them.

"This would give people a basic, very low amount of their pay just to help them get by, because having time off is one thing, but being able to afford it is another thing, particularly for middle-class families," said Green. "This is sort of like a safety-net piece for them."

The Legislature passed a Family and Medical Leave Insurance plan in 2007 but didn't find a way to fund it. The new bill outlines a payroll deduction that Green said would pay the state back its start-up funding within two years.

Makini Howell, who owns several Seattle restaurants, said she thinks both pieces of legislation represent more than just giving workers time off when they need it.

"I've run the numbers for my own business, and the cost is minimal compared to employee retention, healthy workers, a healthy business, you know, actually being a strong part of the community," Howell said.

Bills are HB 1457 and SB 5292 (Family & Medical Leave Insurance) and HB 1313 (Paid Sick Days). The hearing is at 10 a.m. in House Labor & Workforce Development Committee.




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A case before the U.S. Supreme Court could have implications for the country's growing labor movement. Justices will hear oral arguments in Starbucks versus McKinney today to determine if the bar should be raised for the National Labor Relations Board when it seeks to impose court-ordered injunctions on companies.

David Groves, communications director with the Washington State Labor Council, said the Supreme Court could further undermine the power of the NLRB, the independent federal agency that protects employees' rights.

"We already have weak labor laws in this country that have such minor penalties for breaking union organizing laws that companies routinely do it, and this is another opportunity for them to weaken labor laws even further," he argued.

The case involves Starbucks' firing of seven employees in Memphis during their union campaign in 2021. The coffee company says it rehired the workers and denies wrongdoing. If the justices rule in favor of Starbucks, it could make it harder for the NLRB to seek court orders.

Groves said the law states that workers have a right to organize unions in their workplace without coercion or retaliation from their employers.

"That's all fine and good but if the penalty's not significant enough, then they'll just go ahead and break that law and consider it the cost of doing business if they have to pay a fine two years down the road," he explained.

Groves said his and other labor organizations support the passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize or PRO Act in Congress, which would strengthen labor laws, including providing greater authority to the NLRB.


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The U.S. House has approved a measure to expand the Child Tax Credit. It would help 16 million children from low-income families in Indiana and nationwide. Despite bipartisan support, the bill is stalled in the Senate. Advocates praise the credit's pivotal role in combating child poverty, pointing to its effectiveness in the past, and especially during the pandemic, when it was broadly expanded.

Candace Baker, an Indianapolis mother of 4, said the previous tax-credit expansion worked for her family, and she wants it reinstated.

"Having a child, and I had to get on some government-assistance programs. My grandmother never did because she just didn't want that stigma over her, but I utilized those services when I had a child. I didn't want to either, but I'm like, I need this support," she explained.

Congress approved expanding the Child Tax Credit in 2021. However, the expansion has expired, leaving families without vital assistance. As the Senate deliberates, pressure mounts on lawmakers to prioritize the needs of struggling families and secure passage. Opponents believe taxpayers who don't work should not be eligible. Some Republicans also contend the provision may incentivize parents to leave the workforce.

Families reeling from the pandemic received between $300 and $360 per month per child from the expanded tax credit. It lifted 3.7 million children from poverty. Baker currently works for a food bank in Indianapolis where she says she is able to help neighbors in need and give back to the community.

"Being able to be a voice for those who have no voice - that is my motto. Even though where you start, you don't have to stay there. So, that is my biggest motto that I stand on: You may start here, you may be on government assistance, you may be in poverty, but that does not have to be your end game," she said.

Families who benefited from the increased aid were more than twice as likely to pay their overdue rent during the initial stages of the pandemic. The Child Tax Credit did not pass in time for this year's tax deadline, and its prospects for the future are uncertain.


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Washington joins a handful of states to do away with mandatory meetings for employees on political or religious matters.

Sometimes known as captive audience meetings, the gatherings were seen as a way for employers to give their opinions on subjects like unionization, and held potential consequences for employees who didn't attend. Lawmakers passed a bill this session allowing workers to skip the meetings without repercussions.

Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, a sponsor of the bill, said we live in a divided society where emotions run high on political topics.

"This bill simply protects employees to have a real choice on whether or not to attend a meeting called by their boss to be told about some political or religious issue," Keiser explained.

Keiser pointed out the legislation is nonpartisan. For instance, employers could not force employees to attend anti-union meetings, but also could not force them to attend a meeting about the importance of reproductive rights. The bill takes effect June 6.

Keiser noted the bill likely got across the finish line this session because of the uptick in union organizing and support for labor. She added there are widely known stories of Starbucks managers, for example, requiring employees to attend anti-union meetings while the employees organized the workplace.

"Employees have been forced to attend meetings to listen to the boss or the employer basically tell them why they shouldn't join a union," Keiser observed.

Washington is the sixth state to pass a law prohibiting attendance at captive audience meetings. Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota and New York have passed similar laws in recent years. Oregon passed a law allowing workers to skip such meetings without repercussions in 2010.


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