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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COLUMBUS, Ohio - Jessica Molina of Perrysburg says she was inspired as a child by the spirit of activism, as she watched her parents participate in rallies and protests advocating for the rights of farm workers. Now, as the principal of the only bilingual elementary school in Toledo, Escuela Smart Academy, Molina volunteers with the Farm Labor Organizing Committee on youth programs.

Most recently, Molina has helped FLOC with COVID-19 vaccination efforts, even opening the doors of the school to provide more space for their clinic.

"It was important for them to make sure that their members had front-row seats to getting the vaccine - which really, they did, because FLOC's clinic was up and running just like the major hospitals," she said. "So, I think it was crucial to for them to show their members they have their back."

For their contributions to helping migrant farm workers, Molina and her parents recently attended a White House celebration of front-line health-care workers and volunteers.

FLOC's work resulted in more than 6,000 people being vaccinated at the south Toledo clinic, with an 89% return rate for the second dose. Molina noted that the clinics were open to anyone in need of the vaccine.

"The clinic was available on the weekends, in the evenings," she said. "We even had a 'vaccine-a-thon,' where we were offering vaccines for 42 hours straight, from sunup until sundown. So, it was a really productive clinic."

Molina said she believes FLOC has set an example of what it means to serve the community in times of crisis.

"They maximized their relationships and their partnerships with other organizations to refocus their work on battling the pandemic," she said. "Fighting COVID isn't a part of their mission statement, but helping the community is."

With such a large percentage of the community now vaccinated, Molina said the school is no longer needed as a clinic site. However, she noted that FLOC continues to connect workers at various migrant farms to health-care services.

MINOT, N.D. -- Many arguments are being floated about legislation before Congress that would bring big changes to U.S. labor laws. The bill has its opponents, but North Dakota unions who back the plan say it's important to look beyond the rhetoric.

Sponsors of the PRO Act said a key goal is to make it easier for workers to unionize. It also would override "Right to Work Laws" in 27 states, including North Dakota.

Opponents say that removes choices for workers who don't want to join a union.

Bob Wolf, organizer for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 714 in Minot, said they can opt out. He argued dues-collection language ensures they contribute to efforts to secure benefits they receive.

"It costs the folks that are members money to negotiate a contract, to fight grievances, and you don't go to a potluck and not bring anything," Wolf asserted.

This month, unions from across the country held rallies in hopes of convincing senators still on the fence about the bill. They said the effort centers around blocking businesses who use intimidation tactics to stall union organizing. Groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce countered the PRO Act would do more harm to workplaces than good, while disrupting the economy.

Wolf contended it goes beyond wages and the ability to hold union elections. He added giving organized labor more tools to operate paves the way for safer working conditions.

"You know, we don't see everything out in the field, and that's where when the members come back and say, 'You know, we're being asked to do this in an unsafe manner or an unsafe way,'" Wolf recounted.

Landis Larson, president of the North Dakota AFL-CIO, said as for prohibiting interference, workers should have the right to openly discuss union possibilities without looking over their shoulder, or being forced to attend company-sponsored informational sessions.

"They call them captive-audience meetings with the employees," Larson explained. "It is very intimidating when you're looking at the people that actually give you your money for a paycheck. It's a real chilling effect."

The House approved the PRO Act in March, but it faces an uncertain future in the Senate.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Minnesota government has a new budget in place, but it's still trying to wrap up the latest two-year contracts for state employees.

After a year in which workers helped agencies and residents through the pandemic, unions are pressing for what they call transformative changes. Negotiations could wrap up sometime this week.

Amid those talks, state workers represented by unions rallied at the state Capitol Wednesday.

Megan Dayton, statewide president of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE), said they are still fighting for telework opportunities.

"Not just because it helps keep our workforce safe and supported, but because it keeps the cost of public service down," Dayton asserted.

The Minnesota Office of Management and Budget would not comment on specific provisions, but said the work state employees do makes Minnesota a great place to live.

According to MAPE negotiators, state officials indicated that now is not the time for a long-term commitment on telework. Other union members pressed for contract language that establishes equity, diversity and inclusion.

Rhianon Sargent, program specialist for the Minnesota Department of Education and a MAPE member, told the crowd there was pushback over specific proposals concerning equity and diversity. She argued state leaders need to follow up on previous pledges in this area.

"We need MMB and the governor's team to show that they are truly committed to what they have stated as EDI priorities," Sargent urged.

Minnesota government employs more than 30,000 people in 78 agencies. More than 15,000 of those workers are represented by MAPE.

The union also continues to press the state to address what it calls the misuse of temporary unclassified positions. MAPE emphasized it leads to high turnover and low morale, while disproportionately affecting BIPOC workers.