The Washington State Labor Council is calling on lawmakers to step up to the plate and pass pro-worker legislation In the 2014 session of the Washington Legislature.
There’s no significant budget crunch this year, so fewer defensive fights are anticipated during the short, 90-day session that opened Jan. 13. Instead, the state labor federation is promoting what it’s calling a “Shared Prosperity Agenda to Rebuild the Middle Class,” a proactive list of policies to advance the interests of working people in the Evergreen State.
Some of the many proposals WSLC has on the list:
- Passing a uniform statewide paid sick leave standard, taking as a starting point the sick leave ordinance Seattle passed in 2012.
- Raising the minimum wage to a “living wage” of $15 an hour within three years.
- Allowing courts to triple damages for wage theft.
- Passing a comprehensive transportation funding package to reduce traffic congestion and create jobs;
- Giving state employees a long-overdue cost-of-living increase.
Though the Senate is still in Republican hands thanks to the 2012 defection of two Democrats, the House is led by Democrats, and WSLC wants to see on-the-record votes so that union members can see who’s with and who’s against working people.
