Labor Update - Brad Larssen

The WORKER PRIVACY ACT : H B 1528 & S B 5446 - We need you to send as much email support as possible ASAP to BRING THE WORKER PRIVACY ACT TO A VOTE. - Bills must pass out of their house of origin by this Thursday, March 12, or they are dead! - Our message: BRING THE WORKER PRIVACY ACT TO A VOTE NOW and VOTE YES! - Please email your legislators ASAP. And we need you to contact House Speaker Frank Chopp and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown - and URGE them to move this bill to a vote and passage. - This bill ensures that workers maintain their First Amendment Rights at the workplace on issues of individual conscience, - such as religion, politics, charitable giving, & union organizing. - We have 47 Sponsors in the House and 21 in the Senate. That is only a couple of votes short of passage counting Sponsors alone! - We have commitments from many other legislators as well. We have the votes. We need to get this bill to the floor for a vote and pass it! - This is the Wash. State Labor Council's top legislative priority this session. - We cannot let threats from certain business lobbyists kill this bill that has broad majority support!

OTHER BILLS TO WATCH: - HB 1555 / SB 5614 - Addressing the recommendations of the joint legislative task force on the UNDERGROUND ECONOMY - IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY. - HB 1554 / SB 5613 - Authorizing the Dept of Labor & Industries to ISSUE STOP WORK ORDERS FOR VIOLATIONS OF - CERTAIN WORKERS' COMPENSATION PROVISIONS. - These bills address sanctions and penalties for employers who do not pay the required state taxes on their employees. - Each year large sums due in Workers' Compensation and Unemployment Insurance taxes go unpaid and uncollected due to - non-compliance by some employers. These taxes need to be paid. These workers need the coverage that the laws require. - And responsible employers should not be underbid by those who don't pay their taxes. - HB 1554 / SB 5613 - Passed the House 96-0 and the Senate 31-17 last week. - HB 1555 / SB 5614 - Passed the House 95-1. Sent to the Senate March 6 for 2nd reading.

UNEMPLOYMENT UPDATE - The Bill for temporary relief passed and was signed into law Feb. 16. These benefit increases will expire in 2010. - SB 5963 / HB 2204 - Gives significant permanent tax cuts to employers, but did not restore the multiplier for calculating - benefits to the traditional level of 4.0. - Labor's Position is: OPPOSE SB 5963 unless it is amended to give workers permanent benefit increases alongside employers - permanent tax cuts.