PAGE 2 | July 2, 2021 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
NORTHWEST
LABOR
PRESS
(International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X)
Established in 1900 in Portland, Oregon as a voice of the la-
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CORRECTION
We got the wrong building.A story
about painters union pickets in our June 18
issue incorrectly identified one of the job
sites as Reed College’s Parker House. The
picket was at 3124 SE Crystal Springs Blvd.,
another building owned by Reed College.
Parker House is around the corner.
Hours: Mon-Sat 12-6 pm Closed Sunday
Washington State Labor Council,
AFL-CIO, will soon issue its offi-
cial report on the state legisla-
ture’s 2021 session. Based on a
preliminary draft shared with
the Labor Press, it was a pretty
significant session for organized
labor. In the 105-day session
that closed April 25, lawmakers
delivered tax reform, climate ac-
tion, and expanded workers
rights. Here are some highlights.
And importantly, the investments funded
under CCA are restricted to projects that meet
high labor standards.
Labor goes
to Olympia
BAD BILLS THAT FAILED
(THANK GOODNESS)
Estate tax repeal HB 1245, sponsored by
Sen. Ed Orcutt (R-Kalama) would have made
the state’s tax code even more regressive by
repealing the estate tax, which only applies to
individuals with assets over $2.2 million.
School vouchers HB 1215, introduced by
Rep. Vicki Kraft (R-Vancouver) would have
established a “K-12 education scholarship”
program to divert scarce public school
funding to unaccountable private schools.
GOOD BILLS THAT PASSED
Overtime pay for farmworkers SB 5172
extends the 40-hour week and the right to
overtime pay to all Washington farmworkers
over the next three years. It comes after the
Washington Supreme Court ordered the same
for workers in dairies. Beginning in January
2022, overtime will be due after 55 hours of
work in a week; in January 2023, after 48
hours; and in January 2024, after 40 hours.
The bill is nationally significant, and upon
signing, President Joe Biden congratulated
Governor Jay Inslee.
Tax fairness means capital gains taxes
for the rich, tax rebates for working
people Washington has had one of the
most regressive tax systems in the country, in
that poor and working people pay a bigger
percentage of their incomes in taxes than the
rich do. But SB 5096, an excise tax on
extraordinary profits from the sales of capital
assets like stocks and bonds. passed in the
senate by just one vote The tax is 7% and it
only kicks in when there’s more than
$250,000 per year in profits from the sale of
certain capital assets like stocks. Exempt from
the tax are proceeds from the sale of small
businesses, timber, and homes and other real
estate. Meanwhile, lawmakers also passed a
new Working Families Tax Credit, Modeled
after the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, it’s
a state program to provide tax rebates of
between $300 and $1,200 to an estimated
420,000 households starting in 2023.
Juneteenth HB 1016 makes
Juneteenth–June 19–an official state holiday
in Washington, and a paid day off for state
workers starting in 2022.
Wage liens against wage thieves SB
5355 , known as the Washington Wage
Recovery Act, puts a new tool in the hands of
workers who suffer wage theft. It’s a response
to the fact that almost 45% of wages owed
to workers in wage theft cases goes
uncollected. Now, they’ll be able to place a
lien on property owned by the guilty parties.
The bill was fiercely opposed by corporate
lobbying groups, but it passed the Senate 25-
24 and the House 51-46.
Reduce the exploitation of people
with disabilities SB 5284 eliminates the
subminimum wage for workers with
disabilities.
Climate actionThe Climate Commitment
Act imposes a firm and declining cap on
approximately 80% of the state’s greenhouse
gas emissions, covering emissions from
natural gas, electricity, transportation,
industry, and more. Emissions-intensive and
trade exposed industries like aluminum,
aviation, and pulp and paper will get special
treatment through at least 2035. The CCA will
invest a minimum of $7 billion by 2037 (and
more after), with $5.2 billion dedicated to
transportation projects that reduce carbon,
and the balance dedicated to carbon
reduction in other sectors, including funds for
forest management and wildfire reduction.
BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME
Workers right to sue when employers
break labor lawThe Worker Protection Act,
HB 1076, would have allowed workers to
seek justice in court if their employer violates
existing wage and hour laws, generating re-
sources for stronger state enforcement.
WE CAN DREAM, CAN’T WE?
Billionaire wealth tax House Bill 1406
would have made Washington the first state
in the nation to impose a wealth tax —an
annual 1% levy on wealth, after exempting
the first $1 billion of wealth. It would have
affected just Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and 12
other billionaires who live in Washington. The
bill had 26 co-sponsors, though none from
Southwest Washington. It was approved by a
committee, but never got a vote on the
House floor.