News & Stories
Policy is personal. So, we want to share more than just data.
Stay up to date with our legislative updates, organizational news, media mentions, and more.
Instead of simply abiding by the voters’ approval of the tax increases necessary to fund mass transit in the Puget Sound area, they are engaging in a bipartisan attack on the election results.
As a young girl, my daughter had a fear of flying. She overcame this through a thorough study of airplanes and landed on the 737 as her preferred means of transportation in the air. So naturally, she asked for a Boeing T-shirt for a present. It says, “If it’s not Boeing, I’m not going!” So […]
It is relevant to ask: What was the impact of this increase on jobs?
Our state legislators have a chance to make that happen this year — but they need to be reminded why this policy matters in the first place.
With only six weeks left in the regular session and a budget still to write, some of these bills will still die rather than making it to final passage and into state law.
The rules of power are often rigged in favor of monopolies and winner-take-all systems. On Citizen University TV, host Eric Liu explores ways citizens can overcome a system stacked against them. He calls this strategy “re-rigging the rules.” But what if you’re an ex-con? Does this strategy still work? For them, finding a job is […]
BIG news! Yesterday, Washington’s House of Representatives has passed this year’s equal pay bill on a bipartisan vote, which will help us address the pay and opportunity gaps between working men and women in Washington. (And what a perfect way to recognize International Women’s Day!) This is a HUGE victory, and thanks to the hard-work […]
Women and families in the U.S. are facing so many challenges these days, it’s hard to know how to focus our energy. Women who have worked hard, paid taxes, and raised families in this country for years, torn from their children by immigration authorities. Congress and state legislatures restricting women’s access to birth control and […]
We depend on immigrants, make that ourselves, whether we/they are doctors, farm laborers, carpenters, hotel workers, programmers or columnists.
The Seattle City Council’s Civil Rights, Utilities, Economic Development & Arts Committee met for a “Lunch and Learn” session to discuss a plan to “Trump-Proof Seattle” (i.e. Seattle’s budget) by taxing unearned income (capital gains, interest and dividends) for households with incomes above $250,000, helping to safeguard opportunity for all Seattleites, and not just the […]
The Transit Riders Union, Economic Opportunity Institute and other local organizations are launching a campaign called “Trump Proof Seattle” to start a city income tax on wealthy households. Transit Riders Union General Secretary Katie Wilson said the campaign is a response to the threat of Seattle’s losing federal funding under President Donald Trump. But the […]
Our state is just getting played by Boeing.
In the decade since Washington state’s House Appropriations Committee last heard a paid family leave bill, we’ve learned a lot about how the first year of life sets the foundation for lifelong health and well-being, how our aging population and the gender wage gap affect our whole economy, and about the positive outcomes – and shortcomings – […]
Proposal awaits vote after public hearing in House Appropriations Committee Yesterday the House Appropriations Committee held a public hearing on House Bill 1116, which would create a comprehensive paid family and medical leave proposal for all working families. Sponsored by Rep. June Robinson (D – Everett), HB 1116 is now awaiting a committee vote before it […]
Legislators should reject Senate Bill 5541, which proposes lowering the minimum wage for teens in Washington state. Teenagers work for all sorts of reasons, including to pay for college, to support themselves, and to support their families. A recent Urban Institute study of youth who left high school and went to work found that the […]
Our constitution doesn’t distinguish between temporary or permanent jobs, and it doesn’t afford a special exemption for Republicans elected to the legislature.
Giving employers legal permission to impose more limits on discussing compensation than on talking about the Seahawks or the weather, as Senate Bill 5344 proposes, takes us backwards. We know the stats – at every age, education level, in nearly every occupation – women are paid less than men, and women of color are paid least […]
In November, Washington voters approved Initiative 1433 to raise the state minimum wage to $11 per hour ($13.50 by 2020) and allow all workers to earn some paid sick and safe leave. Republican legislators and business groups opposed I-1433. They argued that it would hurt businesses, teenagers, nonprofits, rural counties…you name it. Voters rejected those […]
Washington legislators are now considering salary history legislation (HB 1533), sponsored by Rep. Laurie Dolan (D-Olympia), that would prohibit employers from asking applicants, during the initial interview, what their wages were in previous jobs. (Employers could get that information once they offer the job and the salary that goes with it.) Massachusetts passed similar legislation in […]
This is such a common-sense policy, it’s hard to see why there would be any opposition.
Join John Burbank, EOI’s Executive Director, at The Urbanist’s free monthly social event to discuss possible paths toward local income taxes, andhow they can safeguard opportunity for all people, and not just the very wealthy. Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Belltown Pub (2322 First Avenue, Seattle). Presentation begins at 6:30 p.m. […]
After a decade of stalling, Washington lawmakers are ready to make their state the leader in paid family leave policy. State Democrats last week introduced a paid family leave bill that would be by far the most generous and progressive proposal in the country — if passed. The proposal calls for six months of paid family leave […]
Workers, business owners, health care experts, and community groups testify in support of bill to create Paid Family and Medical Leave Program Today the House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee heard public testimony on the Washington Work and Family Coalition’s proposal for paid family and medical leave in Washington. House Bill 1116, sponsored by Rep. […]