Evaluating Family and Medical Leave Insurance for Washington State

05.11.2012 | There are a handful of times during one’s career when it will be necessary to take significant time away from work for health or family needs: to welcome a new child, recover from surgery, care for a spouse with cancer, or tend to aging parents. Paid family and medical leave not only enables workers to take time to address care needs, but provides benefits to families, business owners, and communities.

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Keeping Social Security Strong: Four steps we can take to preserve America's promise for every generation

The Great Recession would have been far more devastating without the steady flow of Social Security dollars into every community, supporting families and main street businesses. With traditional pensions in sharp decline, job security evaporating, and savings and home values fluctuating wildly, Social Security is now more important than ever to the American people.

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New website: State of Working Washington

The State of Working Washington website is a resource for insights into how Washington's economy is affecting workers and families, including gains and losses in employment by sector and region, trends in income and wages, and changes in the workforce.

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Why Washington should act now to fix the health insurance gap

03.29.2012 | In 2014 the Affordable Care Act will cover those eligible for the Basic Health Plan (BHP), along with hundreds of thousands of others who are now without health coverage. But unless Washington extends BHP coverage now, local workers and families will face two more years of unaffordable care, and the state’s economic recovery will suffer as a result. There is a better alternative – one does not require raising taxes or diverting funds. Fact Sheet »

Jobs Bonds: A recipe for Washington's economic recovery

03.21.2012 | Passing the Jobs Bonds package should be a top priority for Washington’s Legislature during the special session. Rebuilding school facilities, retrofitting for energy efficiency, improving water quality, and cleaning up the environment will immediately create badly needed jobs across the state – and build the foundation for a healthier, more sustainable economy in the future.

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Lessons from Winning Paid Sick Days in Seattle

02.21.2012 | EOI helped lead the Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce in a successful campaign to pass the Paid Sick and Safe Days ordinance in Seattle – and we learned a lot. This report outlines some of the key ingredients, from our experience, to winning policy change for working people and families.

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