The labor-backed group Envision Spokane is reportedly working on a “Worker Bill of Rights” for the City of Spokane. Founded by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, Envision Spokane is comprised of more than two-dozen unions, community organizations and groups with ties to national organizations.
The “Worker Bill of Rights” would nullify the “at-will” employment relationship in Spokane, which allows employers to lay-off or fire employees with no prior warnings or for any reason. Washington is one of 49 “at-will” states (Montana is the exception). The Worker Bill of Rights would also mandate an as yet unspecified “Family Wage,” establish rights to “Equal Pay for Equal Work,” and protect workers’ constitutional rights. Based on the group’s past efforts, “protecting workers’ constitutional rights” seems to focus on increasing the power of labor bosses by expanding collective bargaining rights.
The same group has tried three times to pass a “Community Bill of Rights” initiative in Spokane, with no success. The three iterations of the Community Bill of Rights measures introduced in 2009, 2011 and 2013 focused on reducing the power of the elected Spokane City Council in favor of unelected members of neighborhood councils; guaranteeing the Spokane River and Spokane Aquifer “inalienable rights to exist and flourish” and allowing citizens to file lawsuits on behalf of the River and Aquifer if they feel those “rights” have been violated; protecting workers’ constitutional rights by granting all unionized workplaces the right to collectively bargain, and; stripping the current legal rights and protections of incorporated businesses (in conflict with state and federal law that recognize corporations as having the same legal rights as individuals engaging in legal commerce.)
No word on when Envision Spokane plans to unveil the specifics of their Worker Bill of Rights. If their affiliation and past efforts are any indication, it promises to do more to help organized labor than low wage workers. Stay tuned.
