Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the State Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Gov. Bob Ferguson praises state labor wins, pledges to defend workers from federal rollbacks
Summary
In remarks to the convention, Governor Bob Ferguson highlighted Washington's legal and policy responses to federal actions, cited recent state laws (including a benefit for striking workers and youth labor protections), and pledged to advance affordability and workforce protections at the state level.
Governor Bob Ferguson addressed the Washington State Labor Council as the newly elected governor and framed state government as a counterweight to federal policies he described as harmful to working families.
Ferguson said Washington has repeatedly used litigation and state policy to push back on federal actions and described recent state achievements: he highlighted signing Senate Bill 5041, which provides unemployment benefits to striking workers, and House Bill 1644, strengthening youth labor protections and increasing penalties for employers with repeat infractions. Ferguson also flagged state efforts on housing affordability, permitting reform to accelerate construction and investments aimed at creating jobs.
The governor criticized recent federal budget choices that he characterized as transfers of wealth upward and as cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. He urged continued coordination between state officials and labor to protect workers, defend public programs and propose alternative state-level policies to sustain services and jobs.
