Olympia report

Washington minimum wage will increase to $13.69   (Washington Policy Center)

By January 2021, the state minimum wage – already among the highest in the nation – will increase to $13.69 per hour.

The hike is expected to impact young and entry level workers by increasing joblessness.

Increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour in Seattle led to small business closures and lost jobs. For small businesses operating on small profit margins, the large hike in minimum wage hikes makes payroll impossible. 

Businesses will also have to contend with a change to the minimum salary threshold requiring employers to pay overtime. According to the Washington Policy Center, for non-profits and organizations that “provide services to underserved communities this means a significant number of their employees now qualify for both their salary and overtime.” 

In addition, small businesses face 550% increase in employment security taxes -- to force employers to cut jobs? (My Northwest)

The consequences of the Olympia imposed cost increases will be lost jobs in the face of an inability to make payroll.

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Boeing announces more job cuts  (My Northwest)

As Boeing deals with the financial fallout of two MAX crashes and the COVID-19 pandemic, more job cuts are expected. 

Boeing CEO David Calhoun told employees to “anticipate a workforce of about 130,000 employees by the end of 2021.” That means Boeing will cut nearly double the number of jobs originally expected. Washington already has seen a loss of 12,000 jobs, more cuts are expected to commercial aviation division. The news makes Democrats’ failure to keep Boeing’s 787 production in Washington – losing thousands of jobs to South Carolina – more difficult. 

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State health officials indicate schools can safely reopen  (The Daily Chronicle)

Washington state health officials have announced that “bringing students back into school buildings for in-person classes does not seem to spur significant coronavirus transmission.” Officials suggested that schools can reopen as long as “strong health and safety measures are in place.” 

The statement aligns with data across the nation indicating that opening schools does not drive up the spread of COVID-19. Health officials revealed that our state “36 coronavirus outbreaks in schools since the start of the pandemic” with 26 cases since the start of the school year. Almost all the recorded outbreaks included five or fewer cases.  

With all this data, Governor Inslee an Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal have failed  to lead strongly on this issue to get elementary grade kids back into school.  

A special legislative session to address local schools liability concerns would be helpful. But Inslee, Reykdal and legislative Democrats have refused to lead.

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Inslee joins western states in vaccine “pact”  (My Northwest)

Jay Inslee acted to politicize further the COVID-19 pandemic by joining in a pact with other western states to “review the safety and efficacy” of any COVID-19 vaccines – even after those vaccines pass vigorous tests to meet the standards of the Food and Drug Administration. 

Democrat-run states in the pact include Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, and Nevada.

According to Inslee, a “panel of experts across the five states” will review each vaccine approved by the FDA. It is unclear what the “review” would be like or how long the process would take, thus delaying the administration of a vaccine. 

Inslee insists the pact increases public confidence in a vaccine. Inslee does not appear to see the irony of the obvious appearance of distrust by “leaders” like him and by the very existence of the pact. 

The politically motivated pact does more to sow seeds of doubt than instill confidence in the vaccine and will delay the administration of a working vaccine.

Why is Mr Inslee trying to delay delivery of the vaccine?  Maybe Inslee knows an effective vaccine will force him to reopen Washington and dismantle the justification of his overbearing administration