In The News

Since 2011, state Sen. Steve Conway has represented Tacoma in the Washington Legislature’s upper chamber. For 18 years before that, the Democrat served the 29th Legislative District as its state representative. Now Conway can add a new title to his resume: Senate president pro tempore. Conway was formally elected on Monday, Jan. 13, the first day of the 2025 legislative session. ...

When workers go on strike in Washington state, they don’t earn a dime. A new piece of legislation could change that. This bill would allow workers to eventually access unemployment benefits, starting the second Sunday after they began withholding their labor. Workers could claim up to four weeks of benefits through the state’s unemployment insurance, according to a co-sponsor ...

As tech workers are laid off around the region, the legislature is debating a bill that would make it a little easier for people to keep their unemployment. Traditionally, to get unemployment in Washington, you need to show you are applying for three jobs every week or doing three job search activities at your local unemployment office.

At a Fred Meyer distribution center, Matthew Collins’ job is timed down to fractions of a second. His employer knows exactly how long it should take to fill an order — and will hold him to that ticking clock, said Collins, who has worked at the warehouse for 22 years. “If I’m unable to build my order within that range of time ...

All businesses in Washington would see significant relief from unemployment taxes, including reductions in bills due in April, if Senate Bill 5061 is passed by the Legislature by mid-February. The bill, which passed on the Senate floor Jan. 27 with an overwhelming bipartisan majority, has an emergency clause and if the House also approves it, would take effect as soon as ...