Policy Advocacy
The Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County (WDC) aspires to lead transformative change that will evolve our region’s workforce development efforts into an innovative industry, community, and outcome driven system with racial equity at its core. As a nonprofit, grant-making organization, the WDC collaborates with a diverse set of partners to elevate job quality, economic growth, and prosperity for adults and youth throughout the Seattle-King County region.
Learn more about the WDC’s work.
The WDC serves as the Local Workforce Development Board, designated by the City of Seattle Mayor and King County Executive, to set policy and administer federal workforce development funds under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
As a workforce intermediary, we partner with over 40 community based organizations and reach nearly 40,000 job seekers and 3,000 businesses on an annual basis.
Capitol Hill briefing on what Congress can do to close the digital skill divide. From left to right: Rachel Unruh, Chief of External Affairs, NSC; Caroline Treschitta, Senior Government Affairs Manager, NSC; Robert Guzman, External Affairs Director, ScaleLIT; Marisol Tapia Hopper, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Funding, WDC; Constance Green, WIOA Adult & Dislocated Worker Programs State Coordinator, Virginia's Community Colleges System.
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Over the past three decades, job growth in the region has concentrated among low-wage jobs while wage increases have primarily benefited higher-paying occupations (Advancing Workforce Equity in Seattle: A Blueprint for Action, pg. 24).
The Local Landscape
The Seattle King County region is the largest labor market in the state of Washington. It represents one-third of Washington’s workforce and nearly 42% of all nonfarm jobs (Employment Security Department, King County). The region has long been recognized for its impressive economic growth. On the surface, King County appears to have recovered from the downturn sparked by COVID-19 with gradual improvements in job growth and labor force participation.
However, the current structure of our regional economy and labor market (pre- and postpandemic) produces racial gaps in employment and wages, with stark occupational segregation in access to quality jobs, resulting from systemic barriers that have been constructed over time to benefit White people at the expense of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).
In collaboration with our partners, WDC pursues comprehensive solutions that elevate job quality and address racial and economic disparities.
Income Inadequacy Rate in King County by Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) (Overlooked and Undercounted Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Washington State, pg. 32)
The Challenges
Economic Insecurity
Having a job is often not enough to guarantee financial stability or provide a pathway for upward economic mobility. King County has the highest cost of living in the state as over 27% of the state’s struggling households live in the region.
Benefits Cliff
Benefits cliffs occur when people lose work supports as their income rises, even modestly. Often, earning $1 over a specific eligibility threshold results in a reduction or complete loss of essential work supports, like food stamps or childcare assistance. Current policies and structural barriers not only discourage career advancement among low-income workers but also create significant barriers on the path to long-term economic security. A crucial aspect of establishing pathways to economic mobility involves evaluating the interplay between benefits cliffs, workforce development, and policy considerations.
Our Priorities
Skills development, which has traditionally been a core component of workforce development, is necessary but insufficient without addressing racialized practices and policies that produce inequitable results.
Through active engagement with policymakers and stakeholders across all tiers of government, the WDC advocates for policy changes that promote workforce development, economic growth, and social equity.
Invest in Equitable Transitions to the Future of Work
Digital Skills Building: Invest in foundational digital skills and workplace digital upskilling to empower workers to adapt to shifts in labor market demands and advance their careers.
Pathways to Quality Jobs: Invest in sector-based career pathways and partnerships to help workers obtain quality, living wage jobs in targeted sectors and occupations, such as those that advance climate resiliency within the clean energy economy.
Pathways for Career Advancement for Frontline Staff: Recognize the demands of frontline staff’s roles and bolster access to credentials to support the upward mobility.
Addressing Racial Equity and the Benefits Cliff
Flexible Financial Assistance Models: Invest in programs that remove financial barriers, such as those that offer cash incentives allowing workers to meet their basic needs and engage in skill-building activities without fear of losing benefits.
Wrap-around Services: Invest in support services like childcare, transportation, legal services, and housing assistance to address the broader needs of individuals and families.
Expanding Work-Based Learning Opportunities
Engage Employers: Partner with businesses to improve the quality of existing jobs, such as those in childcare and food service sector.
Community Partnerships: Create sector partnerships that promote best practices for recruitment, retention, and job quality.
State Commitment to Job Quality: Promote the adoption of a statewide “Job Quality Framework” for equitable compensation and labor practice, resulting in the creation of high-quality and equitable employment opportunities
2024 Legislative Tracker
Over the course of the 2024 Washington state legislative session, members of the WDC staff met with representatives and worked alongside coalitions to advocate for policy change benefiting our regional workforce. Here is the status of the laws we followed this year:
| Legislation | Summary | Status |
|---|---|---|
| HB 2230 Promoting economic inclusion by creating the economic security for all grant program. |
This bill makes the Economic Security for All (EcSA) grant program permanent, enhancing the WDC’s ability to offer comprehensive support towards economic self-sufficiency. It institutionalizes a more integrated service delivery approach, promoting high-quality jobs and dismantling barriers to economic mobility. | Engrossed |
| HB 2266 Creating more equitable working conditions for mothers in construction. |
Aims to improve sanitary conditions for mothers in the construction industry by supporting lactation needs and menstrual hygiene in the workplace. It aligns with WDC’s commitment to workplace quality and equity, particularly for women in non-traditional roles. | Engrossed |
| SB 5778 Protects the political and religious rights of workers. |
Establishes protections for employees from being compelled to attend meetings or communications focused on religious or political matters, emphasizing respect for individual beliefs in the workplace. | Engrossed |
| SB 6060 Electronic signatures regarding unionizing petitions. |
Facilitates labor organizing by allowing electronic signatures for new organizing petitions, streamlining the unionization process and potentially increasing union membership in sectors WDC works with. | Engrossed |
| HB 5838 Creates AI task force to research job landscape changes. |
Establishes an AI task force to evaluate AI uses and trends and develop standards for its equitable use, potentially impacting workforce development by anticipating job landscape changes. | Engrossed |
| HB 1905 Expanding protected classes under EPOA to increase equity. |
Expands the Washington Equal Pay and Opportunities Act to prohibit discrimination based on membership in any protected class, promoting fair treatment in pay and career advancement opportunities. | Engrossed |
| HB 1959 Expanding paid family and medical leave for small businesses. |
Aimed to extend PFML program requirements to smaller employers, enhancing worker support systems and promoting workforce stability and health. | Not passed |
| HB 1045 Establishes statewide GBI program. |
Proposed to establish the Evergreen Basic Income Pilot Program, providing financial support to individuals facing significant economic barriers to help reduce poverty and support long-term economic mobility. | Not passed |
| HB 2313 Furthering digital equity in WA. |
Aims to further digital equity by expanding the duties of the Washington State Office of Equity, supporting digital inclusivity and adaptability in the workforce. | Not passed |
| HB 2168 Concerning self insured employers and duties of industrial insurance. |
Aims to enhance fairness in workers’ compensation for self-insured employers by imposing stricter regulations, strengthening worker protections and improving workforce stability. |
Not passed |
Meeting with the Department of Commerce and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) staff organized by the National Skills Coalition to discuss the Digital Equity Act and funding for the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program.
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To connect with our Advocacy team, reach out to Marisol Tapia-Hopper, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Funding.