As part of the Alliance to Protect Local Jobs, GSI wants to educate you about Proposition 1, a proposed amendment to the Spokane City Charter that threatens your freedom to do business by:
- Mandating a costly new wage structure for hundreds of local businesses
- Prohibiting workers from earning increased wages based on experience or seniority
- Abolishing the at-will relationship between employers and workers
- Stripping local employers of their legal rights
GSI supports fair business practices and economic growth. We believe in equal pay for equal work. We support no one being wrongfully terminated. We believe that all employers should have legal rights, but this measure will not benefit our community, in fact, it will adversely impact our region and has the potential to create significant job loss – driving jobs and businesses out of this region.
PROP 1 (THE WORKER BILL OF RIGHTS) IS MADE UP OF FOUR COMPONENTS that could impact any individual employed by any business, including non-profits, healthcare establishments, schools and government agencies on a full-time, part-time, temporary or seasonal basis, including independent contractors, and contracted, contingent and temporary workers who perform any portion of their employment in Spokane.
Right to a Family Wage
This provision:
- Affects all businesses within the City of Spokane with 150+ FTE workers.
- Mandates an unsustainable wage structure that will increase the cost of doing business, and force local employers to reduce hours, automate workflows or leave our community entirely, resulting in fewer job opportunities.
- Forces taxpayers to fund litigation and implementation of new wage rate.
Right to Equal Pay
This provision:
- Impacts all businesses that do business within the City of Spokane.
- Prohibits workers from earning increased wages based on experience or seniority.
- Presents costly taxpayer-funded enforcement issues on the City level because equal work is not defined.
Right to Not Be Wrongfully Terminated
This provision:
- Affects all businesses with 10 or more FTEs.
- Shifts staff culture to accommodate underperforming coworkers.
- Causes local employers to avoid less-experienced and younger candidates.
Corporate Powers Subordinate to People’s Rights
This provision:
- Strips all companies — including small businesses and non-profits — of legal rights.
- Impacts any corporation, limited partnership, business trust, non-profit, limited liability company, or other business entity organized under the laws of any state or under the laws of any country.
- Forces costly taxpayer-funded litigation.
WHAT CAN YOU DO? Educate yourself. Proposition 1 is intentionally vague and contradictory. It’s written to confuse the reader, to trick voters into making a feel-good decision that could ultimately cost them millions of dollars in senseless legal fees. If you value a strong economy, if you value your freedoms as a business owner, a worker and a taxpayer, we urge you to read the fine print, to make sure you have a full understanding of the actual ramifications of Proposition 1. Read the entire Worker Bill of Rights measure here.
TAKE ACTION NOW: Inform and encourage your employees, neighbors, family and friends to protect their rights by voting No on Prop 1. GSI can provide you with the tools you need to help raise your voice for fair business practices in our community.
1. Overview – Learn more about Proposition 1. Download our overview or read the entire proposition here
2. Feel strongly about the issue? Lend your voice or provide a testimonial by sending it to Sarah Dice at sdice@greaterspokane.org.
3. A campaign to educate the voting population is costly. We need your help. Contribute financially.
4. Endorse the No on Proposition 1 Campaign
5. Volunteer to place signage or doorbell
6. Download our Employer Toolkit
7. Share information and help spread the word
VISIT ProtectSpokaneJobs.com to learn more or contact Sarah Dice, GSI Public Policy coordinator at sdice@greaterspokane.org.
VOTE NO on Prop 1!
