Pacific Seafood has provided timely notice to the State of Washington, as required, of the potential layoff of 69 employees at their Federal Way, WA Salmolux plant. According to the Pacific Seafood website, Salmolux is their smoked seafood division and a processor of gourmet products. The notice indicated the layoffs were due to closure of the Federal Way site. No other public information about the layoffs was provided by Pacific Seafood at the time of writing.
Photo credit: Pacific Seafood
By Ben Paynter, Fast Company, 3/6/2018, via Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues and Employment
While the vast majority of Americans with disabilities want to work, just over one-third are able to find jobs, according to a recent survey from RespectAbility, a nonprofit that works to empower and increase opportunities for people with disabilities.
That creates a major societal problem: Without gainful employment, more than 12 million people are losing out on wages that might fuel more independence, never mind the obvious hit to their feelings of self-worth. But there’s some good news: more than 343,000 new workers with disabilities took jobs in 2016, four times as many as the year before.
That finding is part of a separate RespectAbility report analyzing recent data from the 2017 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium, an online repository of federal data that’s compiled by the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. The current percentage of people with disabilities who have jobs stands at 36% compared to 78% of people without disabilities who are employed.
The success of workplace hiring varies drastically from state to state. The top three states doing the best at inclusion are North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota (with rounded hiring rates of 54%, 52%, and 48%, respectively). Those states lagging the worst are West Virginia, followed by Alabama, and Mississippi (all have rates in the upper 20% range). There’s evidence that people with disabilities who are minorities may be doubly discriminated against; the hiring rate for African-Americans is especially low, at 28% overall.
RespectAbility’s analysis points out that places where opportunity is improving and have committed to adopting strong transitional school-to-work programs and state policies that support equitable job-training and development and workplace hiring practices. Two groups with initiatives that appear to be succeeding are called Project SEARCH and Bridges from School to Work.
Project SEARCH, the report notes, is an example of an employer-led effort to match students with disabilities to new jobs. It’s active in 46 states and 78% of participants end up being hired. Bridges from School to Work is known for its career “assessments, workshops, and job matching.” The effort has placed candidates at 4.500 workplaces, according to its website, and it has been honored by several of the national and local employers in different cities where it works. Standout companies include Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Dallas, Sears and AMC Theatres in Los Angeles, and Walmart in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
RespectAbility’s analysis makes clear that it will take a multi-pronged approach to make change: policy shifts, new programs, and obviously ever-more companies with a strong commitment to fair hiring practices. In recent years, companies like JP Morgan Chase, Pepsi, UPS, SAP, Ernst & Young, IBM, Starbucks, and Walgreens have become particularly good role models for inclusion. As the report notes: “These companies have seen that people with disabilities are successful employees who improve businesses’ bottom lines.”
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The WA Employment Security Department is seeking stakeholder and public comment on the new Paid Family and Medical Leave Program. There is an online portal for posing questions and making comments. The rule making process is already well underway, but time remains for your input.
Starting in 2020, Washington will be the fifth state in the nation to provide paid family and medical leave benefits to workers and employers. The program will be funded by premiums paid by both employees and employers, and ensure workers can take necessary time off when they welcome a new child into their family, are struck by extended illness or injury, or need to take care of an ill or ailing relative.
Paid Family and Medical Leave will help millions of Washington workers and employers better balance work, health and family. Your feedback is crucial to ensuring this program will best serve those using it.
Click here to go to the portal, read draft rules and submit your feedback. There is also a general comment and question forum now open on the site. You can view that forum by clicking here.
When you post your first comment, you may choose to create an account or post anonymously.
Creating an account:
Comments submitted anonymously will not be visible to the public. Any personal information provided will be kept confidential, according to a strict privacy agreement.
You can see a full timeline of dates and deadlines related to Phase 1 rulemaking here, or visit our rulemaking site for more information.
Thanks to input from the Advisory Committee and stakeholders across Washington, the second draft of rules related to our state’s upcoming Paid Family and Medical Leave program is now available. Read these draft rules here.
Read the list of laws these fall under here.
As a reminder, Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program will start collecting premiums on Jan. 1, 2019 and begin paying benefits on Jan. 1, 2020.
For more information, visit our Paid Family and Medical Leave website.
Want to receive more information and updates on the Employment Security Department’s implementation of the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act or other topics? Subscribe to our newsletters.
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Today’s post comes from guest author Paul J. McAndrew, Jr., from Paul McAndrew Law Firm.
Every year are a few work-fatalities that garner criminal prosecution and conviction. This is out the thousands of work-fatalities that occur every year. Until now, there’s been no one keeping a record of these fatality-causing events.
Now, the Center for Progressive Reform’s (CPR) Katie Tracy has reviewed court records, investigation files, and news stories to identify them many of them. After assembling information on more than 75 criminal cases from 17 states, she knew it was time to share all of it.
The result is CPR’s user friendly and publicly-available at Crimes Against Workers Database. I encourage you to explore this valuable tool. We believe that the awareness caused by sharing this information nationally can be a catalyst for legislators and others to understand the scope and scale of these crimes.
Focusing on safety and health in the workplace is one of the surest investments you can make in today’s economy. Creating a culture of safety on the job can produce immediate dividends including improved productivity and reduced workers’ compensation costs.
Workplace safety leaders from around Washington will be among the speakers at a one-day seminar on March 6, hosted by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I).
Employers will learn from industry experts who have been recognized for safety excellence, including Carlisle Construction Materials, Nucor Steel Seattle, Inc., Associated General Contractors of Washington, NuStar Energy and the University of Washington. They’ll present on a variety of topics including “Social media and Safety Culture” and “Getting People Involved in Safety.”
The keynote speaker is Leigh Anne Jasheway, MPH, a stress management consultant who uses humor to manage change and conflict and to boost teamwork and morale. Her presentation, “Laughter is a Basic Tool for Health, Safety and Sanity,” is educational and fun.
The free seminar is sponsored by L&I’s Voluntary Protection Program. It’s designed for managers, safety professionals, safety committee members and anyone interested in improving workplace safety.
The daylong event is in Tumwater at the L&I auditorium, 7273 Linderson Way SW. Pre-registration is required.
The Voluntary Protection Program promotes workplace safety and health through cooperative relationships between management, labor and government.
Go to www.Lni.wa.gov/VPP for more information and the meeting agenda.
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The Northwest Seaport Alliance announced that a huge ship carrying four of the West Coast’s largest container cranes is scheduled to travel through Puget Sound Feb. 23 to Tacoma:
Puget Sound Pilots are scheduled to board the Zhen Hua 28, a 761-foot-long heavy-lift ship, early Friday morning in Port Angeles and begin the journey to Tacoma. Track the ship’s progress.
Here are possible viewpoints along Puget Sound. Note: We will not be able to provide access to secure marine terminals.
If you get to see the ship en route, snap a picture and add it to the viewpoint map!
The ship will sit at anchor in Commencement Bay for a day or two before delivering the cranes to Husky Terminal at the northwest end of the Blair Waterway.
The Northwest Seaport Alliance ordered eight new super-post-Panamax cranes from Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co. Ltd (ZPMC) in China through a competitive bid process. No container cranes currently are manufactured in the U.S. Learn more about the cranes in this short video.
ZPMC is the largest heavy-duty equipment manufacturer in the world and delivers more than 200 cranes every year around the world, including many seaports in the U.S.
The other four cranes will arrive in 2019.
When they arrive, the cranes will be installed at Husky Terminal, which is undergoing about $250 million in terminal improvements that began in September 2016 on Tacoma’s General Central Peninsula.
Upgrades include strengthening and realigning a berth and adding eight new super-post-Panamax cranes capable of serving two 18,000-TEU container ships at the same time. Learn more about the project.
The new cranes will have an outreach of 24 containers and a lift height of 165 feet above the pier deck.
Follow NWSA on social media for updates at #NWSACranes and #port253.
The Northwest Seaport Alliance released a video report about the four new super-post-Panamax container cranes, built in Shanghai by Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company Limited (ZPMC), that are currently on their way to the Port of Tacoma. While awaiting their arrival later this month, they caught up with Port of Tacoma’s Maintenance Project Manager Joe Caldwell about these giant structures and their inspection process.
Image credit: Cruisemapper.com
Boeing showcased its commitment to the Auburn community and the entire Puget Sound region with the grand opening of its Workforce Readiness Center.
The Workforce Readiness Center is the first new building at the Auburn site in 25 years.
The center, which features state-of-the-art training and equipment, is dedicated to giving workers the skills they need to contribute to a 21st century workforce.
The 71,000 square foot Workforce Readiness Center houses:
Boeing is the largest private employer in Washington state, with nearly half of Boeing’s employees located in the state. This new center highlights Boeing’s commitment to employees in Washington and the region’s long-term economic success.
Read more about the opening of Boeing’s Workforce Readiness Center.
Photo credit: The Boeing Company
The Office of Workers Compensation, Division of Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation has revised the Form LS-208 (Notice of Payments) to incorporate sections of the now obsolete, LS-206 (Payment of Compensation Without Award)
Noteworthy changes made to the Longshore mandatory form LS-208 include:
Industry Notice 165 is available on the Office of Workers’ Compensation (OWCP), Division of Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation (DLHWC) website, and details the specific changes made on the form LS-208 (Notice of Payments).
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