OLYMPIA — A second state agency has found no wrongdoing with an e-mail suggesting unions curb donations to Democratic groups until a workers rights bill is signed.
Officials at the state Public Disclosure Commission determined last week they would take no action against the veteran lobbyist of the Washington State Labor Council who wrote the e-mail.
“Based on what we have, we are not going to file a complaint ourselves,” PDC spokeswoman Lori Anderson said Monday.
The commission’s decision follows the Washington State Patrol ruling March 17 that no crime was committed in the e-mail sent to union members and four lawmakers linking contributions to the state Democratic Party and two Democratic groups with specific legislative action.
The commission concludes its review as the Washington State Labor Council tries to revive the Worker Privacy Act, its most important legislation this session, which was set aside because of concerns raised by the e-mail.
Under the proposed bill, employees could not be required to attend meetings in which politics, religion or unionization will be discussed. While companies can hold the meetings, bosses could not punish workers who skip them.
Businesses oppose the bill and Boeing is one of the loudest voices of opposition. With the company mulling its future in the state, passage of the bill is portrayed as the type of anti-business action that could drive the firm away.
Gov. Chris Gregoire; House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle; and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane halted action on the bill and summoned the State Patrol because they worried it raised “legal and ethical” issues.
“I don’t regret my actions,” Gregoire said Monday.
Gregoire said Monday if the bill does somehow reach her, she wouldn’t sign it unless Boeing is exempted from its provisions.
“I made it clear before this took place that if the bill applied to Boeing, it will not get past my desk,” she said.
Those comments will only reinforce the view that Boeing’s feelings, not the content of the e-mail, are the real reason the three legislative leaders acted as they did. All three have expressed support of the legislation in the past.
Labor council leaders have been outspoken in their feelings that they were victimized in this process by an errant e-mail and deserve another shot at passing the legislation.
“There’s a way, if there’s a will,” reads a statement on the labor council Web site. “Organized labor is calling on Rep. Chopp, Sen. Brown and Gov. Gregoire to allow a fair up-or-down vote on the Worker Privacy Act. Until we get that moment of truth, we will continue to fight for that fair vote right up until the final gavel falls.”
Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623, jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
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