The Employment Security Department’s Paid Leave Program marked its 5-year anniversary on July 31 at the University of Washington Tacoma. The program’s success is attributed to bipartisan efforts and collaboration between businesses and labor representatives, leading to the passage of SB 5975 in 2017. Rose Gundersen, WR’s VP of Operations and Retail Services is one of the four business representatives on the advisory committee, attended the celebration alongside Governor Inslee, Senator Karen Keiser, and other advisory committee members.
ESD Commissioner Cami Feek highlighted key achievements as of the anniversary date: the program has received over one million applications and provided benefits to over 410,000 individuals, totaling more than $5 billion. The wage replacement system is designed to be progressive, offering higher benefits to lower-income workers.
Despite these accomplishments, there are ongoing challenges that require continuous improvement. Issues with program implementation have affected the employer community’s ability to respond to ESD inquiries to verify validity of claims and offer supplemental benefits. Additionally, the demand for benefits has surpassed expectations, and policymakers are considering further expansion of eligibility and benefits.
The advisory committee’s business representatives will focus on addressing these implementation challenges and supporting rate stabilization to ensure the program’s sustainability. WR is proud to represent our members and the employer community in these efforts.
