Clearing the air: Why I support Olympia’s Proposition 1 and you should too | Opinion

For nearly 15 years, my veterinary clinic was my life. As a small business owner, I always knew our most important asset was, without question, our employees.

Our dedicated staff kept the business running, ensuring every pet was treated with the highest level of care. Investing in them with a living wage, health benefits, and a predictable schedule was definitely our best business decision. It allowed us to attract and retain top local talent who saw our clinic as a career, not just a job.

That investment paid off in loyalty and compassionate care for our patients and their families. When we sold the business, I had staff who had been with me for over 14 years. We built a culture of excellence together.

To my deep sorrow, the partners eventually voted to sell to a very large, out-of-state corporation. A corporation that promised to care for and nurture the staff during negotiations.

A little over a year after the purchase, the corporation began to fundamentally change things. Wages effectively dropped with a loss of hours, and schedules became erratic. Full-time employees were dropped to part-time status, losing vital benefits. Many were forced to get second jobs just to pay bills. This systematic devaluation broke our culture of trust and respect, a culture we had nurtured for years.

Eventually, most of my original staff left, driven out by a system that prioritized corporate profits over people.

This is why I stand firmly in support of Proposition 1, the Workers’ Bill of Rights.

Some opponents will tell you this corporate behavior doesn’t happen in Olympia. I can tell you from personal, firsthand experience: It does happen here. I saw corporate greed harm our workers with my own eyes.

Prop. 1 is a common-sense solution designed specifically to hold these large corporations accountable.

Prop 1 provides a crucial step toward a living wage for our lowest-paid workers by instituting a $20 per hour minimum wage, tied to inflation. This change is not a sudden shock for small and medium businesses. It has a built-in phase-in period:

• Six years for small businesses (under 15 employees)
• Three years for medium businesses (15 to 499 employees)
• Automatic only for businesses with 500 or more employees.

Prop. 1 ensures all businesses offer available hours to existing employees before hiring a new employee at the same level. That doesn’t mean your busser is offered the general manager position. It means if you need a waiter, ask your currently trained waiters if they want more hours, and if they don’t, you’re free to hire out. When I was running my business, I always tried to hire and promote from within if possible and it led to having a highly skilled and loyal staff that stayed with me for years.

Finally, Prop. 1 addresses structural problems for those large employers (500 or more employees) by requiring:

Predictable Scheduling: Workers will receive schedules at least 14 days in advance, with premium pay for employer-requested shift changes. This allows parents to arrange childcare and students to plan study time, turning corporate convenience into fair compensation.

The Right to Rest: Workers gain the right to refuse shifts less than 10 hours apart (with premium pay if accepted). These short intervals are dangerous and lead to burnout.

Workplace Safety: Large corporations must develop and follow clear workplace safety plans.

Just to clear up any confusion: These vital scheduling and safety provisions DO NOT apply to small or medium-sized businesses under 500 employees.

Prop. 1 not only helps workers, it is smart economic policy. Putting just $2 per hour into the pockets of underpaid workers in Olympia injects over $42 million into our local economy, being spent at local grocery stores, restaurants, and retailers. It is an investment in stability and growth, not just for our workers, but for our entire community.

Please show our workers how much you value their work and service in our community. Please vote yes for Prop. 1 on Nov. 4.

Lisa Parshley is a Democratic state legislator representing Olympia’s 22nd District in the state House of Representatives. She previously served on the Olympia City Council.