Monthly Archives: January 2022

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WA found out the 2022 legislative session is only 60 days! workingwa.org


Today, WA legislators kick off the 2022 legislative session. 

And because it’s a so-called “short session” this year, they’ll only be meeting for 60 days. That means we’ve got just two months. In that time, we’re calling on legislators to: Support workers through this ongoing crisis.  As COVID surges, we’re calling on legislators to ensure we can afford to pay our bills, put food on our tables, and stay in our homes. And we need stronger health and safety protections for workers across industries — both during this crisis and beyond. Fix our state’s broken unemployment system.  That means fighting for accountability at ESD and changes in the law to make sure the system does what it’s supposed to: pay benefits promptly to people who lose work. Unemployed workers, who’ve been speaking out about this system failure since the pandemic crisis began, will be demanding legislators take meaningful action to guarantee equitable access to benefits. Support undocumented immigrants who lose work.  Last year, we helped win more than $460 million in relief for undocumented workers, who’ve been excluded from unemployment insurance and federal stimulus programs because of their immigration status. But immigrant workers need a permanent solution. Now, we’re calling on lawmakers to create a permanent income support system for undocumented people who lose work. Tax the richest humans in WA to fund an equitable recovery.  We made tremendous progress last year when we helped pass the capital gains tax on extraordinary profits from the sale of stocks and bonds. That was an important step in the right direction—but it’s past time for legislators to take bolder action by passing a wealth tax on WA billionaires and investing in an equitable recovery. Corporate lobbyists will be out in force this year, pushing their agenda of more for them and less for the rest of us. So it’s crucial that we join together and let legislators know What Workers Want, too. We’re counting on you to step up, raise your voice, and demand what we need from our representatives. This is still a crisis for WA workers — together, we’ll make sure legislators act like it. Stay tuned,
—Working Washington
workingwa.org
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1920 – League of Nations Instituted …


On January 10, 1920, the League of Nations formally comes into being when the Covenant of the League of Nations, ratified by 42 nations in 1919, takes effect. In 1914, a political assassination in Sarajevo set off a chain of events that led to the outbreak of the most costly war

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Gusher signals start of U.S. oil industry


On January 10, 1901, a drilling derrick at Spindletop Hill near Beaumont, Texas, produces an enormous gusher of crude oil, coating the landscape for hundreds of feet and signaling the advent of the American oil industry. The geyser was discovered at a depth of over 1,000 feet, flowed at an initial rate of approximately 100,000 barrels a day and took nine days to cap. Following the discovery, petroleum, which until that time had been used in the U.S. primarily as a lubricant and in kerosene for lamps, would become the main fuel source for new inventions such as cars and airplanes; coal-powered forms of transportation including ships and trains would also convert to the liquid fuel.

history.com