Following news that the national unemployment rate had hit its highest level since the Great Depression as more than 20.5 million jobs were lost in one month alone, 44 state legislators from across Washington wrote to the state’s Congressional delegation urging them to support the Paycheck Guarantee Act—a proposal by U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. The legislation would end mass layoffs by getting millions of workers off of unemployment and back on payroll while keeping them connected to the health care, and preventing employers of all sizes from being forced to close permanently.
“We urge support of the Paycheck Guarantee Act to allow workers to stay on their employer’s payrolls while uplifting small businesses that are otherwise facing permanent closure,” said the letter authored by 44 legislators representing Washington families across the state. “The Paycheck Guarantee Act demonstrates a commitment to our workers and small businesses alike, and would ensure that our economy is ready to open as soon as it is safe and healthy to do so….As state legislators in Washington, we urge your support of this necessary act.”
“As the unemployment rate continues to rise throughout the country, I’ve heard from workers and small businesses across Washington who tell me they need an urgent solution that matches the scale of this devastating and unprecedented crisis,” said Congresswoman Jayapal. “As our State Senators and State Representatives from communities throughout Washington make clear in their letter, the Paycheck Guarantee Act is the quickest, most direct way to stop mass unemployment, keep money in workers’ pockets and ensure that businesses of all sizes aren’t forced to shutter permanently.”
The state legislators delivered their letter just days after the national unemployment rate hit nearly 15%, a record level not seen since the Great Depression. This follows reports of more than 33 million people filing for unemployment in seven weeks and 20.5 million jobs being lost in April alone. Jayapal’s Paycheck Guarantee Act creates a streamlined program to provide a three-month federal guarantee for worker salaries of up to $90,000 to ensure employers of all sizes keep workers on the payroll and continue to provide employer-sponsored benefits including health care. Additionally, it gets businesses critical resources and helps covers operating expenses like rent so they aren’t forced to close. It does all of this while covering more people for a longer period of time and for less money than the United States has already spent on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). It’s estimated that the Paycheck Guarantee Act would benefit more than 36 million workers.
Proven to be highly successful in other parts of the world—from European countries like Germany to Asian countries like Singapore and South Korea—the plan is endorsed not only by more than 50 members of Congress from across the ideological spectrum but also Nobel prize winning economists, business owners, labor leaders, and national groups across America and across Washington state. The Mayors of Edmonds and Shoreline have also endorsed the proposal in addition to the Burien City Council.
