In Seattle, Senator Murray Spotlights Bills to Combat Child Labor, Wage Theft, and Strengthen Workers Rights in the Face of Trump’s Anti-Worker Agenda

Senator Murray secured $2 million for MLK Labor's Union Hiring Hall

ICYMI: Murray Introduces Legislation to Protect Kids as Child Labor Violations Surge and Trump Undermines Enforcement

ICYMI: Murray Reintroduces Bicameral Legislation to Combat Wage Theft, Strengthen Workers' Rights

***PHOTOS OF EVENT HERE***

Seattle, WA - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), held a roundtablewith labor leaders from across King County to discuss the dangers of Trump's anti-worker agenda and why it is more important than ever for Congress to focus on a pro-worker agenda. This Congress Murray has introduced a host of labor bills to crack down on child labor violations, wage theft by giant corporations, and to strengthen workers' rights overall.

"We're living through a moment in time where AI companies are pretty much all forecasting major disruption-major job loss. Well, I can't think of a time when a union contract and strong labor laws would matter more! We can't let a handful of companies redefine the economy on their own terms-this is a moment in history where we have to make sure workers have their say in the future of work," said Senator Murray. "This administration doesn't care what happens to working people as long as the ultra-rich can get richer. We need to consider what a healthy economy really means-it's not just the stock market, it's whether regular people can afford their groceries, a home, retirement-a good life. That's what I'm fighting for."

Senator Murray also met with workers who found jobs through MLK Labor's Union Hiring Hall, a centralized website to find and apply for good-paying union jobs in King County-which Senator Murray secured $2 million in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) for in FY23. Last year, MLK Labor was unable to receive the CDS funds due to the Trump administration slow walking the award, but Senator Murray stepped in and was able to restore the funding. Since the Union Hiring Hall was launched, it has helped thousands of people secure jobs with good benefits and union protections.

Joining Senator Murray for the roundtable were: Katie Garrow, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of MLK Labor; Dustin Lambro, President of MLK Labor and Political and Organizing Director at UFCW 3000; Rigoberto Valdez, Jr., Executive Director of the People's Organizing Center; Shaunie Wheeler, Deputy Executive Secretary-Treasurer of MLK Labor; Corina Yballa, Political Director at MLK Labor; Samantha Grad, Political Director at Teamsters 117; Jennifer Bacon, President of IATSE Local 15; Clementine Trujillo, Hiring Hall Manager at IATSE Local 15; Zenia Javalera, President of SEIU 6 Property Services NW; Greg Ramirez, Deputy Director of SEIU 6 Property Services NW; Pia Rivera-Jones Deputy Executive Director of the People's Organizing Center; Nick Peter's, Director of Digital Strategy & Messaging at MLK Labor.

"When we launched our first union job board during the COVID-19 shutdowns, the platform was massively influential for local union employers at a time that the workforce was unprecedentedly sparse. Now that our economy has shifted, UnionHiringHall.org is serving as a game-changing avenue for workers across the Greater Seattle Area that are looking for high-road union careers," said Katie Garrow, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of MLK Labor.

Senator Murray also detailed how she is fighting back against Trump's anti-worker agenda and recently introduced a series of legislation that will strengthen workers' rights and the economy.

• In June, Senator Murray reintroduced her Children Harmed in Life-threatening or Dangerous (CHILD) Labor Act which strengthens our ability to combat child labor by cracking down on employers who violate child labor laws with stronger penalties and allows children who have been seriously injured to sue their employers. The bill also expands child labor provisions to hold suppliers and subcontractors throughout the supply chain responsible.
• Senator Murray also reintroduced her Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act, comprehensive legislation that puts hard-earned wages back in workers' pockets and cracks down on employers who unfairly withhold wages from their employees. The proposed legislation would give workers the right to receive full compensation for the work they perform and receive regular paystubs and final paychecks in a timely manner.
• Senator Murray also reintroduced her Restoring Justice for Workers Act, legislation to end forced arbitration clauses, protect workers' ability to pursue work-related claims in court, and allow workers to band together to vindicate their rights.
• Murray is also an original author of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, comprehensive legislation to protect workers' right to come together and bargain for fairer wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces.

As Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Murray also pushed back against the Trump administration's proposed cuts to funding for workforce training programs and labor enforcement. In FY26 Senator Murray protected investments in key federal workforce training programs that she first authorized when she passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act in 2014 and has funded every year since. She also rejected Trump and House Republicans' proposal to eliminate the Women's Bureau and protected $23 million in funding for the agency and included new language requiring that amount to be spent by the Bureau. In FY26 Senator Murray also secured $191 million for the Employee Benefits Security Administration for retirement security legislation and strengthened requirements to ensure private health plans comply with mental health and substance use disorder parity requirements. And she secured $260 million for the Wage and Hour Division to work to combat exploitative child labor and prevent wage theft and worker misclassification.

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