The ad says:
“Do we want a Governor who would deny unemployment benefits for laid off workers?”
The proof:
Rossi voted against an additional unemployment compensation benefit period for dislocated aerospace, timber and fishing industry workers. The bill would help laid-off aerospace workers retrain for work in other fields. [ESB5819, 3/12/99; ESB5819, 5/17/99]
Laid-off aerospace workers could soon be eligible to receive two years of unemployment insurance benefits to help them retrain for work in other fields. Senate Bill 5819, which was requested by Gov. Gary Locke, also would extend to two years existing unemployment insurance benefits to timber and fishing workers. Those benefits currently run for 18 months and will expire in June. [Associated Press, 3/13/99]
The ad says:
“Republican Dino Rossi has voted repeatedly against unemployment benefits.”
The proof:
Rossi voted against indefinitely extending unemployment benefits to workers locked out by their employers. [ESB 6368, 2/14/00; ESB 6368, 3/14/00]
The Senate, on a 27-19 vote, approved a measure Monday to indefinitely extend unemployment benefits to workers locked out by their employers. Rossi voted no. [Associated Press, 2/15/00]
Senate Bill 6368, approved 27-18, would provide unemployment benefits for 30 additional weeks and charge the cost directly back to the employer. [Associated Press, 3/15/00]
Rossi voted against an amendment that would have allowed individuals to receive unemployment insurance benefits if they left work to relocate for a spouse’s employment. [Amendment to SB 6097, 6/10/03]
Rossi voted against allowing individuals that quit their jobs voluntarily, due to domestic violence victimization or stalking, to be considered as leaving work voluntarily with good cause, allowing a claimant to qualify for unemployment benefits. [SB 5189, 3/8/01]
The ad says:
“They both oppose negotiating with drug companies for lower prices leaving families with no help at all. Rossi voted to cut the minimum wage…”“
The proof:
Rossi voted for a bill to provide automatic minimum wage rate increases only when the state unemployment rate is less than the national unemployment rate. Currently, there is an automatic annual inflationary adjustment to the minimum wage. [SB 5697, 3/12/03]
Washington’s minimum wage would no longer increase every year with the cost of living if a bill approved by the Senate becomes law. Under an initiative approved by voters in 1998, the minimum wage goes up every year as long as the cost of living keeps rising. Known as “indexing,” the increases keep the wage one of the nation’s highest. On Jan. 1, it increased 11 cents to $7.01 per hour, second only to Alaska at $7.15. Senate Bill 5697 would freeze the wage unless the state’s unemployment rate dropped below the federal jobless rate. [Associated Press, 3/13/03]
Washington Restaurant Association president and Chief Executive Anthony Anton said the state’s voter-mandated minimum wage adjustments have hurt business. The association long has pushed for reducing the minimum wage, repeatedly lobbying for a bill that would “recognize tips as income,” thus reducing the base-wage requirement for restaurant managers. As a state senator, Rossi backed the legislation. [Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 10/6/08]
The ad says:
“And said if he was elected governor, he would actually lower the existing minimum wage, hurting those most in need.”
The Proof:
Rossi has said he’s open to cutting the minimum wage for entry-level teens. [Associated Press, 10/16/08]
Although Democratic majorities in the House and Senate make revising Washington’s $8.07 minimum wage unlikely, the issue cuts to the core of the two candidates’ values and history….Republican challenger Dino Rossi, a self-made millionaire, a businessman who believes in the free market and a limited role of government, supports efforts to reduce it….When asked, Rossi said he was open to the idea of creating a stair-stepped training wage, which would begin $1.50 below the minimum wage. He said the minimum wage was meant to be an entry-level salary, not a family wage. Rossi: “Think of how many young people are being cheated out of their first job. The idea of going to work, fulfilling a task and being paid for it. That’s a very good thing. The work ethic is something very good to instill in our youth. But when the minimum wage gets so high that that job isn’t worth that much to the employer, you don’t get that first job.” [Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 10/6/08]