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Home / Washington Business - September/October 2004 / About this Issue: Elections are the Bottom Line for Job Providers |
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About this Issue: Elections are the Bottom Line for Job Providers |
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Written On: September/October 2004 |
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Written By: Alexis Nepomuceno |
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After all the smoke clears on Nov. 3, Americans will still have to go back to work and private sector employers — the job providers — will still have to make a profit. But the future of job security and business profitability will depend on what happens the day before — the Nov. 2 elections.
Washington state is ranked by the Milken Institute as the eighth most expensive state to conduct business. In a state where employers already pay the nation's highest average unemployment insurance tax per employee, the potential costs of the 2004 elections may be too much for business to handle.
Any additional tax or regulatory burdens resulting from actions of elected officials affect a company’s bottom line as much as any other fixed or variable costs. Unfortunately, government costs are neither predictable nor accountable. For this reason, the Association of Washington Business (AWB) has taken a more proactive role during the 2004 election cycle.
Last year, AWB voted to initiate an endorsement process for legislative and Washington State Supreme Court races. Many issues of importance to the state’s business climate are decided in the courts, Legislature and regulatory agencies. The endorsement process allows employers to have a direct say on who best represents job providers.
Deciding on who to vote for in the State Supreme Court race is a dilemma many voters face due to the lack of information and guidance. Yet, the courts are having more of a say regarding business issues than the Legislature or agencies. This year, AWB assembled a legal team to review the records of incumbent judges and challengers. The results of this hard work can be found in the 2004 Judicial Scorecard (inserted) and Judicial Endorsements (page 29).
For statewide races, candidates attended AWB’s annual Policy Summit. Through debates between Democrat and Republican statewide candidates, members were given firsthand exposure to potential office holders. AWB board members were then given an opportunity to vote on their preferred candidates. Candidates for statewide office had to receive 60 percent of the votes from the board members present to be endorsed. If the candidate failed to receive 60 percent approval by the board, all AWB members present were asked to vote (60 percent of that vote had to be in favor of that candidate before AWB’s endorsement was issued). These results are be made available online at www.awb.org/elections.
If a company has never been involved in politics or elections before, this is the year to start. Employees, vendors, investors and other partners need to understand that the 2004 elections WILL HAVE long-term repercussions on the way of life of private employers. The results at the local, state and federal levels will determine the types of policy-makers making decisions over the next several years.
Will we have a Legislature that succumbs to labor interests, which have been driving businesses away from this state? Washington ranks sixth in the nation for union members as share of employment, according to the WashACE Redbook 2005.
Will we have a governor who believes in putting an end to the state’s ever-increasing costs of labor? Manufacturing wages in Washington are the second highest in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Businesses can have a tremendous say in the answers to these questions, but only if they exercise the right to mobilize and VOTE!
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