HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 96-4723, by Representatives Brown, Grant, Kessler, Romero, Conway, Chappell, Scheuerman, Patterson, Cole, Cody, Murray, Mason, Jacobsen, Keiser, Wolfe, Veloria, Tokuda, Chopp, Quall, Scott, H. Sommers, Ogden, Costa, Rust, Valle, Regala, Dickerson, Appelwick, Hatfield, Robertson, Linville, Campbell, Dyer, B. Thomas and Chandler

         WHEREAS, The stalwart and steadfast mettle of the American worker has made our nation an extraordinary model for the world to follow; and

         WHEREAS, The very notion of the workplace as a time and setting for cooperation and esprit de corps is as uniquely American as the stirring words of The Star-Spangled Banner; and

         WHEREAS, In our own state of Washington, the heritage of forthright labor-management cooperation in the development of our ports, industries, and farms has been instrumental in cultivating and sustaining the treasured lifestyle we enjoy today; and

         WHEREAS, Even as our bounteous and beautiful natural resources entice visitors from far and wide, so the Evergreen State's reformative nand forward-thinking policies concerning the ultimately symbiotic relationship of labor and business have been a harbinger for other governments far and wide; and

         WHEREAS, In 1891, in the very first session of the Washington State Legislature, Labor Day was established as a legal holiday; and

         WHEREAS, Gordon Rice started the state's first weekly newspaper for working people in 1894; C.B. Kegley, the President-elect of the Washington State Grange in 1904 spoke up at that year's state Grange convention for cooperation with working peoples' organizations in striving toward better conditions for farms and farming people, and John E. "Dynamite Jack" Campbell became the first trade-union leader elected to the Washington State Legislature in 1906; and

         WHEREAS, In 1911, Washington became the first state in the nation to pass a Workers' Compensation Act establishing security and protection for the working people of our state; and

         WHEREAS, In 1912, our state, ahead of the federal government, established an eight-hour workday for women and minors, and in 1914, Labor Commissioner Edward Olsen began strict enforcement of the munificent new law; and

         WHEREAS, A state law in 1943 ordered equal pay for women here in Washington, once again advancing our state to the front rank of an ongoing movement accentuating reason, justice, and fair-mindedness; and

         WHEREAS, The contributions of Washington men and women in the 20th century have been integral to the nation in times of war through their work in industrial concerns such as the shipyards and aerospace manufacturing; and

         WHEREAS, The historic diversity of the Washington workforce positions our state to prevail in its rightful claim for strong trade participation in the community of Pacific Rim nations; and

         WHEREAS, The opportunity to work for a living is in its ideal a providence truly open for all and biased against none; and

         WHEREAS, Remarkable personages through the ages have submitted testimony to the exalted caliber and sanctity of a citizen's chosen professional enterprise; and

         WHEREAS, Our own national poet, Maya Angelou, an eminent and hard‑working American herself, has defined work as:  "Something made greater by ourselves and in turn that makes us greater"; and

         WHEREAS, The Legislature, in all likelihood, will not be assembled in session on Monday, September 2, when our great land will next pay formal tribute to the working families of the state and nation;

         NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives salute the citizens whose trades, crafts, vocations, and professions have been indispensable to the enhancement of society; and

         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution be immediately transmitted by the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives to the Association of Washington Business, to the Washington State Labor Council, and to any other individual or entity deemed an appropriate recipient.

                    I hereby certify this to be a true and correct copy of

                    Resolution 4723 adopted by the House of Representatives

                                      February 19, 1996.

                               ________________________________

                                Timothy A. Martin, Chief Clerk