The Washington delegation (except Marilyn taking the photo) outside Sen. Patty Murray’s office

In April 2010, a delegation from Washington State traveled to Washington, D.C. to advance family-friendly policies at work. Our representatives joined the national meeting of Making it Work: Advancing Workplace Policies for Today’s Families for a two day event that included a conference and day of action on Capitol Hill.

Our state group shared the progress of municipal paid sick days campaigns, explained the status of Washington’s family leave insurance program, and urged federal support in conversations with the offices of Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, and Representatives Inslee, Dicks, Smith, McDermott, and Baird. Group members Megan Sacks and Selena Allen spoke at a press conference hosted by Senator Chris Dodd, carried by television stations across the country, and members also had a chance to meet Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis.

Washington’s delegation was led by Marilyn Watkins, Policy Director at the Economic Opportunity Institute and executive committee member of Family Values at Work Multi-State Consortium. Other members included: Megan Sacks, a restaurant work who was fired when she had the flu; Lily Wilson-Codega, Teamsters local 117 and Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce; Chio Saeteurn, EOI Graduate Student Intern; Masha Burina, Seattle Women’s Commission; Sharon Ness, registered nurse with UFCW local 141; Janet Chung, Legal and Legislative Counsel at Legal Voice; Joshua Welter, Lead Organizer at Washington CAN; Nathe Lawver, Pierce County Labor Council and Coalition for a Healthy Tacoma; and Selena Allen, mother and Washington Work and Family Coalition member.