Labor organizers are calling the recent 2026 legislative session a success for workers and their families and calling out lawmakers who didn’t support their efforts. 

Seventy-five state lawmakers approved all the bills the Washington State Labor Council advocated for during the short session that came through their chamber. Those included the so-called “millionaire’s tax,” establishment of labor protections for domestic workers, creation of a Childcare Workforce Standards Board, among others.  

But two of the state lawmakers serving the legislative districts of the Tri-Cities and Mid-Columbia were among only eight to oppose all of them – state Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick, and state Rep. Chris Corry, R-Yakima. 

Most of the region’s other lawmakers voted for one to three of the bills on WSLC’s slate. Those included: 

• HB2249: Brought state workers in cybersecurity roles fully into the state’s civil service, giving them the ability to bargain worker contracts. 
• SHB2492: Requires all state-registered apprenticeship programs in building and construction trades to provide behavioral health and wellness training. 
• SB5944: Strengthened worker protections and bargaining rights for language interpreters working across state agencies. 

Only one Mid-Columbia lawmaker voted for four of WSLC’s bills. In addition to the above-mentioned three bills, state Rep. Skyler Rude, R-Walla Walla, also supported E2SSB 5847, which provides greater access to medical care via workers’ compensation claims.