A man who died from an illness resulting from his work as a concrete fabricator and a 21-year-old crushed by a front loader at a Richland construction site are among the 115 fallen workers state officials will honor Tuesday. 

Tucked into President Donald Trump’s new budget request is a plan that could dramatically change — and, critics say, slash — how much money and help states provide to people needing jobs and training.

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. 

Safety improvements. Wage increases. Restful breaks. Nurses at Kadlec Regional Medical Center secured key gains in working conditions under a new contract ratified by members of the hospital’s nurses union on March 31, according to a release. 

Certified nursing assistants at a Richland nursing home and others in the Yakima Valley unanimously approved a new labor contract that would increase wages 8% over two years if ratified. 

The wage gap between men and women in Washington is the second widest in the country. 

A national auto parts retailer that a year ago had to pay more than $160,000 in illegally eliminated sick time to its Washington state employees must now pay millions for discriminating against employees. 

A Richland-based nonprofit focused on promoting and protecting the contributions of farmworkers is among nine organizations across the state to share in $1.1 million in workplace safety grants. 

Three Tri-City residents are among four individuals indicted for allegedly obtaining temporary work visas under false pretenses and bringing 500 workers from Mexico to Eastern Washington between 2022-24. 

A test run of reducing the hours of when state residents could call and speak to a state employee about how to apply or check on the status of unemployment benefits isn’t changing anytime soon.