Businesses Put Millions in to Support/Fight Wash. Workers’ Comp Initiative

Supporters of Washington’s workers’ compensation initiative 1082 have raised more than $3.3 million to try to open the state’s workers’ compensation system to the private market and eliminate the Department of Labor and Industries’ monopoly on providing workers’ compensation insurance. The primary supporters of the measure are the Building Industry Association of Washington and Washington Restaurant Association. They say L&I’s monopoly on the system has kept costs high, and deterred businesses from locating in the state.