August 2015

Washington Telephone Assistance Program Ending
Author:
Amy Crewdson, Basic Human Needs Project Attorney
Entry Date:
Friday, August 7, 2015

Excerpt from a Senior Bulletin sent July 31st:

The Washington Telephone Assistance Program (WTAP) will stop providing help on August 31, 2015. WTAP was state-funded. It was a victim of budget cuts by the Washington Legislature.

WTAP serves thousands of people, including 19,500 people who are over 65.

WTAP provided discounted, basic local telephone service to eligible people. People on WTAP paid $8.00 per month + taxes for a landline.

There is a different program you should know about. It is the Lifeline Program. Lifeline... More

An Important Ruling for Farm Workers: Lopez Demetrio v. Sakuma
Author:
Dan Ford, Attorney, Immigrant Workers Group
Entry Date:
Monday, August 3, 2015

On July 16th, the Washington Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of Columbia Legal Services farm worker clients, and the class they represent in Lopez Demetrio v. Sakuma, holding that agricultural piece rate workers, like other workers, are entitled to additional pay for rest breaks. As Justice Yu noted in the court opinion, this decision ensures that piece rate farm workers have the same protection from workplace injuries as other workers. The decision covers an estimated 180,000 migrant and... More