The Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) has filed a complaint with the state Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) against the state Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) alleging the state agency is using taxpayer dollars for political purposes.

BIAW lodged the complaint after L&I published and distributed “Ready, Set, Ergo,” a 15-page publication supporting the agency’s ergonomics regulations that was mailed to Washington State businesses just seven weeks before the general election when voters will be asked to vote on Initiative 841 (I-841), a measure repealing the ergonomics regulations.

According to the complaint, the publication contains blatantly biased language explaining the benefits of the controversial ergonomics regulations in a thinly disguised attempt to influence voters.

Hiding behind the veil of educating businesses on the ergonomics regulations, which were adopted in 2000 and which many businesses are already forced to comply with, L&I uses the publication to try to convince employers that the rules are not that burdensome and don’t “require them to make big or costly changes.”

This message clearly mimics the campaign message opposing I-841 crafted by labor unions, staunch supporters of the ergonomics regulations.

“The timing of the publication begs the question of why now?” said BIAW Executive Vice President Tom McCabe. “According to L&I, the first three deadlines for hazard analysis, awareness education, and hazard reduction for two of the four employer groups have already passed. If this publication was truly necessary, shouldn’t L&I have produced it much earlier for the benefit of the first two employer classifications?”

BIAW’s complaint contends L&I’s publication attempts to help labor unions’ campaign efforts by appealing to voters and small business owners that have not yet been impacted by the ergonomics regulations.

“I’ve always said L&I is controlled by labor unions,” said McCabe. “L&I directors are union lackeys who use the agency to do their work for them,” he said. “That is what is happening here – L&I is helping labor unions run the anti-I-841 campaign, at it is a gross misuse of taxpayer dollars.”.