[C-U Smokefree] Washington State Legislation

[Theotskl at aol.com]

Hi there--

FYI.


Of interest are the stories of the bar workers.


Theo



Washington State Smokefree Ballot Initiative Moves Forward
Initiative 890 seeks smokefree workplaces for all workers
 
SEATTLE, 4/17/04... The battle for smokefree workplaces in Washington State 
is officially underway as Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels Wednesday kicked off a 
signature-gathering drive last week.  Breathe Easy Washington, the group 
spearheading the initiative, needs to collect approximately 270,000 signatures by July 
2 to get the initiative on the November ballot.
 
“I have to work everyday in a smoke-filled place,” says Patty Carlson, a 
bartender and sponsor of Initiative 890. “It’s not fair that people like me have 
to breathe poisons just to make a living. Other workers in Washington state 
have been protected from secondhand smoke since 1985. All we are asking is to 
be treated equally, to have the same right to work in a smoke-free place as 
everybody else.”
 
"Smokefree workplace legislation is a matter of respect and dignity for 
workers," adds Joe Cherner, founder of BREATHE-- Bar and Restaurant Employees 
Advocating Together for a Healthy Environment.  "Waitress are more likely to die of 
lung cancer than workers in any other predominantly female occupation, and 
bartenders are twice as likely to die of lung cancer."
 

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