Erin Shannon has her hands full: as a spokesperson for the organization Workers Against Job-Killing Rules, also known as “Yes to Initiative 841,” Shannon is one of a handful of spokespeople working to convince voters that ergonomics regulations in the State of Washington won’t work for them. And when you’re dealing with an issue of public policy and a citizen’s initiative worded in such a way that it takes a “yes” vote to send a “no regulation” message, that’s no simple task.
“Voters don’t understand ergonomics,” says Shannon, who also works for the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW), whose president, Randy Gold, was the private citizen who sponsored the I-841 initiative. “It’s easy for labor unions to break down worker safety. But our challenge is getting the message to the voters. When we can reach voters with the message, they overwhelmingly say