Labor Ready Names Steve Cooper as Chief Executive Officer; Current CEO Joe Sambataro to Retire May 17, 2006, Will Retain Board S

Labor Ready, Inc. (NYSE:LRW) announced that its board of
directors has named Steve Cooper as chief executive officer effective
May 17, 2006.
   Cooper, currently president, will succeed Joe Sambataro as CEO as
part of a planned succession. Sambataro has announced his retirement
but will continue to serve on Labor Ready's board of directors.
   "Steve is extremely qualified for this position," said Sambataro.
"He has collaborated with me on every key strategic initiative. He
places great emphasis on sustaining growth and building shareholder
value.
   "Steve has been pivotal in envisioning our future and driving
change," Sambataro added. "He led our acquisition of Spartan Staffing
and CLP Resources, which has provided two new platforms to sustain our
growth and enabled us to expand and diversify our service offerings."
   Cooper was promoted to president of Labor Ready in 2005 after
serving as executive vice president and chief financial officer since
January 2001. Prior to that time, Cooper served as the company's vice
president of finance. He joined Labor Ready in 1999.
   "Steve is clearly qualified to provide the leadership and
strategic vision for Labor Ready's future," said Labor Ready Chairman
Bob Sullivan. "Steve has worked very closely with Joe and has played a
key role in the company's success.
   "We would like to thank Joe for driving the company's tremendous
growth," Sullivan said, "and for his commitment to cultivating the
company's mission, vision and values. We look forward to his
continuing contribution as a member of the board."

   About Labor Ready

   Labor Ready is an international provider of temporary employees
for manual labor, light industrial and skilled construction jobs,
operating under the brand names of Labor Ready, Workforce, Spartan
Staffing, and CLP Resources. Labor Ready's customers are primarily
small- to mid-sized businesses in the transportation, warehousing,
hospitality, landscaping, construction, light manufacturing, retail,
wholesale, facilities and sanitation industries. Annually, Labor Ready
serves approximately 300,000 customers and puts more than 600,000
people to work through its more than 885 branch locations in the
United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For additional
information, visit Labor Ready's website at www.laborready.com.