An extraordinarily busy first week of the Legislature brought dozens of Federation members to Olympia to visit legislators. On Wednesday and Thursday alone, members testified at five major hearings to save jobs, programs and institutions—and the quality services they provide and the jobs that pump needed dollars into hard-hit communities.
They projected the kind of state employee commitment that can help win the day.
“I’m a very proud state employee,” said Kevin Prestegard, a residential rehabilitation counselor at Naselle and member of Local 2263. “I love my community. And that’s why I’m here today.”
Here’s a roundup:
YAKIMA VALLEY SCHOOL
The governor proposes to close this skilled nursing facility in Selah, displacing 100 extremely fragile developmentally disabled citizens and cut some 140 jobs.
Julianne Moore, an adult training specialist 3 at Yakima Valley School and member of Local 1326, said the governor would generate only about $1 million in savings.
“The disruption of the closure and transfer of our clients will have harmful effects,” she told the House Ways and Means Committee on Jan. 14. “There is such a thing as ‘transfer trauma.’ Some of our clients will die because of it.”
Yakima Valley School’s closure would harm the entire state because clients come from across Washington, she said.
“Yakima Valley School has a ‘no refusal’ policy and often takes clients that are in crisis with no other place for them to live,” Moore said. “We also provide respite care to 110 clients from across the state. Many parents and caregivers in all corners of the state depend on this so they can get a breather so they can continue to care for their loved ones in their homes.”
(Moore also testified Jan. 15 before the House Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee.)
VIEW TESTIMONY HERE
NASELLE YOUTH CAMP
The governor proposes closing Naselle Youth Camp in Pacific County, a facility for youthful offenders run by the DSHS Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration. It is the only facility that provides the full range of treatment and rehabilitation options offered by JRA. It currently holds about 96 youth. It is the only work camp for juvenile offenders.
“We inspire our kids,” said Kevin Prestegard, a residential rehabilitation counselor at Naselle and member of Local 2263.
Closing Naselle would harm residents to move them from their minimum-medium security facility to the remaining maximum-security facilities, he said.
“Children that are minimum-medium aren’t sophisticated to be in a maximum security environment,” he told the House Ways and Means Committee on Jan. 14.
Jane Anne Drechnowicz, another residential rehabilitation counselor at Naselle and a member of Local 2263, said her facility lives up to its mission “to protect and value these youth while working to make them successful members of their communities.” She testified Jan. 15 before the House Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee.
VIEW TESTIMONY HERE
PINE LODGE CORRECTIONS CENTER FOR WOMEN
The governor proposes closing Pine Lodge Corrections Center for Women in Medical Lake, the only women’s facility in Eastern Washington. Inmates would be shifted to Larch Mountain in Clark County, which would entail added cost to convert it to a women’s prison.
“We are the most efficiently run prison in the state, based on (the Department of Corrections’) own numbers,” said Robert Milton, a corrections and custody officer 2 and member of Local 782.
He testified Jan. 15 in the House General Government Appropriations Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee.
The proposed closure “doesn’t make sense to us,” he said. “So we’re asking you to re-visit the governor’s budget and look at the numbers and keep Pine Lodge open.”
VIEW TESTIMONY HERE
CUTS TO COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS
The governor also proposes cuts to community supervision of felony offenders. According to the governor’s budget documents, that would cut about one-third (about 500) of the frontline staff in Community Corrections. In the admission of the governor’s own staff, it’s unclear if our communities will be any safer. This means that thousands of offenders who previously would be watched won’t.
“We have several real concerns about that,” said Ton Johnson, a Community Corrections officer 3 in King County and member of Local 308. He testified Jan. 15 in the House General Government Appropriations Committee.
VIEW TESTIMONY HERE
GENERAL ASSISTANCE UNEMPLOYABLE PROGRAM
The governor proposes elimination of the General Assistance-Unemployable (GA-U) program that provides financial help to 21,000 mentally ill and disabled citizens who, through no fault of their own, cannot work.
Karen Mork, a financial services specialist 4 at the Columbia River Community Services Office in Vancouver and a member of Local 313, said the governor’s proposal would “pull the rug out from under…some of the most vulnerable people in our state.”
“To be blunt, the proposal to end GAU is unnecessarily cruel and fiscally unsound,” Mork told the House Ways and Means Committee Jan. 14.
(Mork also testified Jan. 15 before the House Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee.)
VIEW TESTIMONY HERE
PARKS CLOSURES
The governor proposes closure of 13 state parks and seasonal closures of others.
Ted Morris, a park ranger 3 at Birch Bay State Park and a member of Local 1466, said plan to turn the parks over to cities and counties won’t work because local government is closing its own parks. He called this state’s parks “jewels.”
“And we just never seem to get those jewels back once we give them away,” Morris told the House General Government Appropriations Committee Jan. 15.
“I believe we should make it a priority to save these jewels, save jobs and save the quality recreational opportunities they provide and avoid the economic harm to our communities,” Morris testified.
VIEW TESTIMONY HERE
CUTS TO FISH AND WILDLIFE PROGRAMS
The governor proposes cuts to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, that would reduce wildlife management, weaken information technology, reduce habitat protection, cut the number of Fish and Wildlife enforcement officers and close seven fish hatcheries. That would cut nearly 157 jobs, some in small, rural communities where every job counts in their economy.
“DFW has always been an agency that has been expected to do more with less for a long time,” said Tim Young, a Local 443 member with the department in Olympia.
He testified Jan. 15 in the House General Government Appropriations Committee.
“The implementation of the governor’s budget will cripple the ability of the department to conduct important activities related to environmental conservation, which also benefits the state’s economy,” Young said.
“Once cut, many of these activities will be very difficult to restore and will result in a loss of a significant portion of the department’s most valuable asset, its trained, competent staff and their institutional knowledge.”
(Young also testified Jan. 15 before the House Ways and Means Committee.)
VIEW TESTIMONY HERE
CUTS TO HIGHER EDUCATION
The governor proposes cutting 1,046 at state colleges and universities.
Rosemary Sterling, a manager at the copy center at Whatcom Community College and member of Local 1381, said the cuts come at a time when higher education is needed for worker retraining in the down economy.
“These cuts would harm students and our communities,” Sterling told the House Education Appropriations Committee Jan. 15.
VIEW TESTIMONY HERE
CUTS TO THE SPECIAL COMMITMENT CENTER
The governor proposes a cut of 32 residential rehabilitation counselors in the low-acuity unit at the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island. SCC houses dangerous sex offenders.
“This cut will only make a bad situation worse and has potential for endangering our communities,” said Craig Gibelyou, president of Local 793, which includes Special Commitment Center workers.
SCC already faces high turnover and overtime costs. The governor’s proposed cuts could spark sanctions from the federal government and the courts because of less treatment.
“And then these dangerous repeat sexual predators would be released back in our neighborhoods again,” he told the House Ways and Means Committee Jan. 14.
(Gibelyou also testified Jan. 15 before the House Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee.)
VIEW TESTIMONY HERE
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