This is the Federation Hotline for Friday and the weekend.
CRITICAL DAYS AHEAD—KEEP THE PRESSURE ON
You know we’ve made progress, especially on changing the Legislature’s mindset on raising revenue and closing tax loopholes. How far we’ve gotten.
But there are still legislators in both parties who want to stick it to state employees just for the sake of setting an example.
They forget or pooh pooh the $1 billion you sacrificed last year.
So, here’s where we stand:
The basic message is that we've already made a lot of sacrifices.
The question is: How much more is the Legislature going to take from state employees?
On the table right now are massive health care cuts, furloughs, hundreds of jobs lost, and privatization.
When will they be satisfied that we've given enough? The answers to those questions will be determined in the coming days. And you can help shape that answer. It’s largely because of you that revenue and loopholes have become one part of the answer.
You are the most powerful tool the union has. You make the biggest impact with direct communication to your elected representatives: “I am your constituent and I believe the Legislature is going too far in its punitive treatment of state employees.” Personal visits are most effective, personal e-mails are also very effective, and hotline calls are helpful, too.
If we can really generate a lot of contacts it will give pause to our enemies and encouragement to our friends.
Remember, the Legislature’s hotline is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. The Legislature is set to adjourn in just 13 days, on March 11.
So…
CRITICAL CALL TO ACTION ON HEALTH CARE
STOP HEALTH CUTS! Call 1-800-562-6000. Tell legislators to fund state worker health care at a fiscally responsible level in the supplemental budget (SB 6444/HB 2824). They will know what you mean. They want to triple your health care costs—that is unacceptable on top of the $1 billion you’ve already sacrificed and the average hike of $1,100 a year in health care costs imposed on you this past Jan. 1.
KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING WITH CALLS ON THE KEY ISSUES:
Call 1-800-562-6000. Tell your legislators:
• STOP HEALTH CUTS! Tell legislators to fund state worker health care at a fiscally responsible level in the supplemental budget (SB 6444/HB 2824).
• CLOSE TAX LOOPHOLES! SUPPORT HB 3176 to close tax loopholes. It will recoup hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue.
• OPPOSE FURLOUGHS! OPPOSE SSB 6503, the state employee furlough bill. Its unintended consequences will cost more, not less.
• OPPOSE INSTITUTIONS CLOSURES!
• OPPOSE SENATE PROPOSAL TO MERGE NATURAL RESOURCES, PARKS AND FISH AND WILDLIFE.
• PASS INTERPRETERS’ COLLECTIVE BARGAINING BILL, ESSB 6726. Give state Medicaid interpreters a voice on economics and workplace issues and a seat at the table on a reform-oriented work group. It needs to pass out of the House Ways and Means Committee.
NOTE: The governor on Feb. 24 signed into law ESSB 6130 to amend I-960 and allow majority rule on revenue issues.
UPCOMING RALLIES
“Stop the Madness/Closures Rally,” next Saturday, March 6, 1-4 p.m., Denny’s Foods, N. Lefevre St. and Hwy. 902, Medical Lake. Hotdogs and soft drinks will be provided. Come show your support to those who provide quality services to the citizens of Washington. Increase revenues, not decreased services.
CAPITOL NUGGETS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Nugget No. 1: The Federation Friday morning indicated support for SHB 3181, the Clean Water Act of 2010, in a hearing before the House Finance Committee. The measure would increase the Hazardous Substance Tax rate from 0.7 percent to 2.0 percent to fund water pollution programs and other general state programs. It will go a long way to restore funding to help our Ecology members in water resources do their job. It also creates jobs.
Nugget No. 2: Federation members swelled this week’s Revenue Coalition town hall meetings in Vancouver, Everett and Bellingham. Green “WE ARE THE SAFETY NET” t-shirts took up half the crowd at Thursday’s session in Bellingham, where members from Corrections, Higher Ed, DSHS, L&I and Interpreters got their messages across.
FOR CORRECTIONS MEMBERS, DON’T FORGET TO REGISTER FOR THE DOC SUMMIT
Corrections members have an opportunity to shape their future on a number of issues at the Federation’s DOC Summit
When: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 10 AM - 4:00 PM
Where: SeaTac Doubletree Hotel
Who: This summit is open to the first 200 DOC members who register.
Registration deadline: March 1, 2010
The goal of the summit is to gather a diverse group of DOC members from as many field offices, institutions, and represented job classifications as possible to help shape our future.
The summit will include:
An open conversation about what we’ve learned this past year and where we are headed now as a union.
AFSCME staff from “the other Washington” will share Corrections and Law Enforcement presentations from other parts of the country.
Lunch will be provided only for members who register prior to the March 1st deadline. WFSE will reimburse registered members’ travel expenses. Carpooling is encouraged.
PLEASE REGISTER ONLINE at WFSE.org > DOC Summit. Look for the DOC Summit icon in the upper right corner of the webpage. Questions? Contact Pam Herrick at 800-562-6002 or pamh@wfse.org.
SHARED LEAVE REQUESTS:
Finally, four shared leave requests:
IN NEED OF SHARED LEAVE: Sandra Keck, a food service worker at Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake and a member of Local 782, has been approved for shared leave. To help Sandra with a donation of eligible unused annual leave or sick leave or all or part of your personal holiday, contact Janie Dowd in ESH Human Resources at (509) 565-4000.
IN NEED OF SHARED LEAVE: Treca Young, a residential/student life counselor at the Washington State School for the Blind in Vancouver and a member of Local 1225, will be off the job an undetermined amount of time for a serious medical condition that may require surgery. To help Treca with a donation of eligible unused annual leave or sick leave or all or part of your personal holiday, contact Jessica Sydnor at (360) 696-6321, Ext. 129.
IN NEED OF SHARED LEAVE: Kendra Hogenson, a medical assistance specialist 3 with DSHS in Olympia and a member of Local 443, is facing a serious medical condition and is in need of share leave. To help Kendra with a donation of eligible unused annual leave or sick leave or all or part of your personal holiday, contact Jennifer McCaslin at (360) 725-2058.
IN NEED OF SHARED LEAVE: Cheryl Drake, an administrative assistant 3 with the Department of Transportation in King County, has been approved for shared leave. To help Cheryl with a donation of eligible unused annual leave or sick leave or all or part of your personal holiday, contact Jennifer Wagner at (360) 705-7056.
That’s it for now. Call Monday for the next message.
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