Special session likely, but don't assume anything

Legislative leaders tell the press it’s unlikely they’ll wrap up their business by midnight tonight, the last day of the scheduled 60-day session.

If that’s true, there’s lots of speculation about when a special session might start.

The bottom line is: Your calls and other direct action have made a difference. So, we’ve said it before, we’ll say it again—keep the calls coming.

HEALTH CARE

We know legislative budget negotiators are focusing on how to fix the health insurance fund deficit problem. But they need to do it right.

Without a fix, legislators will triple your health care costs -- triple what you pay now for deductibles, co-pays and other out-of-pocket costs. On top of that, some legislators want you to pay even more—more than the current 12 percent share you now pay for your health insurance premiums that is deducted from your paycheck. They want to mandate negotiations with the dictated direction of changing that split. We know the administration has suggested raising it as high as 20 percent or even 30 percent for employees.

But progress is being made on a fix. The House has already added $65 million to your health plan. But the Senate has not agreed to that.

HEALTH INSURANCE CALL TO ACTION:

STOP THE HEALTH CUTS! Call 1-800-562-6000. Tell legislators to fund state worker health insurance at the level in the House supplemental budget (ESSB 6444) – with no mandate to bargain over premiums!

REVENUE

 The House’s revenue package is at least $150 million short of what is needed.

 CALL TO ACTION ON REVENUE:

Please call your legislators at 1-800-562-6000 today and urge them to support common sense proposals to raise the $150 million in additional revenue not in ESSB 6143.

Keep the message simple: Please prevent deep cuts to services and create jobs by supporting HB 3181 and HB 3021.

FURLOUGHS

The House stripped furlough language from its budget. The Senate has not. And the furlough bill, SSB 6503, is still alive in the House—with a proposed amendment to take away your personal holiday.

CALL TO ACTION ON FURLOUGHS:

Call 1-800-562-6000. Tell your legislators: OPPOSE SSB 6503, the state employee furlough bill.

RHCs

The bill to wipe out residential habilitation centers by removing their statutory authorization is still on the Senate floor. Some proposed amendments would mitigate it, but the best outcome if to keep it from a vote or to have it defeated. They need to understand that RHCs are quality campuses that care for some of our state’s most profoundly disabled citizens when there are no resources for the kind of community care they need.

Here’s what the parent of one of the residents at the targeted-for-closure Frances Haddon Morgan Center wrote:

PLEASE KEEP MY HOME OPEN!!

Our wonderful son, Thomas is a resident at Frances Haddon Morgan Center. Looks can be very deceiving regarding his ability to function. You can see he is very engaging and happy – but what you can’t see are the facts that he can’t do his own personal care, use a toilet or wash his hands, can’t write his name, isn’t aware of safety and needs almost constant interaction with people to maintain his behavior without getting destructive. His needs are very demanding and he receives the supports he needs at FHMC.

CALL TO ACTION ON THE RHC WIPEOUT BILL:

Call 1-800-562-6000 and urge your legislators to oppose SB 6182, the RHC wipeout bill.

INSTITUTIONS CLOSURES

The Senate and House budgets are far apart, with the Senate generally wanting to close more state RHCs, JRA facilities and Corrections centers than the House.

But they’re all at risk in the short term (Frances Haddon Morgan Center, Maple Lane School, Pine Lodge Corrections Center for Women) and long-run (all RHCs, most JRA, Pine Lodge).

CALL TO ACTION ON INSTITUTIONS CLOSURES

Call 1-800-562-6000 and urge your legislators to oppose closures of state institutions in the supplemental budget (ESSB 6444)!

ANOTHER GOOD BILL HEADED TO THE GOVERNOR

 Theirs is some upbeat news. ESSB 6724, the bill that was amended to raise the cap on how much shared leave donations an employee can receive, passed its last hurdle in the Senate March 8 and yesterday was officially sent to the governor for her signature into law.

ESSB 6724 raises the cap to 522 days. It would help longtime employees facing the need for more than the current limit of 261 total shared leave days.

The bill folds in the concept from two Federation-initiated bills (SB 6695 and HB 3063). Ecology worker Andy McMillan, who has battled bone marrow cancer for five years while working as much as he can, inspired it.


KING COUNTY MEMBERS STRATEGIZE SATURDAY

Members of the Federation’s many King County locals are invited to a strategy session this Saturday to step up the fight in any special session and during upcoming contract negotiations.

The meeting will be 12 noon, this Saturday, March 13, at the King County Labor Temple, 2800 1st Ave., Hall No. 1, Seattle.