Dire Straits in Washington State - Act Now

Brothers and Sisters,

We are being pushed hard in the direction of wage reductions, increased cost for healthcare, and job loss. The legislature will go into special session on Monday and our financial future hangs with the decisions they make.

At this point the Governor's budget underfunds our healthcare benefits and the Senate budget is even worse. We asked for 80 million. The House budget provides 65 million which keeps us even if further inflation doesn't undermine it. The result of the underfunding could mean deductibles of $3000 a year. Our members cannot withstand that kind of assault. We know that the increased costs are already causing members to stay away from office visits and stop taking certain prescribed medications.

What happens now is negotiation between the Governor's office, the House, and the Senate. With both the Governor and the Senate budgets setting the funding level so low, there will be intense pressure on House members who return on Tuesday to reduce the funding in their budget. We have had the benefit of a solid group of House members who stand up for state employees and their families. They know it was wrong for the state to divert the dollars from our healthcare plans risking our negotiated benefits.

The Senate returns Monday. The House returns Tuesday. The lunchbox issues on the table are furloughs for state employees (11 days), out of reach healthcare premiums and deductibles, closures of facilities in DOC, DD, JRA and other program cuts.

We are in dire straits. The legislature closed its regular session with the music from "Titanic". The legislature will return and try to pass a budget in one week.

We have had to play defense all session. The game isn't over yet. The good news is that the unprecedented job actions, lobby efforts, phone calls, and e-mails have made a difference. If members had not engaged with such passion and energy, that list of bad proposals would have been a fete accompli. We have refused to go quietly into the financial morass planned for us. We have fought back every day in every way we know how. These actions are having a serious impact.

Yesterday, a legislative aide ran up to the Executive Director at the Capitol and demanded to know what is going on and why are state employees making these panicked calls. The answer is simple:

WE'RE MAD AS HELL AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT! We will stand up! We will fight back! We will remember! We will do something about it both NOW and LATER!

The battle is in the Senate on Monday. Will you be there? If you can come - do it! We need a solid front on Monday. If you can't - then fight with us by calling the hotline at 1-800-562-6002. We will fight to the bitter end to save our jobs, to save our wages and to save our healthcare! Green Machine - show them what we've got!