Drastic Times Demand Sensible Solutions - Washington Needs Quality State Services NOW!

Gregoire's budget calls for suspending negotiated raises, closure of Yakima Valley School and Naselle Youth Camp, and cuts to Community Corrections.

The governor's proposed operating budget unveiled on December 18th is brutal on state employees and the services they provide.

In these tough fiscal times, everything was supposed to be on the table - including possible revenue increases and cutting some of the state's $54 billion in tax loopholes and tax breaks.

"Our biggest concern is that everything should be on the table and that includes tax loopholes and revenue enhancements," Federation Executive Director Greg Devereux said.

"If the economic parts of our negotiated contracts that were ratified two months ago can be suspended, why can't a campaign pledge on no revenue increases be retracted?"

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Drastic Times Demand Sensible Solutions - Washington Needs Quality Services NOW!

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

The governor's proposed operating budget is brutal on state services.

I urge you to find sensible solutions to the budget deficit that put everything on the table - not just on the backs of state employees and the services they provide.

In these tough fiscal times, everything was supposed to be on the table - including possible revenue increases and cutting some of the state's $54 billion in tax loopholes and tax breaks.

Our state needs sensible solutions from the Legislature instead of the governor's plan.

Our biggest concern is that everything should be on the table and that includes tax loopholes and revenue enhancements.

If the economic parts of our negotiated contracts that were ratified two months ago can be suspended, why can't a revenue increases be retracted?

The impact of 4,000 state employee layoffs will be worse for the economy than revenue enhancements spread across 5 million Washington citizens. These layoffs will cause a ripple effect across local communities.

We can't cut our way out of this deficit.

There are 567 tax loopholes and tax breaks totaling $54 billion that should be scrutinized and some repealed to save state services.

Some 147 of those were enacted just since 2001.

Sure, let's balance the budget. But must it be on the backs of state employees?

We're counting on you to find Sensible Solutions!

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
December 18, 2008


Background Information

On the governor's proposal here's what we know:

  • The governor would invoke a little-known clause in the collective bargaining law allowing her to suspend negotiated pay raises if her budget office is unable to certify that there are funds to pay for them. That is what she has done. That means it will be back to the bargaining table to re-negotiate. She does propose honoring the negotiated funding of your health benefits?with the 12 percent premium share intact.

  • She proposes cutting contributions into the retirement system - a cut of 46.8 percent. Her budget documents aren't clear on how that would come about, but it's a significant cut.

  • She proposes cutting 4,000 state jobs. How many are vacancies and how many would mean actual people losing a job is not clear in her budget plan.

    She proposes a number of closures:

    Closure of Naselle Youth Camp, a juvenile rehabilitation facility with about 110 youthful offenders.

    Closure of Yakima Valley School, a facility in Selah for about 100 developmentally disabled residents.

    Closure of 13 state parks to be determined by the State Parks Commission in addition to winter closures at many parks.

    The governor said she would close seven fish hatcheries, but her budget documents only specify two proposed closures: Bellingham and Palmer Ponds.

    In Community Corrections, elimination of supervision of misdemeanants, discontinuation of community supervision for low-risk offenders (except for sex offenders and violent offenders) and setting of community custody sentence lengths at 12 months.

    The governor also would eliminate grants to individuals in the General Assistance-Unemployable program.