A new initiative endangers your pay-check — and perhaps even your job.

County and city employees are right in the firing line of Initiative 747, which its sponsors hope to put on the ballot in November. The threat is more direct and greater than that posed by any preceding recent initiative, including I-695.

The cap of 1 percent means that local government will not be able to keep up with inflation, now running at 4 percent. And even inflation does not take into account the needs of growing municipalities which face new demands from expanding jurisdictions.

"If our employers cannot keep up with inflation, then our paychecks will not be able to do so either," says Pat Thompson, Council 2’s Legislation/Political Action Director.

Led by Eyman, signature gatherers, some of them paid professionals, are working to gather the required 200,000 signatures to put the measure on the November ballot.

Because of the threat the initiative poses to members, Council 2 is leading a major campaign to oppose I-747.

"The reason we are leading the campaign is that our members are so directly impacted," says Thompson. "We are definitely the ones in Eyman’s sights."

Council 2’s Legislative Committee and the full Executive Board unanimously approved the opposition campaign.

Thompson says the campaign already is gaining support from other labor and business interests.

"The important thing about this campaign is that Eyman, a professional initiative sponsor, has abandoned his grass-roots efforts and appears to be making a living off of sponsoring initiatives," adds Thompson.

This is the third initiative to be sponsored by Eyman. Two were defeated in the courts and one was beaten at the ballot box.

"We want to make sure he goes 0-4," says Thompson.