As the budget crisis hits deep and hard in Washington State, Coun-cil 2 is working actively to ensure that the jobs of Council 2 members are protected.

The state is facing a $2.5 billion deficit and it is clear that unless new ways are found to raise revenue, massive cuts will have to be made.

As a result, Council 2 is working hard to reduce the impact of the budget shortfall on its members.

• One way in which the union is doing this is to find ways to maintain or even increase funding for local services.

“The legislature should give local governments the tools they need to secure funding for the vital services our members provide,” says Pat Thompson, Council 2’s Legislation/Political Action Director.
The best way to achieve this would be to expand local governments’ authority to raise revenue based on each jurisdiction’s own needs, he adds.

• Another way in which the union is working to protect members’ jobs is by seeking to introduce initiative reform.
Several initiatives in recent years have sought to cut local government’s ability to fund its programs, which, in turn, can impact Council 2 members. These initiatives have largely been sponsored by Tim Eyman, a Seattle area watch salesman who earns a living off his initiative sponsorship.

The rejection by the courts of initiatives introduced by Eyman as unconstitutional point to the urgent need for reform. The most recent initiative to be rejected was I-776 which sought to restore $30 car tabs and stop funding on the new Seattle Light Rail system. Eyman has appealed the ruling.

Members should be aware, too, that Eyman not only earns a living for himself off his initiative sponsoring, but that he employs paid signature gatherers, Thompson says. These people are not citizen activists working for a cause, but people working for a buck, he adds.

Council 2 is also working actively on other issues that are of concern to members. But it is not easy to gain the attention of the Legislature these days, Thompson adds. Budget issues are overshadowing most other action in the Legislature.

Nevertheless, efforts by Council 2 to change the way our pensions are governed took a big step forward when the Joint Committee on Pension Policy voted unanimously to forward SB 5099 and HB 1204 to the Senate Ways and Means and the House Appropriations Committees.

Council 2 also continues to work on issues related to early retirement options. To keep up to date on these issues and others before the state legislature, members are encouraged to review Council 2’s Legislative Reports online.