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March 18, 2009 in City
State workers decry ‘all-cuts’ plan
Higher taxes could help budget, protesters say
State workers across Washington and their supporters, including this crowd in Olympia, rallied Tuesday.
(Full-size photo)
OLYMPIA – In a scene repeated across Washington, sign-carrying state workers at the Capitol on Tuesday called on lawmakers to look at raising taxes to offset some deep budget cuts.
“Hey hey, ho ho, an all-cuts budget’s got to go,” they chanted.
The rally was one of more than 60 such events statewide, including rallies in Medical Lake, Cheney and outside several state offices in Spokane.
Given Washington’s $8.5 billion budget shortfall, state workers have little hope of getting the 2 percent cost of living increases they’d expected for this year and next. But budget decisions made in the next few weeks in Olympia could have profound effects on state jobs, programs and services.
“The only thing we’re concerned about is what is quality of life going to look like under an all-cuts budget,” said Carol Dotlich, with the Washington Federation of State Employees.
In past years, the union has turned out thousands of workers on the Capitol lawn. This time, executive director Greg Devereux said the federation felt it was more important to relay the message from as many lawmakers’ districts as possible.
A few hundred yards away, a smaller group of anti-tax advocates held a “Push back, no tax” rally of their own. With families across the state struggling with their budgets, people can’t afford more taxes, said the Evergreen Freedom Foundation’s Amber Gunn.
“It’s not an ideal world. This is reality,” she said. State revenue over the next two years is still forecast to increase – albeit barely – she said. And her side argues that the term “all-cuts” is misleading when the state will actually collect slightly more money than in the last two years.
“A reduction in an increase is not the same thing as a real decrease,” Gunn said.
Two state lawmakers spoke at the federation’s rally.
Rep. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia, noted that state lawmakers are state employees, too. But he warned that the upcoming budget will be “drastic.”
If layoffs come, Hunt said, he’d like to see them start with supervisors. This drew a cheer.
“And as a last resort, we reduce line workers,” he told the crowd, “… because that is the guts and glory of state service.”
Sen. Karen Fraser, also D-Olympia, told the workers that it’s important to get out the message of how critical state services are.
“It’s very important that people understand this,” she said. “… Once these horrible cuts come out, you’re going to hear people talking about how important you are.”
Both sides plan more and bigger rallies in the coming weeks.
Richard Roesler can be reached at (360) 664-2598 or richr@spokesman.com.
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Ninch on March 18 at 8:41 a.m.
State workers are promoting increasing taxes to retain their living standards because they want their 2% pay raises as well as do not want to reduce department expenses. How about all those who are unemployed, low income, and fixed income who would have to pay an extra one cent on sales tax? Or pay increased vehicle licensing fees… both regressive taxes. What about their standard of living?
I think foregoing a state employee wage increase and not increasing expenditures is not a bad thing at this time. Ironically, there is a state hiring freeze, which impacts many state enterprises including community college non-faculty staff and temporary summer jobs. Opening these jobs back up could help reduce unemployment, but state workers are instead crying “Let them eat cake.” What a bunch of self-centered greedy government workers… acting like they are entitled to prosper off the backs of the less affluent.
raymills on March 19 at 10:45 a.m.
Where is their logic?? At a time when the economy is failing, people have no jobs, savings and investments are disappearing, and no one has enough money to survive this recession it is the height of stupidity to demand higher taxes on people who can’t pay what they already owe!!
When my income went down or when I was out of work, I stopped spending what I didn’t have. Why can’t our governments understand this and do the same instead of trying to milk the cash cow that has gone dry???!!!