In an op-ed piece in the Seattle P_I today, Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, and House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, take umbrage at the suggestion that state-employee support for Gov. Chris Gregoire is driven by the substantial pay increases that many workers have received since Gregoire took office.

The law allowing state workers to collectively bargain for pay and benefits dates back to 2002 -- two years before Gregoire was elected -- and has improved government efficiency and reformed the state's arcane civil service rules, the two lawmakers write.

It's no great surprise that working people support Gregoire. That's because she's honest about the important role that government services play in the lives of Washingtonians and because she understands what it takes to ensure the greatest efficiency and effectiveness of those services.

A big part of that is attracting and retaining talented and dedicated state employees, they write.

After all, those are the people who teach the ABCs to children, prepare young adults to enter the work force and patrol state roads. They ensure the safety of the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. They stand guard in prisons, provide help to families in need and assist honored veterans in finding health care.

If unions back Gregoire, they maintain, "it's because they share a basic philosophy about employment issues, not because they are using the campaign to buy a better contract."

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