DCYF Lobby Day

Join us at our DCYF Lobby Day in Olympia, as we tell our legislators that the unfunded mandates they've handed down, cost lives.

Are you tired of seeing our coworkers leaving because of burnout, assaults, or poor working conditions?  Is your workload unmanageable or pressuring you to work off the clock?  Are you fed up with filling out a mountain of paperwork to provide our clients the most basic supports?  Are you angry at the disservice our state is doing to children and families?

This session we will see more attempts to weaken our ability to collective bargaining, roll back our benefits, and generally do even more with even less. While we will be pushing for more resources and changes in laws (including changing the Keeping Families Together Act's imminent physical harm standard for removal), we will also be fighting to hold the line on the gains we have made over all these years.

Lobby days are scheduled for most legislative districts, and you are encouraged to sign up for yours as well, but on January 19 the priority will be DCYF-related issues.  We typically have a few minutes each lobby day to talk with the people who decide whether we will receive funding, what changes will be made to our work, and whether our perspectives - the experts who work directly with children and families - will be taken into account with the budget and legislation to be considered.

Some locals rent vans or buses, and some workers travel across the state - by themselves or with their coworkers - to speak out.  If you need assistance with travel or lodging, please sign up as soon as possible and follow the instructions on the RSVP page.  If you would like to carpool but don't have a group, you can post on our Facebook group or reach out to our policy committee officers at [email protected].

Lobby day training is in Seattle on January 10; it is encouraged for new participants but it is not required.