This is the Federation Hotline updated Feb. 12.
URGENT REMINDER: Public Safety Conference RSVP deadline is Feb.16
This Friday is the deadline for registration for this year’s AFSCME Northwest Region Public Safety Conference
- AFSCME Northwest Region Public Safety Conference
- March 10-11, 2018, Vancouver, Wash.
- (reception on March 9)
This is an opportunity for Law Enforcement members to join with other LE union brothers and sisters at the Biennial AFSCME Northwest Public Safety Conference. Attendees will hear about issues important to public safety employees, discuss what’s going on around the Northwest, and hear advice to help deal with stresses encountered in a law enforcement or public safety career.
For more information and to sign up, go to: https://wfse.org/news/public-safety-conference-march
Three of our priority bills pass; calls still needed on Taxpayer Protection Act
BULLETIN: The state House late Monday morning (Feb. 12) passed our priority bill (SHB 1558) to expand the Public Safety Employees Retirement System (PSERS) to institutions workers in high-risk jobs. The vote was 89-9. SHB 1558 now goes to the Senate. The bill would give state institutions workers doing high-risk jobs the same recognition on retirement as other public workers in dangerous jobs.
Meanwhile over the weekend, the Senate passed two other priority bills: the date-of-birth privacy bill and the interpreter services bill.
The state Senate on Saturday (Feb. 10) took a stand in support of state employee safety and security. The Senate passed SB 6079 to keep our dates of birth private on a vote of 25-22. SB 6079 now goes to the House.
And the Senate on Friday night (Feb. 9) also stood up for expanding our cost-effective interpreter services to cover services covered by other agencies. The Senate passed the Interpreter Services bill (2SSB 6245) on a vote of 31-16. It now goes to the House.
Urge your House members to pass outsourcing accountability bill
House members need to hear from you on the Taxpayer Protection Act (2SHB 1851).
The Taxpayer Protection Act (2SHB 1851) is our bill to bring transparency and accountability to state contracting. It must pass the House by Wednesday.
CALL TO ACTION on the Taxpayer Protection Act 2SHB 1851: Call 1-800-562-6000 and urge your two House members to bring 2SHB 1851, the Taxpayer Protection Act, to a vote of the full House and vote YES! Bring real accountability to state outsourcing!
Agenda updates:
It’s that time of session when legislative hearing schedules change as more bills pass the House and Senate. Here are the latest two updates on two of our priority bills:
Thursday, Feb. 15
- The Senate Labor and Commerce Committee holds a hearing on SHB 1559, our priority bill to grant binding interest arbitration rights to campus police. SHB 1559 already passed the House on Jan. 29 on a vote of 82-13.
Friday, Feb. 16
- The Senate State Government Committee holds a hearing on our priority bill (ESHB 1434) to expand the state shared leave program for pregnancy disability or parental bonding of a newborn. ESHB 1434 already passed the House on Jan. 31 on a vote of 73-21.
- And a reminder on the other big hearing on Friday: The House Finance Committee holds an important hearing on HB 2967 that would enact a capital gains tax and provide property tax relief. This would help working families by improving the fairness of the state’s tax system.
Legislative Town Hall Meetings start this weekend
Look for Town Hall Meetings from your legislators in your legislative district starting this Presidents’ Day Weekend. Town Hall meetings are a great way to bring state employee issues to the attention of lawmakers as we enter the final three weeks of this legislative session. Not all districts will have them. But as we get word, we’ll pass them along.
Here are four that we know of:
1st Legislative District Rep. Shelley Kloba, Rep. Derek Stanford and Sen. Guy Palumbo will hold a Town Hall Meeting, 3:30-5:30 p.m., this Saturday, Feb. 17, Mobius Hall, Cascadia Community College, 18345 Campus Way NE, Bothell, WA 98011.
22nd Legislative District Rep. Laurie Dolan, Rep. Beth Doglio and Sen. Sam Hunt will hold a Town Hall Meeting, 6:30-8 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 22, SPSCC Lacey Event Center, 4220 6th Ave SE, Lacey, WA 98503. Doors open at 6pm for a social half hour - this will give everyone plenty of time to say a friendly hello to their neighbors, grab a snack, and get situated in their seats. Childcare will be provided.
28th Legislative District Rep. Christine Kilduff, Rep, Dick Muri and Sen. Steve O’Ban hold a Town Hall Meeting, 3 to 5 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 17, at Steilacoom Town Hall, 1717 Lafayette Street, Steilacoom, 98388.
43rd Legislative District Rep. Nicole Macri, Rep. Frank Chopp and Sen. Jamie Pedersen hold a Town Hall Meeting, 1:30-3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 17, Seattle First Baptist Church, 1111 Harvard Ave., Seattle.
Vancouver senator gives poignant floor speech as she rebukes critics of unions and working families
Sen. Annette Cleveland of the 49th Dist. in Vancouver showed courage and conviction when on Saturday (Feb. 10) she took to the floor of the state Senate in Olympia to reject the divisive debate on legislation our opponents railed because it would help workers and the people they serve.
We shared some of the posts after the heated debate Thursday night. By Saturday morning, Sen. Cleveland, sponsor of one of the bills, did what few politicians ever do and called out some of her colleagues for the disrespect they’d shown.
In her floor speech, Cleveland told of her family history, including the searing memory of her dad being laid off, their possessions being re-possessed and their future uncertain. Until her dad got a good union job. When he died, she said, her union family showed up with white flowers to honor her dad. Her mom is able today to live with dignity because of her late husband’s pension.
“The disrespectful and unfair attacks on unions that I heard...are offensive,” Cleveland said. “They’re offensive to me. They’re offensive to hard-working Washingtonians in communities across our state.
“And the demonizing...of labor and unions is unacceptable.”
What Cleveland did next was truly gutsy. She made it clear she wasn’t trying to score debating points. She wanted unity.
“I do implore each of us to resist debate that is disrespectful, uncivil and divisive and that we work together to ensure that we are different from that other Washington,” Cleveland told her colleagues.
http://www.thestand.org/2018/02/sen-cleveland-rebukes-critics-of-unions-in-powerful-floor-speech/
That’s it for now.
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