Return to WFSE Votes landing page
We need to defend our ability to secure raises and our state’s childcare and schools.
Vote NO on I-2109, which would repeal the capital gains excise tax—paid only by the richest 4,000 households in Washington—and eliminates billions in revenue dedicated to schools, early learning, and childcare.
Without capital gains, school construction, childcare, and early learning will come from the general budget, which also pays for our raises. A smaller budget means our contract fights will be tougher.
The wealthy few don’t need our help—but parents, kids, and communities do. That's why we need to vote no on I-2109 in November.
What is the Capital Gains Tax?
“In Washington, more than 99.8% of tax filers do not profit enough from capital gains to require a capital gains tax payment.“ — NO on I-2109 Campaign
As working families struggle to make ends meet with ever-increasing costs of living, the ultra-rich are trying to repeal the excise tax that goes directly to our schools. This special fund takes pressure off the general budget while helping to support families and kids.
Your home, your retirement savings, your children's college savings, and the farmlands we all rely on are excluded from the capital gains tax,. This tax only applies to the super-rich as you must make more than $250,000 in profit in a single year off of the small number of categories (stocks, bonds, etc.) it covers.
What’s at Stake?
“I think [I-2109] is attacking something that benefits every child.Of course, it’s not a one-to-one comparison, but there is a commonality between a lot of my residents at the Special Commitment Center: the lack of services in early childhood.
To be successful in my job rehabilitating offenders, I need teachers and early learning providers to be able to succeed at their jobs. We exist in a web.”
— Caitlin Konya, WFSE Local 872 Member, DSHS Special Commitment Center
Despite fewer than 4,000 households having enough wealth for this tax to apply to them, the capital gains tax brought in nearly $900 million in revenue in just a year.
That relieves a huge burden on the general budget, which is the same pool of money that provides public employees’ salaries and raises.
Tonya, a WFSE Local 1221 member who works in the Early Learning Center at the Community Colleges of Spokane
"Getting access to a quality early learning program gives kids a chance to succeed in school and life. The care we provide is tailored to each child and family’s needs. It can include everything from developmental screenings to nutritional counseling.
Every day I can see ways that we are making a real difference and setting kids up for success. Kids are supposed to be our future!"
— Tonya Rehberg, WFSE Local 1221 Member, Early Learning Center
As the cost of living soars, it’s increasingly difficult for families to find childcare.
“Child care costs have spiked 220% since 1990, and the crisis is especially acute in Washington state. It has the fifth-highest average weekly cost of child care in the nation.” —KUOW
Our members working in early learning centers can certainly attest to the childcare crisis. It’s why they’re already deep in the fight to protect quality resources for families, as well as their jobs.
WFSE members protesting the planned closing of the early learning center at Everett Community College
The excise tax that Washington’s ultra-wealthy are currently paying is also helping to meet budget shortfalls for school districts across the state. If we eliminate it now, schools, and our union siblings working in education, will be left abruptly in the lurch. This could even lead to new property tax levies.
Without that revenue, it’s also likely that funding for schools, early learning, and childcare will have to come out of the general budget. The general budget is where our salaries and raises come from.
I-2109 Threatens Our Compensation
Each contract, our elected bargaining teams come to the table to fight for the raises our members desperately need to make ends meet. When we’re met with opposition, it’s always justified with a nod to the general budget and claims that there just isn’t enough money.
But we know that every community in Washington would grind to a halt without safe roads, clean water, and the many other services public employees provide. Our state needs us.
Let’s not let the uber-rich strain the general fund that provides our salaries and raises even further.
As public employees, our involvement in the political process is crucial. We need to be aware of how the state manages its money, and fight for what’s right.
Defending What We’ve Won
Our union played an important role in the unprecedented statewide coalition that led to the establishment of the capital gains tax. Now is no time to roll back the clock. We worked hard to pass this legislation that’s helping to balance our tax code, and we need to show up to defend it. Our union has voted to endorse the NO on I-2109 Coalition.
We need to do everything we can to defend what we have won and lessen the pressure on the general fund.
When it comes down to it, we are trying to stop the rich from eliminating a tax that applies only to them, and enormously benefits working people. Let’s show up to defend this critical measure that helps close the wage gap and supports working families across the state.
