The message below is from WFSE President Mike Yestramski, a WFSE Local 793 member and psychiatric social worker at Western State Hospital.
I know we’re all aware of the massive budget crisis, so the contents of Governor Ferguson's press conference today shouldn't come as a major shock...
Except perhaps for Ferguson's proposal to require most state employees to take one furlough day per month for the next two years.
There is still time for our elected officials to do the right thing and reject harmful cuts, facility closures, and employee furloughs by asking the rich to pay their fair share.
Washington state is next to last in the nation when it comes to tax fairness. We are 49 out of 50. The budget crisis is in large part a direct result of our state’s inequitable tax code that relies on those with the least to pay the most.
I need each and every one of you to contact your legislators by calling 888-258-4588 or texting STAND to 237-263.
- You’ll hear a short message from WFSE with instructions, and then you’ll be connected with the Legislative Hotline.
- If you'd like talking points before you call, text STAND to 237-263. Texting that number is also a good step if you can't get through to the hotline because there's too many calls coming in.
- Phone calls are most effective, but if you'd like to start by sending an email rather than a phone call, you can send an email to your elected officials here.
What we need to tell our elected officials
Tell them that you want a state budget without drastic cuts to vital services the public depends on. Tell them that the time is NOW to craft a budget that's good for all Washingtonians, not just the rich.
The rich use the same roads that our members maintain, they go to the same parks that our members manage, yet they pay significantly less of their income in taxes than those same members.
The elected leaders of this state have the ability to create a Washington For All, not just the rich.
Budget Cuts Don't Work. We Already Know This.
Here’s something else we already know. Austerity is a failing solution. Washington, like the other states that made big cuts during the Great Recession, experienced a slower economic recovery than the states that increased investment, and the service cuts didn’t even save money. It’s no surprise. Collectively, our work underpins the state’s economy.
Western State and the Special Commitment Center added to proposed cuts
Today, for the first time, Governor Ferguson proposed further cuts: closing wards at Western State Hospital and the Special Commitment Center. While we're still looking into the impacts, we can say this: There is a behavioral health crisis in our state, and every bed is needed.
We need to learn from previous knee-jerk closures like Naselle Youth Camp and the Frances Haddon Morgan Center, which resulted in overcrowding at our juvenile rehabilitation centers and the death of a developmentally disabled resident, respectively.
"Savings" from the cruelest cuts
Most disturbing are proposals to close two of the four remaining residential habilitation centers, Yakima Valley School and Rainier School, which care for adults with the most profound developmental disabilities.
And when you look at the numbers, you see just how cruel and unnecessary those closures are: they would eliminate 645 jobs, eliminate 127 beds, and force 119 disabled people to move in order to save $15.6 million.
Even a modest 1% wealth tax on those with wealth exceeding $100 million, which would be paid by approximately 3,400 individuals, could generate $10.3 billion in the next 4 years. That alone would nearly eliminate the budget crisis.
And yet lobbyists for billionaires and big business are in Olympia every day trying to convince our elected officials to cut deeply and do nothing to address our upside-down tax code.
Here’s my call to action to all of you. Please contact your elected officials.
Call them, email them, make an appointment to meet with them in Olympia, even write them a letter and drop it in the mail… however you do it, make sure they know you want the rich to pay at least as much of their income in taxes as a WSDOT worker, a social worker, or a teacher.
We need to create a #WashingtonForAll, not just the rich or we will continue to be in this situation every few years. I, for one, am tired of it… and I’m sure you are too.
Join me and the rest of your WFSE siblings across the state in taking action.
Call 888-258-4588 or text STAND to 237-263. Our stories are powerful, and now is the time to tell them.
In solidarity,
President Mike Yestramski
Washington for All Resources
Visit the Washington For All landing page for these resources and more:
