Will Washington invest in billionaires or the rest of us?

Editor’s note: The excerpt below came from an op-ed written by Mike Yestramski, President, AFSCME Council 28/WFSE that ran in The Seattle Times on July 11, 2020.

“Not long ago, when the pandemic first hit, society had an ‘aha!’ moment.

“Public servants, especially those on the lower end of the income ladder, were seriously undervalued. It was folks in health and food services, garbage collection, maintenance, security — not CEOs — who kept our communities from falling apart.

“Commercials were made, airtime was bought and billboards went up thanking them for sacrificing their safety, and in many cases their lives, for the rest of us.

“Now, with Washington state expecting an $8.8 billion budget deficit, a chorus of voices including the editorial board of this paper have called on the governor to reopen these same workers’ contracts, cancel their raises and make ‘bold’ cuts to the services they provide the residents of this state.

“Doing so would make things worse. …”

To read the full op-ed, go here.