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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 2012)
Washington unions’ top priority is Inslee for governor Voters will also find a medley of initiatives on their general election ballots this year Washington voters have big deci- sions to make this year, including who will be the next governor, whether to hinder state lawmakers’ power to tax, whether to allow charter schools, and whether to legalize marijuana and same-sex marriage. For the Washington State Labor Council (WSLC), AFL-CIO, the top priority is the governor’s race, which has Democratic Congressman Jay In- slee facing off against Republican at- torney general Rob McKenna. “In states around the country,” says WSLC publications director David Groves, governors’ offices “seem to be the focal point of attack to take away union members’ rights and blame pub- nent of the health reform known as Obamacare. As attorney general, he joined the multi-state lawsuit against the law, which mostly lost at the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court did rule, however, that states can opt out of the law’s requirement that they expand Medicaid coverage to everyone under 133 percent of the poverty level, and McKenna would opt out as governor. McKenna has said he’s no Scott Walker (the Wisconsin governor who stripped public employees of all meaningful union rights), but he’s also told sup- porters that public employee unions are dangerous. He’s said he wants to change the law to reduce state em- ployee union rights to negotiate over wages and benefits. WSLC is also prioritizing the statewide race to replace McKenna as attorney general. There, Democrat Bob Ferguson has labor’s endorsement against Republican Reagan Dunn. Both are current members of the King lic sector workers for the global eco- nomic downturn.” Polls show the Inslee-McKenna race to be close, though Inslee is lead- ing. That, Groves says, underscores the importance of the “ground game” — people-to-people get-out-the-vote ef- forts. Inslee, like the rest of Washington’s Congressional delegation, has been a supporter of free trade agreements that labor opposes. But otherwise, Inslee has a pro-labor voting record: The na- tional AFL-CIO says he has a lifetime rating of 89 percent. McKenna, on the other hand, has been on the opposite side of labor on most issues. As attorney general, he went to court to block a 12 cent mini- mum wage increase, a suit that was summarily dismissed by the court. “We think that’s a pretty good indi- cation of how he would look at the is- sue as governor,” Groves said. McKenna also has been a big oppo- 2012 Endorsements County Council, and have a history of being on opposite sides of issues. Dunn, named for Ronald Reagan, is the son of former Republican Congress- woman Jennifer Dunn. On the King County Council, Dunn voted against a resolution to beef up enforcement of the requirement to pay the prevailing wage on public construction projects — a key issue for building trades unions. Washington voters once again will find a medley of initiatives on their general election ballots this year. WSLC is opposing measures on taxa- tion and charter schools, and support- ing measures on same-sex marriage and marijuana legalization: • Longtime union foe and ballot measure entrepreneur Tim Eyman is back with a biennial measure to limit the state ability to tax. Measure I-1185 would extend the requirement that any bill to eliminate tax breaks or raise taxes must have a two-thirds majority in both legislative houses to pass — or go to voters for approval. The require- ment already exists, but the state Con- stitution allows lawmakers to amend voter-passed laws two years after pas- sage, so Eyman is returning it to the ballot every two years. In 2010 it passed by 64 percent. This year, his ini- tiative campaign received heavy finan- cial backing from the oil and alcohol industries. The problem, says Groves, it only takes a simple majority to pass a tax break, but a two thirds majority to repeal it. The law is currently facing a court challenge: A King County judge ruled in May that it violates the state Constitution, and the state Supreme Court heard the case this month. Labor opposes the measure. “All it takes is this tiny minority of 17 senators in one legislative branch of state government to tie the Legisla- ture’s hands,” Groves said, “but nowhere in the state Constitution does it say anything about supermajority votes, except when amending the Con- stitution.” • I-1240, co-sponsored by the Ore- gon-headquartered group Stand for Children, would authorize up to 40 public charter schools. Washington vot- ers have rejected charter school initia- tives three times before, in 1996, 2000, and 2004, but charter school support- ers keep coming back. WSLC says the measure would siphon millions of dol- lars out of existing public schools, (Turn to Page 9) LEGISLATURE 17TH DISTRICT: Senate: T IM P ROBST House #1: M ONICA S TONIER House #2: J IM G IZZI 18TH DISTRICT: House #2: D AVID S HEHORN 49TH DISTRICT: Senate: A NNETTE C LEVELAND House #1: S HARON W YLIE House #2: J IM M OELLER U.S. SENATE CLARK COUNTY Commissioner Dist 1: J OE T ANNER Commissioner Dist 2: OPPOSE: D AVID M ADORE U.S. PRESIDENT B ARACK O BAMA M ARIA Cantwell SUPREME COURT U.S. HOUSE Position 9: S HERYL G ORDON M C C LOUD OPPOSE: J AIME H ERRERA B EUTLER STATEWIDE Governor — J AY I NSLEE Lt. Governor — B RAD O WEN Secretary of State — K ATHLEEN D REW Attorney General — B OB F ERGUSON Insurance Commissioner — M IKE K REIDLER Public Lands Commissioner — P ETER G OLDMARK BALLOT MEASURES Yes on Referendum 74: Marriage Equality Act allowing same-sex couples to marry. Yes on Initiative 502: Marijuana reform that decriminalizes possession of small amounts of regulated marijuana and taxes it. No on 1240: Legalizing taxpayer-funded private for-profit charter schools, which would divert funds from public schools. No on 1185: Tim Eyman “minority rule” measure that requires two-thirds super-majority to repeal special interest tax breaks or raise taxes. (Paid for and authorized by the Southwest Washington Central Labor Council.) OCTOBER 19, 2012 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS DON’T FORGET TO VOTE MARY NOLAN FOR CITY COUNCIL PROUDLY ENDORSED BY: Portland Firefighters Association IBEW Local 48 AFSCME Local 189, Local 328, Council 75 SEIU Local 49 ILWU Local 8 and Oregon State Council Portland Police Association Columbia Pacific Building Trades Roofers Local 49 Sheet Metal Workers Local 16 Carpenters Local 156 Teamsters Joint Council 37 Painters & Allied Trades District Co. 5 Laborers Local 320 Operating Engineers Local 701 Laborers Local 296, Local 320 and District Council With a record of protecting economic fairness and advancing family-wage jobs. (Paid for and authorized by Mary Nolan for City Council) PAGE 7
