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