Today Washington Legislature’s House Finance Committee will hear testimony from UAW 4121, in coalition with education, labor, immigrant rights, reproductive rights and other organizations around the state in support of HB 2186, the progressive tax reform bill that will sustain the House version of the state budget.
Can you take a minute to call your legislator now and urge them to support this vital bill?
While both the House and the Senate budgets fund the minimum wage and paid sick leave – which passed on the November 2016 ballot thanks to the action of impassioned Local 4121 members and activists throughout the state – the Senate budget cuts UW funding for tuition waivers, tightens funding for TA positions, denies funding for collective bargaining agreements for UW classified staff, custodians and other union workers on campus, and increases health insurance premiums for other campus employees (Postdocs, classified and non-classified staff, and faculty). HB 2186, in contrast, provides adequate funding by for all of these things by asking the wealthiest in the state to help foot the bill: ending tax breaks on capital gains transactions and providing funding by more effectively applying tax on out-of-state retailers, the oil industry, international investment management companies, pharmaceutical retailers, foreclosing banks, and bottled water.
The choice is clear: one budget supports all academic workers at the University of Washington and the broader community, while the other creates a false zero-sum game that pits workers and students against each other. Today it’s imperative we take action to resist this false austerity logic, and let our elected representatives know that we want them to pass a budget that provides adequate funding for our entire community.
Please take a moment to call your legislator now!
In solidarity,
Theresa Aliwarga
Douglas Avella-Castro
Andrea Canini
Anthony Castanza
Ying-Yu Chen
Monica Cortes Viharo
Kristen Garofali
Arshiya Hoseyni Chime
Katya Kolesova
Dylan Mayer
Elizabeth Mills
Chelsea Pagan
David Parsons
Michelle Pham
Shua Sanchez
Viral Shah
Sam Sumpter
Arash Tarkhan
Judy Twedt