WFSE Letter of Support
Passed: March 2017
March 8, 2017
WFSE Letter of Support
BE IT RESOLVED THAT 34TH District Democrats voted by acclamation to sign the WFSE Letter of Support on March 8, 2017:
We, the undersigned individuals and organizations, recognize an affordability crisis happening (in several communities around Washington State) that’s harming both working families and access to critical public services. A one size fits all wage for state employment has resulted in an issue with recruitment and retention, leaving thousands of working families in unstable living situations, forcing them to leave their jobs or move away from the communities they serve.
We believe that housing is a human right, and we believe that working people need access to affordable housing in the communities where they serve. Thousands of public employees have had to move away from the communities that they’ve spent their life serving. We are witnessing over 600 state employees leave their jobs every month, and many of those who stay have second and third jobs just to meet basic needs. These people are public employees who provide critical services that we depend on to make Washington work for everyone.
As our communities weather this affordability crisis together, we are especially dependent on our public employees that help to provide essential housing support, food assistance, childcare, healthcare, education, transportation, and facilitating minority and women-owned businesses accessing public contracts. These efforts, and the state employees who provide these services, are essential for local economies and communities to create greater shared prosperity.
We support geographic cost of living considerations for members of the Washington Federation of State Employees. We are united in our support of an equitable living standard to ensure quality public services and to support growth by building healthy, thriving communities throughout our State.
In solidarity,
David Ginsberg
Chair, 34th District Democrats