Gregoire Signs Working Families Tax Rebate!

April 4, 2008

Above: Governor Gregoire signs the Working Families Tax Rebate—one of our top priorities this session. Local 21 President Dave Schmitz, Executive Board member Melissa Champion, and the UFCW State Council’s Damiana Merryweather were there to witness the bill signing ceremony.

Here’s what union members won in the State Legislature this year because we united with our allies for change:

• We passed the Working Families Tax Rebate, which will provide tax relief for low-income workers.

• We passed the Rate Hike Accountability Act, which gives the Insurance Commissioner the power to rein in big premium increases by insurance companies.

• We passed the “Envisioning the Future of Health Care” bill, which will establish a work group to issue recommendations on how to provide affordable quality health care to all people in our state.

• We educated legislators about workers’ rights, and why we need a Worker Privacy Act to stop employers from forcing their employees to attend meetings where they push their beliefs about unions, politics, or religion. Passing the Worker Privacy Act will be #1 on our agenda for next year’s legislature.

Moving Forward

We almost had another big victory when grassroots support helped push the Prescription Privacy Act over the top in the State Senate. But our bill — which would have stopped big drug companies from using doctors’ prescribing histories for marketing purposes — came up short in the House after hitting fierce resistance from corporate lobbyists.

Each year, we need to build upon our strength and use our muscle to push for a working family agenda on issues like affordable health care and our rights on the job. And each Election Day, we need to make sure our allies have the help they’ve earned — and make sure those who oppose us feel the pressure.

A big thanks to the hundreds of union members who came to Olympia for our UFCW Lobby Day this year, and to the thousands more who made phone calls, wrote e-mails, and contributed to our political action fund. Together, your efforts helped get big pieces of our agenda passed into law.

Join us and help make a difference with people-powered politics!