January 14, 2014
Contact: Karen Strickland, 206-326-0685; Sylvia Watson, 206-261-3603
For immediate release
Statement on Governor Inslee’s State of the State Address
By AFT Washington President Karen Strickland
We are pleased to hear today in his State of the State Address that one of Governor Inslee’s top priorities this session is to educate every child, from early learning to higher education, and that he is backing his priority by advocating for $200 million in school funding this session.
Equally important is investing in the teachers and faculty who are educating our students, as well as the employees who keep our school and college campus environments clean and healthy, provide safe bus transportation, and work hard to help students access educational opportunities.
For this reason, we applaud Governor Inslee’s desire to restore the COLA for public education employees which has been suspended by the Legislature every year since 2009. Restoring the COLA is an economic stimulus as these employees have more money to put back into our economy, and it is an investment in the middle class.
To date, 52 House legislators, a mix of Democrats and Republicans, have signed on to sponsor a bill to restore the COLAs. We urge the Senate to do the same.
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Sylvia Watson
Communications Coordinator
AFT Washington, AFL-CIO
625 Andover Park W., Suite 111
Tukwila, WA 98188
206-432-8084 (w) 206-261-3603 (c)
Toll free: 1-866-992-3892 x 8084
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