IEA, pensions and Costco.
Yesterday I received an email from a retired IEA member who had waited all day to hear from IEA leadership about developments in Springfield regarding pensions.
He heard nothing all day.
At around 5:20 he received an IEA email that was an ad for Costco.
This prompted Washington Education Association member Justin Fox-Bailey to comment:
Washington state is currently voting on the Costco-sponsored Initiative-1183 which will close state run (union-operated) liquor stores and allow spirits (everything that isn’t beer or wine) to now be sold in grocery stores. While the merits of such a change are open to debate, our state has already rejected several earlier initiatives and it is of great concern to many that Costco is spending a record $22 million to advance its initiative (literally double the previous amount spent by the American Beverage Association to repeal a 1 cent tax on candy and soda).
WEA opposes I-1183 at a time when we are concerned about the loss of revenue to state coffers, more permissive availability of hard alcohol, and the loss of living wage jobs.
Fred, the estimates from Washington State’s Office of Financial Management are that an *additional* $400 million –above what the state liquor stores already generate — over the next 6 years comes in to the state and local governments from passage of 1183.
I don’t know how many jobs, union or otherwise, that translates to, but unions should really be in support of something that gives more money to the state to keep folks employed in vital areas.