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Are Washington Businesses Determined to Close Down the UW?

I am shocked.  The Board of the Washington State Chamber of Commerce voted to endorse Tim Eynman’s latest antitax measure.

The vote was UNANIMOUS!

UPDATE: Apparently the news release from the Chamber (actually called the Washington Association of Businesses) misrepresents the truth. I have had a response from the Hutchinson Cancer Center and they were not represented!

The Board includes a number of members of the Board we know very well .. including representatives of some of the States private colleges , Swedish Hospital, and even the Hutchinson Cancer Center!

News release from the Washington State Labor Council listing other AWB members who want not to be associated with this in initiative:

http://www.wslc.org/reports/2010/June/16.htm

If you want to do something real, write to the company listed below and tell them what you think of the initiative.

press release from Washington Association of Businesses*

OLYMPIA—Employer representatives on the Association of Washington Business’ Board of Directors have voted unanimously to support Initiative 1053, a measure requiring a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to raise taxes. Board members approved the vote May 13 during the state chamber of commerce’s annual Spring Board Meeting in Spokane.

“Taxes and increased costs on business are the top issue of concern for our members right now,” said AWB President Don Brunell. “This fall’s elections will undoubtedly be about the impact of taxes on families and businesses. Our board felt strongly enough about this measure to provide an early endorsement, in the hopes of raising the visibility of the issue among voters.”

Voters approved the requirement in 2007’s Initiative 960, but the Legislature suspended it during this year’s legislative session, and promptly approved more than $800 million in new and increased taxes. AWB believes the two-thirds majority requirement is an important tool for controlling spending in this state.

AWB is urging its members to support I-1053, sign petitions to get it on the ballot before the July 2 deadline and vote for it in the November general election.

David Goldstein over at HorsesAss, however, reports that…”The …  Washington State Labor Council can’t find a single AWB board member who admits to attending the meeting and endorsing the initiative.

Can this be true? Amid severe recession-related budget cuts to higher education, transportation and other state funding priorities strongly supported by many of our largest private employers, the AWB board voted UNANIMOUSLY for this starve-the-beast strategy to avoid taxes?

Not Boeing.  Company spokeswoman Susan Bradley says the company has no position on I-1053 and had no representative at AWB’s May 13 board meeting in Spokane.

And not Microsoft.  Government Affairs Director Delee Shoemaker, an AWB board member, reports that the company will not take a position on I-1053 at least until it qualifies for the ballot. She adds that she wasn’t at the May 13 meeting either.

And the list goes on: Weyerhaeuser, Avista Corp., Ben Bridge Jewelers, US Bank… nobody would admit to even attending the meeting. In fact, of the AWB board members who responded to WSLC’s inquiries, only one, Safeway Director of Public Affairs Cherie Myers, expressed support for the initiative. But… “I was not there to vote,” Myers told the WSLC.

*About the Association of Washington Business
Formed in 1904, the Association of Washington Business is Washington’s oldest and largest statewide business association, and includes more than 7,000 members representing 650,000 employees. AWB serves as both the state’s chamber of commerce and the manufacturing and technology association. While its membership includes major employers like Boeing, Microsoft and Weyerhaeuser, 90 percent of AWB members employ fewer than 100 people. More than half of AWB’s members employ fewer than 10. For more about AWB, visit http://www.awb.org/.

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I strongly urge each of you to call or write the PR Departmrents of places you know:

Ok here are the names of some of the WAB board members . UWS faculty and students  may want to pay special attention to the presence of Microsoft, Weyerhauser, Swedish Hospital and the Hutchinson Cancer Center in the  UNANIMOUS vote!

Here is a model text:

Dear (Customer Relations?)

I am a very upset at this endorsement by the Washington Association of Business .. and by the membership of on the board of the WAB:

Employers back measure requiring two-thirds vote on taxes

Employer representatives on the Association of Washington Business’ Board of Directors have voted UNANIMOUSLY to support Initiative 1053, a measure requiring a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to raise taxes. Board members approved the vote May 13 during the state chamber of commerce’s annual Spring Board Meeting in Spokane. (from AWB Press Release http://www.awb.org/articles/pressreleases2010/employers_back_measure_requiring_two_thirds_vote_on_taxes.htm).

Does ___________ actually want to stop all taxation reform in Washington State?

Hard to believe!

Sincerely yours —–
Dan Youmans, <u>AT&T</u>, Redmond, 2011
Megan Lawrence, <u>Alaska Airlines</u>, Seattle, 2011</strong>
David Swartley, <u>Bank of America</u>, Portland, 2012
Daniel Church, <u>Bastyr University</u>, Kenmore, 2010
Mike Schwenk, <u>Battelle Pacific NW National Laboratory</u>, Richland, 2011
Rich White, The <u>Boeing Company</u>, Seattle, 2011
Santana Gonzalez, <u>Chevron</u>, Bellaire, 2012
Rhonda Weaver, <u>Comcast</u>, Olympia, 2012
Art Jackson, <u>Costco Wholesale</u>, Issaquah, 2010
Tom Lemly, <u>Davis Wright Tremaine</u>, Seattle, 2012
Jim Spady, <u>Dick’s Drive-Ins</u>, LTD, LP, Seattle, 2010
Shane Skinner, <u>Enterprise Rent-A-Car Company</u>, Renton, 2012
Doug Morrison, <u>Environmental Law Northwest</u>, Redmond, 2012
Linda Gainer, <u>Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center</u>, Seattle, 2010
Diana Birkett, <u>Group Health Cooperative</u>, Seattle, 2010
Melinda Merrill, <u>Fred Meyer,</u> Portland, 2010
Tracy Mihas, <u>Kraft Foods</u>, Portland, 2012
Arlo Corwin, /u/Horizon Wind Energ</u>, Portland, 2012
Tom Hosea (6th), <u>KeyBank</u>, Tacoma
Carl Kester, <u>Lakeside-Milam Recovery Center</u>, Kirkland, 2011
Violet Boyer, <u>Independent Colleges of Washington</u>, Seattle, 201
Nate Miles, <u>Lilly USA</u>, Seattle, 2010
DeLee Shoemaker, <u>Microsoft Corporation</u>, Redmond, 2010
Jack McRae, <u>Premera Blue Cross</u>, Mountlake Terrace,PAST CHAIR
Ken Johnson, ,<u>Puget Sound Energy,</u>, Bellevue, 2012
Kirk Nelson, <u>Qwest</u>, Seattle, 2011
Tom Walker, <u>Qwest</u>, Seattle, 2010
Ross Baker, <u>Regence BlueShield</u>, Seattle, 2012
Cherie Myers,<u> Safeway</u>, Inc, Bellevue, 2011
Jay Jennings,<u> Sanofi-Aventis</u>, Olympia, 2010
Roy Heynderickx, <u>Saint Martin’s University</u>, Lacey, 2012
John Bishop, <u>State Farm Insurance Company</u>, DuPont, 2012
Ron Smith, <u>Seattle University</u>, Seattle, 2011
Dan Dixon, <u>Swedish Med. Ctr.</u>, Providence Campus, Seattle, 2010
Kip Knudson, <u>Tesoro Refining & Marketing </u>Company, Anchorage, 2012
Russell Sarazen, <u>T-Mobile USA</u>, Denver, 2012
Terry Finn, <u>Burlington Northern Santa Fe RR</u>, Seattle, 2011
Tom Curry, <u>WA State Medical Association</u>, Seattle, 2010
Bill Hurlbert, <u>Wells Fargo Bank</u>, Seattle, 2010
Wes Uhlman, <u>Wes Uhlman</u> & Associates, Inc., Seattle, 2012
Brock Nelson, <u>Union Pacific Railroad Company</u>, Portland, 2011
David Hansen, <u>UnitedHealthcare</u>, Mercer Island, 2012
Kathleen Paul, <u>Virginia Mason Medical Center</u>, Seattle, 2012
Lew McMurran, <u>Washington Technology Industry Association</u>, Seattle, 2010
Kristen Sawin, <u>Weyerhaeuser Company</u>, Olympia, 2010


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