WHAT UNION MEMBERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT...
Initiative 912: Don't sign it!

Right-wing anti-government talk radio hosts are behind a statewide ballot measure to repeal funding for Washington's 2005 transportation package. More than 270 highway, bridge, ferry and transit projects are at stake -- in every part of the state -- that are focused on fixing our most dangerous roads and worst congestion points.

The Washington State Labor Council, the rest of organized labor, the state's business community, Democrats and Republicans are all united in opposing Initiative 912. The measure's sponsors have until July 8 to submit the 225,000-plus valid petition signatures necessary to qualify for this fall's ballot, and they say they've raised more than $100,000 to help buy the necessary signatures.

Union members and all other Washington voters are urged to protect jobs -- and lives -- by not signing Initiative 912.

THE 2005 TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENT

This year legislators heard and heeded an urgent message about our state transportation system: it’s no longer just about traffic and the economy, it’s about saving lives. The anti-tax fervor of recent years -- fed by initiative hucksters who would have us believe that we can get what we need for free -- have resulted in more than a decade of neglect of our roads and bridges.

Democrats and Republicans came together in 2005 to recognize the problem has gotten so bad that our families are now in danger. The emergency was sufficiently clear that legislators weren’t debating whether a transportation investment was necessary, but how much was necessary to get the job done. They settled on a bipartisan plan with critical projects in every corner of the state, including:

• $2 billion toward replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct in downtown Seattle;

• $500 million toward replacement of the 520 floating bridge

• $992 million for Interstate 405;

• $602 million for Interstate 5, SR 167 and other projects in Pierce County;

• $150 million toward the completion of U.S. 395 in Spokane (the North-South Freeway);

• $240 million for I-5, Interstate 205 and other projects in Clark County;

• $435 million for Interstate 90 just east of Snoqualmie Pass;

• $162 million for the new Hood Canal bridge; and

• $60 million for U.S. Highway 12 improvements in Walla Walla County.

Download a comprehensive statewide list of projects (a 22-page PDF file) or a county-by-county list (a 53-page PDF file) to see which projects will be happening in your area.

COSTS AND BENEFITS

The 2005 transportation funding package calls for a 9.5-cents per gallon gas-tax increase, phased in over four years. That increase is what Initiative 912 seeks to repeal. To put it in perspective, the first 3-cent increase in July 2005 will cost the average driver (12,000 miles a year at 22 miles per gallon) an extra $1.33 per month.

In exchange, we get desperately needed safety improvements across the state (see above).  In addition the 2005 package will create some 70,000 family-wage construction jobs and 195,000 other jobs over the next 16 years.  But more importantly, it makes a critical investment in our state economy, just as previous generations invested in our current infrastructure to foster today’s businesses and jobs.

This transportation package will save jobs -- and lives.

Don’t help the cynical anti-government talking heads kill good jobs, harm our economy, and risk the safety of our families. When they ask for your signature, decline to sign Initiative 912.

OPPOSITION TO INITIATIVE 912

Anti-gas tax initiative endangers our future -- Tri-City Herald editorial: Saving a few cents on a gallon of gas while jeopardizing the billions of dollars invested in the state's transportation system is a false economy that will hamstring economic development.

Don't tie up gas-tax issue in courts -- King County Journal editorial: "Waiting to make the necessary road improvements only means higher costs later and even more traffic gridlock. Our economic future depends on dealing with the transportation mess now. Gas-tax opponents should back off."

Initiative 912 is backward policy on roads -- Seattle Times editorial: "Taxes are rarely popular, but to keep roadways safe and improve mobility, the state must make targeted infrastructure investments. Don't sign this initiative and don't support it. It is backward public policy."

Second-guessing, again -- Seattle Post-Intelligencer editorial: "Tossing out the gas-tax increase (with Initiative 912) means throwing away hopes for crucial transportation projects across the state, along with thousands of family-wage jobs. Citizens should lend their signatures to correct the Legislature when it has failed to act in the best interests of the state, not when it has succeeded."

For more information about WSLC opposition to Initiative 912 or about the information on this page, contact David Groves at (206) 281-8901.

Copyright © 2005   Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO