Budget Cuts, Immigration and Worker’s Rights

Selah Prather is an intern with Whatcom Watch. She graduated from Western Washington University in June with a bachelor’s degree in Visual Journalism.

People around the nation and locally are speaking out against budget cuts and how policy makers seem to have little concern about the people whose lives are being affected by the cuts.

On May 1, union members, teachers, students, working class citizens, migrant workers, immigrant workers and concerned citizens converged for the 24th annual Farm Worker Solidarity March in Burlington. The main objective: to create a unified opposition to state budget cuts, job losses, harmful NAFTA policies and the Real ID Act (a bill restricting undocumented immigrants from obtaining a driver’s license).

Edgar Franks, a 31-year-old committee member for the Farm Worker Solidarity March, said uprisings around the globe are happening because people can’t find jobs.

“It’s not just about farm workers. It’s about a global movement and we’re tying global issues with local issues and make this a workers’ issue,” Franks said.

One specific issue is that teachers’ salaries are being cut, as are the programs that help feed and support their students.

Heather Goodrich, a middle school teacher at LaVenture Middle School in Mount Vernon is experiencing this first-hand: “It’s been really hard lately. Teachers whose salaries have been cut are feeding their hungry students.”

Goodrich added that teachers are in a difficult position: they’re trying to teach children who arrive to school on empty stomachs. To address this, teachers themselves are providing food for their students.

Governor Gregoire justifies the budget cuts to address a $4.6 billion shortfall in the state budget. The cuts largely affect education, healthcare, cost-of-living wages for teachers, and other programs that affect people already under extreme financial pressure. The Basic Health Plan, a state funded program that provided essential health care insurance to 66,000 working people is on the chopping block.

Tara Lee, Community Relations Manager for Washington State Budget and Policy Center, said suggests a balanced approach to the state budget where new revenue is being generated in addition to the current budget cuts.

“We feel that the size of the budget deficit is so large, it’s impossible to cut our way out of it,” Lee said.

Following are some recent Washington State budget cuts, according to a press release from Gov. Gregoire website:

• Elimination of the Basic Health Plan, which now offers subsidized health insurance to 66,000 low-income individuals. This saves $230 million in state funds and $117 million in federal funds.

• Elimination of the Disability Lifeline grant for the temporarily unemployable, which serves 28,000 individuals each month, and the Disability Lifeline Medical Program, which serves 21,000 clients each year who have a temporary disability and are unable to work. This saves $327 million.

• Suspension of the Student Achievement Program under Initiative 728, which provides smaller class sizes, extended learning time for students and professional development for teachers. This saves $860 million.

• Suspension of employee salary increases under Initiative 732 for K-12 and higher education teachers and other employees. This saves $280 million.

• Elimination of K-4 class-size reduction funds provided to school districts that exceed the state’s basic education allocation. This saves $216 million.

• Reduction of three percent in compensation for state employees. This saves $176 million in state funds and $269 million in all funds.

• Elimination of state general fund dollars for State Parks. This saves $47 million.

• Closing McNeil Island Corrections Center by April 2011. This saves $17.6 million