Thousands protest in Olympia over proposed budget cuts

OLYMPIA — The boisterous chant "We are union! We are one!" echoed throughout the state Capitol on Friday as thousands of union members protested budget cuts in what was the largest labor rally this legislative session.

The event attracted thousands of demonstrators, some who traveled hours from cities such as Bellingham and Spokane, to demand that lawmakers end corporate tax breaks to solve the multibillion-dollar budget shortfall.

It was a familiar message to state lawmakers a day before the House is expected to vote on a 2011-2013 operating budget that includes $4.4 billion in spending cuts. The Senate plans to release its budget proposal next week.

"If 20 people say something, the legislators might think, 'Well people don't really care,' " said Sola Raynor, a Spokane social worker and a member of the Washington Federation of State Employees.

"But if thousands come, lawmakers will see that they're a lot of people in the state of Washington who care about public services."

Protests and rallies have occurred at the state Capitol throughout the week as part of the Washington State Labor Council's four-day Week of Action in Olympia.

The number of protesters grew from hundreds at the beginning of the week to thousands by Friday. The State Patrol estimated 7,000 people gathered outside the main legislative building, while labor-group leaders put the figure at thousands more.

In earlier protests and rallies, demonstrators have been sleeping overnight on the hard marble floor of the Capitol, and more than a dozen protesters were arrested on Thursday after trying to storm Gov. Chris Gregoire's office. A handful of young protesters were still in the Capitol rotunda Friday night with sleeping bags to stay overnight.

By noon Friday, thousands had gathered near the front steps of the Capitol holding picket signs that read "Union busting is disgusting" and "Which side are you on? Working families or corporations?"

Max Phipps, a photographer from Everett Community College, said he came to the rally with his granddaughter to protest cuts to higher education and show her what democracy looks like. He said he was concerned about what higher tuition could mean for his family.

"We're at the point where the price of education is going to be out of people's reach," said Phipps, a member of the Washington Federation of State Employees Local 1020.

Geoffrey Crofoot of Snohomish Health District said in his department there's been a 25 percent reduction in the number of workers while demand for services has gone up.

"The jobs that we represent are being targeted," said Crofoot, a member of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 17, who came to the rally with his dog. "What you see here is people recognize that there's a potential for all the folks here that are doing good work to be mistreated."

The rally included speeches from union leaders, students and Wisconsin state Sen. Spencer Coggs, who was one of 14 Democratic senators who fled to Illinois in a futile effort to prevent Wisconsin from passing legislation that would strip public employees of collective-bargaining rights. Coggs shared his experience with a cheering crowd.

"Brothers and sisters, we must unite, we must fight, we must take back workers' rights because the people united will never be defeated," Coggs told the protesters.

Some of the participants said they'd been inspired by the battle over collective-bargaining rights that erupted in Wisconsin and other protests around the world.

After the rally, hundreds of protesters, accompanied by the sounds of bagpipes and drums, filled the Capitol for about an hour and continued to chant and cheer. By 3 p.m., their numbers had dwindled, and the majority had gone home for the day.

State lawmakers have said ending tax breaks and raising taxes will be difficult this session because it would require a two-thirds vote.

Kathy Cummings, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Labor Council, said union members and protesters will continue to protest at the Capitol until a "moral budget" is passed.

"We're not giving up," said Cummings. "They have to see the faces of all the people these cuts affect, and we will do our best to keep them right in front of the Legislature as they cast their votes."

Queenie Wong: 360-236-8267 or qwong@seattletimes.com