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Sixty legislators voted yesterday, March 18th, to support public employees and the important public services they provide. These legislators had the courage to stand up and say that HB1645 is a knee-jerk reaction to a problem that must be solved over time. We especially want to thank two legislators, Representative Marlene DeChane and Representative Lee Quandt, who were instrumental in getting a roll call vote and getting support for defeating the bill.

The legislators who voted with public employees know that:

• HB1645 establishes a 2-tiered system that does nothing to solve funding shortages in the Retirement System. The long term goal of this tactic is to reduce benefits for all employees. When a large percentage of employees have to pay more and get less, it is only a matter of time before this changes for all of us. HB1645 divides to conquer.
• HB1645 cuts Cost of Living Adjustments and eliminates the health subsidy escalator which provides for retiree health insurance. In exchange, we are being offered 3 commissions to study these issues. We shouldn't need three commissions to decide that working people should be able to retire with dignity and respect.
• HB1645 removes employee trustees and replaces them with so-called "investment experts". When the "investment experts" at Bear Stearns failed to manage their company properly, the federal government bailed them out. Who will bail us out when we surrender our trustee seats to these same "investment experts"?

Please sign the petition below to thank the legislators who stood beside us.

HB1645 will now be sent to the Senate. We have made progress on this bill but there is more work ahead. In the next couple of days, you will receive more information about this bill. If we do not have your home email please email sea@seiu1984.org with your home email address.