Title
A MOTION supporting public employees and honoring their work by declaring the fourth Monday in March of each year as Public Employee Appreciation Day in King County.
Body
WHEREAS, public employees at all levels of government provide essential public services, without which societal life as enjoyed by the residents of King County would be greatly diminished, and
WHEREAS, public employees include doctors, nurses, firefighters, teachers, police, social workers, laborers and many other professions, and
WHEREAS, public employees provide services that are generally not profitable for the private sector to provide, and public employees provide critical services such as health care to individuals who would otherwise not be able to afford them, and
WHEREAS, public employees are often members of unions and Washington state has recognized the importance and value of laws that ensure workplace safety, the right to bargain collectively and the voters of Washington approved the most progressive minimum wage law in the nation, and
WHEREAS, public employees are a significant part of the middle class and an essential component of a strong, democratic society, and
WHEREAS, King County has more than thirteen thousand employees, many of whom are union members, who are dedicated to providing excellent customer service and who are highly skilled in their trades or professions, and
WHEREAS, public employees throughout the nation and in King County have lost their jobs and have voluntarily accepted reduced wages as a way to maintain the level of public services during this "Great Recession," and
WHEREAS, around the country and in King County, labor leaders and their union members have stepped forward to voluntarily participate in wage and benefit reductions, furloughs and other cost-saving measures to preserve the jobs of their fellow employees and assist in managing the impacts of the recession on governmental budgets, and have developed creative ways to reduce costs and...
Click here for full text