We support this work. We are currently a member of the Washington Transportation Alliance, a coalition of business and labor interests concerned with funding a major overhaul of our state's transportation infrastructure. Independently of these two efforts, a dozen local unions and local and state labor councils, from both the public and private sector, have been meeting weekly during the session to discuss transportation issues. As the budget discussions are now beginning to take on a more substantive form, as labor, we feel that it is important to share with you the most important principles we think need to be embodied in a transportation package that we can take back for support from our 450,000 members and their families. We can't sell to our members a short-term fix.
Funding needs to be flexible.
Our members live all over the state, in cities, towns, suburbs, and rural areas and therefore require a balanced multi-modal transportation package. Our members can support this funding division. A statewide revenue package ought to be passed by the legislature in a truly bipartisan fashion. Our members expect the legislature to step up to the responsibilities for which they were elected. Regional revenue packages ought to be put out to a vote of the people living and working in those regions.