Letters endorse Upthegrove, oppose initiatives, lobby for grocery workers’ Bill of Rights
Second growth in 4 years?
The choices in the Lands Commissioner race could not be starker. By four years from now, we will either have no Legacy/Second growth trees left on public lands, or they will be protected and preserved.
Candidate Jamie Herrera-Butler has made clear she sees no reason not to cut them. She is on the Center for Biological Diversity’s nationwide dirty dozen list of state candidates who are the worst on environmental issues.
Dave Upthegrove has promised to protect those trees and is endorsed by all major environmental groups in the state.
While these timber sales have been used to provide money for schools — something the Superintendent of Public Instruction calls antiquated and unequally distributed — Dave has a plan for how to protect this irreplaceable Legacy and provide money for the schools. It is not an either/or unless you lack creative leadership.
For those of you who have followed our Thurston County Commissioners’ efforts to save the Legacy Forest in Capitol Forest – the 4% that is left — this can only happen if the next Lands Commissioner follows the science and leads in a new way. This is a huge climate issue because studies show it is the oldest and biggest trees that store the most carbon.
Vote to protect the state that we leave future generations.
Lynn FitzHugh, Olympia
Our own mini Project 2025
The Olympian has done a stellar job of covering the odious Project 2025. If you are not familiar with it, you should familiarize yourself with the broad outline of the ultraconservative plan to drive our democracy off a cliff.
Conservatives are relentless. Even as a remarkably small minority, they have been phenomenally successful at gaining and hoarding power. They do it by insinuating themselves into every crack and crevice of our lives. And they exploit our weaknesses.
Example: Take the four ballot Initiatives you soon on your ballot. Each one is straight out of the Project 2025 playbook.
Cut taxes for the wealthy and make the poor and middle class shoulder all the costs of running the things we need? See Initiative 2117, which eliminates the capital gains tax on the ultra-wealthy. Initiative 2117 would do weaken public education too.
Then there’s climate change. Project 2025 scoffs at greenhouse gases and their impact. I-2117 AND I-2066 repeal and prohibit our collective actions to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Lastly, there is no part of the social safety net that Project 2025 doesn’t have sharp scissors for. I-2124 shreds the program that assists families with long-term care.
Don’t let this insidious and cynical mini-Project 2025 invade our homes. Vote NO on every ballot Initiative and send a strong message that you will not be fooled.
Tyre Lindquist, Olympia
More than the minimum
The Olympia Workers’ Bill of Rights is more than a local proposal — it’s a vital step that has the power to uplift all grocery workers in Thurston County. As a UFCW 367 member working in Tumwater, I see firsthand how rising costs, unpredictable schedules and unsafe conditions impact workers. This Bill of Rights addresses those issues, setting a higher standard for wages, scheduling and workplace safety.
If passed, the benefits of this Bill of Rights in Olympia will go straight to our UFCW 367 bargaining table. It strengthens our hand in upcoming countywide negotiations, giving us the leverage to demand the wages and conditions we deserve for all grocery workers, not just in Olympia, but throughout Thurston County. By setting the precedent locally, we have a greater chance of bringing these benefits to every store covered by our contract.
This effort is about solidarity. It’s about making sure that no worker — whether they’re in Olympia, Tumwater, or beyond — is left behind. We need to stand together, support this Bill of Rights, and use it as a foundation for real change in our upcoming negotiations.
To the community, I ask: Consider how these changes can improve the lives of those who help keep your shelves stocked and your families fed. To my fellow UFCW 367 members: Let’s continue pushing forward together, using every victory as fuel for the next.
Bryan Shanafelt, Olympia
This story was originally published October 20, 2024 at 5:00 AM.