what ’ s working
forging alliances , building the coalition
While labor and employer groups can find themselves on opposite sides of many issues , on I-732 , the groups found agreement : A carbon tax is the wrong solution for Washington .
One such ally in the “ No on 732 ” campaign was Dan Wilson , president of United Steelworkers Local 338 .
“ The Steelworkers Local 338 took unprecedented steps in how we approached Initiative 732 . Over the course of the campaign , we formed non-traditional alliances with organizations like the AWB and several mainstream environmental groups . Although we ’ ve had fundamental differences in the past , we were able to find common ground and work together in coordinating our efforts and focusing on how to defeat an initiative that would have harmed workers , businesses , and low-income families ,” Wilson said .
From the beginning , Wilson added , his group had major concerns about the impact I-732 would have on the state budget while doing little to reduce greenhouse gas emissions .
Houskeeper said reaching out to labor groups was a positive and beneficial step for both business and workers .
“ We agree on more than is often reported . The carbon tax initiative is one example . It was clear business and labor needed to come together and build on the common ground to be successful ,” said Houskeeper . “ We agreed that what was at stake — jobs , the economy and our neighbors living on the financial bubble — was too large a price to pay in a state that has one of the best environmental records in the world and is in a prime position to create jobs . Their help with explaining to the public and their members how I-732 would put at risk good-paying jobs and raise costs on families , all without any guarantee of carbon reductions , was an integral part of our overall educational campaign .”
the fact : i-732 would impact employers , families and jobs
With the coalition in place , Houskeeper worked alongside Zach Knowling , Washington vice president for Quinn Thomas , the strategic communications firm that served as general consultant for the No on 732 campaign . Their job was to help businesses such as Kaiser Aluminum tell the story about what the initiative would do to the state ’ s competitive position and job creation .
“ From Kaiser ’ s perspective , the structural problems include no recognition of energy-intensive , tradeexposed industries , no recognition of ‘ leakage ,’ or increased global greenhouse gas emissions by shifting manufacturing out of Washington to places like China with less efficient processes and dirty forms of energy ,” said Kyle England , Kaiser Aluminum senior manager , human resources and external affairs .
“ Kaiser Aluminum is certainly pleased Initiative 732 was not passed by Washington voters , particularly given its significant structural problems .”
— Kyle England , senior manager , human resources and external affairs , Kaiser Aluminum
England added that the initiative also failed to recognize that “ carbon free ” technologies are not universally applicable to all manufacturing processes like melting aluminum , and the initiative “ failed to consider the layering of taxes and rules like the recently-adopted Washington Clean Air Rule ” on energyintense industries .
Those were some of the concerns that were shared by the Steelworkers Union .
“ Underlying all of the issues was the potential loss of good paying jobs due to companies relocating to other regions in order to remain profitable ,” Wilson said .
successful collaboration and a win at the ballot box
When the votes were counted and the election certified Nov . 29 , I-732 was defeated in all but two of Washington ’ s 39 counties with 59 percent of voters statewide opposing the measure .
The coalition ’ s meetings with newspaper editorial boards across the state , several opinion pieces and letters to the editor published in major news outlets , television interviews , panel discussions and an ad , which also ran on television and online , resonated with voters .
“ Together , we won 14 editorial board endorsements , earned dozens of favorable stories , and aired an effective TV and digital ad campaign ,” Knowling said . “ We shared with voters the true cost of I-732 and , as the final result showed , they understood our message . Partnering with AWB and the coalition was a pleasure .
30 association of washington business