in fighting to defend women and other poor and working people against ongoing cuts to health care, social services, jobs, and education!

Sisters Organize for Survival (SOS) believes that the budget crisis can -- and must -- be solved without breaking the backs of poor and working people. SOS has launched a community-based campaign to shift the way funds are garnered and spent. In Washington State, Gov. Gregoire and the legislature have proposed to balance the budget by measures such as more regressive taxation, cuts to government workers' wages and benefits, tuition fee hikes, and reduced funds for Basic Health, food stamps, and other crucial public programs.

According to SOS organizers, it's possible to preserve human services, education, and public employee compensation by addressing where the state gets revenue and how it spends it. The SOS brochure, "Flip the Funding," enumerates several alternative budget solutions that will not assault poor and working people. These include taxing windfall profits of oil companies, ending business tax exemptions, suspending interest payments on state loans, and ending the wars.

As part of the campaign, SOS initiated a petition drive to "Unite to save jobs and services." The appeal requested that union leaders mobilize a massive labor and community rally against budget cuts at the state Capitol. The petition proposed a rally that would call on legislators to 1) tax the profits of huge companies and end the billions of dollars of corporate tax giveaways; and 2) petition Congress to end U.S. wars and reallocate war funds to public programs and education.

SOS found great success with the petition drive. Volunteers presented the petition and SOS's "Flip the Funding" alternative to the all-cuts budget at dozens of labor and community meetings. Over 2,300 people agreed that it's time to stand together to fight for public education and services and the people who provide those services. SOS plans to keep the pressure on, and you should join the fight!

Meetings are every second and fourth Thursday, 7pm at New Freeway Hall, 5018 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle. All are invited to attend and participate.

For more information, contact SOS, a campaign of Radical Women, at 206-722-6057, rwseattle@mindspring.com, or www.sistersorganizeforsurvival.org

The SOS campaign is endorsed by:
Allyship; Democracy Insurgent; Dyke Community Activists; Freedom Socialist Party; National Lawyers Guild-Seattle; Olympia Single Payer Action; Organized Workers for Labor Solidarity; Political Staff Workers Union Local 1; POWER (Parents Organizing for Welfare and Economic Rights); Retired Public Employee Council, Chapter 3; Retired Public Employee Council, Chapter 28; Seattle OUTprotest; Sistah 2 Sistah; Social Justice Fund Northwest; Washington Federation of State Employees, Local 304; Alton McDonald, President and Founder of New Century Justice Network; Patti Imani, home health care worker for the elderly; Lea Zengage, Justice Works*

*For identification only


"Don't Scrooge Around on Basic Health" rally outside the state Democrats' annual holiday party (12/6/09).