Financial Support for Workers - EA Business Item/Resolution

During the closures for Covid-19, not all members of your community (including older students, their families, and EA staff) will be on paid leave or on leave that is sufficient to meet the demands of the impact of quarantine.

EAs around the state have line items in their budgets that are not being used and can be donated to support funds directly through their memberships or to community organizations that provide food, medical services, or other essential need services. The line items include expenses for the WEA RA, any rent for assembly meetings, any catering or rental costs for meetings not held, or any event expenses that have been cancelled due to closure.

We encourage our members to propose a resolution or new business item that will promote the sharing of this money with our community to meet our first and second demands, to keep our students, communities, and staff whole.

Financial Support for Workers (adopted from the Seattle EA March Assembly):

Whereas there are many in our [LOCAL EA] family and larger labor community are experiencing
extreme financial hardship in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic, and:

Whereas, in particular, our [substitute, hourly, IA]  member's economic security is highly impacted
by the closure of schools and lack of work opportunities, and:

Whereas, [a local aid foundation, an EA solidarity fund, The Foundation for Working Families
operates under the Washington State Labor Council] can provide direct cash relief to union
members to assist with rent, food, utilities, and other critical needs,

Therefore let it be resolved that, [LOCAL EA} will donate [the WEA state conference budget line,
a catering budget line for missed in person meetings, the budget line for rental costs not incurred
during the closure] and encourage [LOCAL EA] members and our greater community to donate
support [Local EA] members and our larger labor family financially impacted by COVID-19.