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Holmquist, Warnick: ‘Keep
Boeing in Washington by
improving the business climate for all’
Today Gov. Christine
Gregoire announced the release of a
report on Washington’s competitiveness and legislation and the
creation of a Washington Council on Aerospace.
Sen. Janéa
Holmquist, ranking Republican on the Senate Labor, Commerce
and Consumer Protection Committee, and
Rep. Judy Warnick,
ranking Republican on the House Capital Budget Committee, are members of
the Washington State Aerospace Task Force and both attended today’s
announcement.
“The creation of an Aerospace Council is a great
first step towards hopefully improving Washington’s competitiveness and
retaining jobs in what is a $36 billion industry in our country,”
Holmquist said.
“One of the critical pieces is
statewide workforce training to provide a continuing labor force for
this important industry to our state, and this council will prioritize
that important issue,” Warnick said.
Holmquist
warned that some legislation this session will make Washington even less
competitive.
“Just last night the Senate passed a bill that will
increase costs for self-insured companies like Boeing during workers’
compensation appeals, and the Legislature still hasn’t passed a bill to
bring Washington’s unemployment insurance into conformity with national
standards – something very important to keeping U.I. costs from going
higher,” Holmquist said.
Holmquist and Warnick,
both from Moses Lake, were pleased to see that the report highlighted
Moses Lake as one of the more competitive parts of the state. According
to the report, Moses Lake has relatively low electricity costs and cost
of living. It’s also a good location for a Boeing plant due to the
length of the runway at the Moses Lake airport.
“The most
important thing, above any aerospace activity in our district, is
keeping Boeing and other aerospace manufacturers in Washington.
Thousands of people depend on jobs at Boeing and on jobs from businesses
that supply Boeing parts and services,” Warnick said.
“We need to make Washington the best place to do business, because
clearly we can’t afford to continue with the way we’re doing things now.
The work force training is critical to retention of any aerospace
business. Moses Lake has Big Bend Community College which currently
offers flight training and other aerospace-related classes for people
looking for jobs in that field.”
Holmquist agreed, and called on
legislators to send a consistent message to businesses in the state.
“On one hand, we’re saying we want to improve our business climate –
something the report released today shows we need to do, but on the
other hand, we’re passing legislation that increases costs to employers
and makes Washington less competitive,” warned Holmquist.
“The Legislature and the governor should be cognizant of retaining jobs
in every industry – from Boeing to our small businesses. The study
released today shows us where we need to improve. Now it’s time to act.”
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For more information, contact:
Sarah Lamb, Public Information
Officer - (360) 786-7720
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