3-5-2007
Northwest carpenters urge lawmakers
to support affordable housing
Members participate in 2007 Housing and Homeless Advocacy Day
Members of the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters (PNWRCC) came together to urge legislators to invest in preserving and creating new affordable housing during Housing and Homeless Advocacy Day on Feb. 1. PNWRCC was the only labor union to participate in the annual lobbying event sponsored by the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance.

Echoing the theme of the lobbying day — “It All Starts at Home” — PNWRCC Executive Secretary-Treasurer Doug Tweedy called the effort critical to meet the needs of Washington’s families. “Legislators have a golden opportunity to help thousands of families who are at risk for becoming homeless. Our members support increased funding for affordable housing because all working families deserve a decent and affordable place to call home,” Tweedy said.

Representatives from the Northwest Carpenters joined hundreds of advocates at a rally on the capitol steps, as well as visited legislators.

With an expected budget surplus of nearly $2 billion, the Northwest Carpenters and housing advocates are urging the Legislature to increase funding to the Housing Trust Fund and pass legislation to create new tax credits for private contributions to nonprofit housing developers. The 2007 affordable housing agenda also includes the following policy goals:

  • Triple the Housing Trust Fund to $363 Million.
  • Ensure Fair Zoning for Affordable Housing Developments.
  • Preserve Manufactured Housing Communities.
  • End Source of Income Discrimination.
  • Provide Tax Credits for Contributions to Low Income Housing.

The Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters (PNWRCC) is an affiliate of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBC) and represents more than 20,000 carpenters, piledrivers, drywallers, millwrights, trade show workers, shipwrights, exterior/interior specialists, scaffold erectors, insulators and related craft workers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

PNWRCC works with the Northwest’s leading construction contractors to provide skilled craftsmen and women who deliver superior work, on time and on budget. For more information visit www.nwcarpenters.org.