The County Council, after six months of negotiations, has signed a four year contract with Local 49 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal employees.

The contract gives the represented employees a 1.25 percent cost of living increase, retroactive to January 2009, and another 1.25 percent increase effective July 1. The contract sets costs of living increases at 3 percent for the remaining three years of the contract. (Taken from the Journal of San Juan Islands, June 17 edition).

Contrast this to the fact that the county is in deep debt, income is down, unemployment is at a record high, and the fact that the U.S. government has notified me that there will be NO cost of living increases for those receiving Social Security in 2009, or for 2010, or the year after that!

This is the first time in 17 years that the government has not given a cost of living increase to those on Social Security…yet our county council, while cutting their budget elsewhere, has given into the unions once again and increased their pay and the burden on the taxpayers here.

Helen Chapman King

Friday Harbor