The Building Industry Association of Washington is perhaps the biggest and most influential conservative political organization active in state politics today. According to its website, the BIAW “exists to unite those in the building industry in Washington state in their fight against a government that has made this industry among the most regulated in the nation.” The group supported Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi. It called Governor Chris Gregoire “a heartless, power-hungry she-wolf who would eat her own young.” It compared the Department of Ecology to the Nazis. It also engaged in some questionable electioneering during the protracted 2004 election dispute by mailing a “Home Ownership Survey” to 400 individuals, ostensibly to collect information regarding housing trends. Accompanying the survey was a check for $10, a “thank you” for completing and returning the survey. Of course, the survey was a sham, and the check was a ploy to get the signatures of absentee voters in an attempt to discredit their ballots. The attempt was ridiculed, and the BIAW cemented a reputation of being the kind of guys who play the game rough.
What makes all of this so nauseating is the fact that the BIAW’s political activity is nearly entirely paid for by money the association skims off from its part in running a state-dependent cooperative. The program is called the Retrospective Rating Program, or “Retro.” The state is essentially outsourcing its workers compensation program, which groups like the BIAW can use to make money. Businesses who participate in the program have a choice; they can enroll by themselves or through an association like the BIAW. The BIAW administers the program, collects the premiums, and gets to keep a percentage. They’re supposed to use the refunded money from the state to increase worker safety; instead, it gets used for politics.
You would think that Democrats in Olympia would relish the chance to stick it to the BIAW by making small, common sense changes to the Retro program. The millions the BIAW spends on right-wing causes should be spent on worker safety. After all, that’s the reason why the “Retro” program exists. This hasn’t happened in large part because Speaker Frank Chopp, unwilling to subject his House candidates to the ire of such a powerful group, has chosen detente over reforming Retro. Democrats would be incredibly foolish not to at least try to reign in the BIAW this year, while they still are in the majority with a Democratic governor. Reforming the program would starve a nasty opponent of the cash to fund its political shenanigans and should be a top priority for state Democrats in the new year.
about time.
agreed. thanks for the posting and analysis.
*fingers crossed*
These programs engage in pure evil to close claims and once an employer signs up they kept in with a “hostage clause”. They are the reason for the proliferation of these white-wash safety programs that mostly amount to aggressive claim supression.
Good luck with that. I was one of the people they used their trick on. I am furious the money they use comes from workers comp. But Chopp is a weak sister.
It won’t happen for one simple reason: Frank Chopp IS the Speaker of the House, and nothing passes out of that chamber – and hence the Legislature – if he doesn’t want it to.
Nothing will change as long as Frank Chopp remains the Speaker of the House
Frank Chopp is the enemy on the inside… no doubt about it.
BUT- BIAW is not that different than The Stranger Election BullShit… Both are taking dubious money, attempting to whitewash it, and creating low-fact tripe to support their misguided political goals all without disclosure of their true goals.
Just because BIAW is challenging you on the crooked-ish money front…