Greetings, Seattle Metro Chamber members,
Amid a two-year pandemic and an escalating global security crisis, I know that, like me, many of you were glued to TVs, laptops, and cell phones last night watching President Joe Biden share his first State of the Union address.
I was encouraged by President Biden’s leadership to support democracy at home and across the world. I know since February 24 the business community is watching the news about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with heavy hearts.
It’s very hard to see this happening – the attack on a democratically elected government, the bombing of apartments, hospitals, and other civilian sites, the concerted effort to cut Ukrainians off from the world, and hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing for their lives.
The bravery of the Ukrainian people to protect their freedom has inspired the world.
Our team has been closely following and supporting the actions of members like you. We see that our members are speaking against the invasion of Ukraine and are engaged in a variety of ways:
- Microsoft said it detected cyberattacks aimed at Ukrainian digital infrastructure, alerted them and provided Ukraine technical advice to stop the attack.
- Facebook parent Meta took down disinformation and stopped Russian state media ads and monetization on its platforms worldwide.
- Google stopped Russia’s state media from receiving money for ads, paused some channels’ abilities to earn money, removed hundreds of YouTube channels and thousands of videos and will continue to disrupt Russian disinformation campaigns and hacking.
- Alaska Airlines said it is temporarily suspending its partnership with the Russian airline S7 and Aeroloft, Russia’s largest airline.
- Boeing is suspending parts, maintenance and technical support for Russian airlines and major operations in Moscow.
Our members – you – are incredible. Thank you for these tremendous acts of support and courage.
As the State of the Union came to a close and I watched legislators in Washington, D.C., clap each other on the back and hug one another for the first time in a long time, I also reflected on the President’s words about working together and how integral a strong, equitable, fair economy is to the future we want to see.
At the Chamber, we are talking daily about how to make this vision a reality. This conversation is important and we’re looking forward to how our leaders at the national level continue this dialogue. You know we’ll be engaged the whole way.
One takeaway from the President’s address that we agree with is the fundamental importance of employers and employees to our quality of life. We can support companies, innovation and growth, and also support employees, jobs, wages and benefits. And there is no picking sides here – we will honour the symbiotic relationship between employees and employers and work toward win-win. A key to maintaining that relationship: Keeping our schools and daycares open so parents and caregivers of young children can return to the office in a consistent, sustainable manner.
We also agree with the President that we should fix public safety challenges – a real key to employees feeling safe returning to offices and rebuilding our vibrant, economic core of our region – Downtown Seattle. We will continue in our advocacy for an all-of-the-above approach: anti-racist policing reforms, prompt response times, appropriate first responder staffing – including alternatives, and upholding a commitment to a safe and just criminal legal system.
The issues addressed in the State of the Union speech were wide-ranging and yet all close to home: from global and national issues like COVID-19, foreign policy, and the safeguarding of democracy, to more personal ones like availability of medical care and community safety.
Of course, the details matter, but this much is true: We have to move forward. And, like the President, we know these all are challenges that can be solved.
With appreciation and hope,
Rachel
Rachel Smith
President and CEO