Phil Palios started a fight he couldn’t finish. When push came to shove, he got knocked out.

The Redmond native, who is serving his third stint with Microsoft as a temporary worker, threw himself into the spotlight when he spearheaded labor protests against Microsft. The Redmond-based tech giant recently told its third-party, temporary staffing agencies that it would cut bill rates by 10 percent in order to slash spending.

Many of the agencies, including Volt — which placed Palios — passed that cut onto its temporary workers, who were asked to take a 10 percent pay cut or lose their jobs.

Palios said he planned to refuse the pay cut and he was going to fight the powers that be because he felt the pay cuts were unethical. Two days later, reality sunk in, he signed the amended contract and is now making around $30 bucks an hour rather than $34.

Palios said his fight against Microsoft was not about the money, but in the end that’s exactly what it was about.

You have to be insane to throw away a $30 an hour job in this economy, no matter what kind of ethics are involved.

To his credit, he did stand in front of cameras and did shy not away from reporters who wanted to hear his story. But his 15 minutes of fame fizzled quickly. When he backed out of the protest against the pay cuts, he caused more harm than good.

Palios said he learned a valuable lesson from all this.

Hopefully, next time, he won’t start a fight he can’t finish.

Mustangs great at state

The Redmond boys’ basketball did not disappoint during last week’s Class 4A state tournament, taking home the fifth-place trophy, the program’s first piece of state hardware since 2001.

The Mustangs started the tournament with a 66-36 loss to eventual champion Federal Way. But the Mustangs bounced back in a big way, winning three straight games, punctuated with Saturday’s dramatic 70-64 double overtime win against Lake Stevens. (See story, page 15).

Redmond used tight-knit team chemistry to win three straight district games to clinch a state spot and then won three of four under the bright lights of the Tacoma Dome.

The giddy-up in the Mustangs’ gallop was fueled by its senior leadership. The Mustangs graduates nine seniors, many of whom have played together since fifth grade.

Redmond could have rolled over and given up after the tough first-round loss to the high-flying Eagles. But the Mustangs kept their composure and gave their fans – and this community — plenty to be proud of.

This is a salute to Coach Jeff Larson and the 2008-09 Mustangs.

Put in your two cents on the LWSD budget

The Lake Washington School District could face up to a $5 million shortfall in its budget as the state looks to trim costs.

Now, the district is asking residents for their opinion on what should be funded and what should be cut. An online survey is available on the district Web site at www.lwsd.org now through March 13.

The school district wants to hear from you, so take advantage and tell the school district what’s important to you.