Anti-NLRB vote today, teachers stay out, Elwha Dam work begins…

Today’s news links:

BOEING

► At GoIAM.org — Protect U.S. jobs and judicial process, oppose H.R. 2587, the Outsourcers’ Bill of Rights’ — Today, the House will consider H.R. 2587, the “Job Outsourcers’ Bill of Rights.” H.R. 2587 would make it easier for employers to outsource jobs by eliminating the ability of the NLRB to restore jobs if a company illegally moves operations or eliminates jobs because workers engage in activities protected by federal law.

TAKE A STAND! — CLICK HERE to tell Congress to vote NO on H.R. 2587.

► In today’s NY Times — House expected to pass bill restricting NLRB –The Republican-controlled House is expected to approve an unusual bill that would bar the labor board from pursuing the board’s pending action against Boeing. Republican leaders and business groups are vigorously backing the bill, saying it would safeguard the freedom of corporations to locate operations where they want. But many Democrats and labor unions have denounced the bill, asserting that it would badly weaken an independent federal agency and be an improper favor to Boeing, a prominent political contributor.

► In The Hill — Boeing remains on sidelines while GOP pursues anti-NLRB bill — Boeing is not endorsing a House Republican bill limiting the NLRB powers, even though the company’s dispute with the agency provoked the legislation. Boeing would rather the NLRB just withdraw its complaint, a spokesman said.

► In the P.S. Business Journal — Wichita Spirit work slowdown could threaten 737 production — Work slowdowns at the Spirit Aerosystems Holding Inc. plant in Wichita, Kan., a result of worker dissatisfaction over a contract dispute, may threaten production rates on Boeing’s 737 line in Renton. Some Spirit tech workers, members of SPEEA/IFPTE 2011, have been engaging in “work to rule” tactics as an expression of their displeasure over the contract the company has offered them. SPEEA executive director Ray Goforth said the workers are taking the actions on their own, without orchestration from union.

TACOMA TEACHERS STRIKE

► This morning from AP — Teachers defy judge’s order, continue to strike — Teachers in Washington state’s third-largest school district are defying a judge’s order and will continue to strike, forcing the cancellation of classes. KOMO News reports that Tacoma school district officials say they don’t have enough staff to open the city’s schools.

► In today’s News Tribune — Judge orders striking teachers back to class — Tacoma schools are scheduled to re-open this morning after a Pierce County judge Wednesday ordered striking teachers back to work. It wasn’t known Wednesday night if members of the Tacoma Education Association union would comply. The union told members to meet at their regular picket line locations this morning where they will receive additional information about contract negotiations. “Tacoma teachers will decide for themselves what to do next,” said union President Andy Coons.

► In today’s Olympian — Tacoma teachers strike unlikely to spur new law — The Legislature in the past has looked at how to prevent teacher strikes but hasn’t taken action to do so. And it doesn’t appear inclined now after a two-day walkout in Tacoma.

► In today’s News Tribune — Strike-related sign left at his home angers judge — The judge who ordered teachers back to work was not pleased about a strike-related sign reading “Support Tacoma teachers and their students” that someone attached to his home’s garage door.

E.G.T. DISPUTE

► In today’s (Longview) Daily News — Longshoremen reach tentative labor deal with West Coast grain terminals — Union longshoremen and Pacific Northwest grain elevator operators tentatively reached a new labor agreement Wednesday after three days of talks. Negotiators with the ILWU and Pacific Northwest Grain Elevator Operators have signed off on the deal, which must still approved by the union’s 4,000 members. This contract is unrelated to the labor dispute between Longview longshoremen and EGT.

EDITOR’S NOTE — Also see today’s coverage here in The Stand.

► Today from AP — Judge to assess contempt claim against ILWU — A federal judge is holding a hearing today in Tacoma to decide whether ILWU Local 21 should be held in contempt for their protests at the EGT grain terminal at the Port of Longview.

► In today’s (Longview) Daily News — Longshoreman accused of intimidating a witness to EGT raid — A union longshoreman arrested this week on suspicion of raiding the Longview EGT grain terminal with hundreds of other union members last Thursday has been accused of intimidating a witness to the incident.

STATE GOVERNMENT

► At TheOlympian.com — Grim state revenue report due at 10 a.m. today — The widely anticipated state revenue forecast – which is expected to range between $1 billion and $2 billion short of previous estimates – may require lawmakers to return to the Capitol for another special session before they are scheduled to begin a 60-day session next Jan. 10.

JOBS

► In today’s Spokesman-Review — ‘Steady progress’ as Washington adds jobs — The state has recorded job growth in every month for the past year, but the state’s lofty unemployment rate still showed no signs of shrinking, officials said Wednesday. The state gained an estimated 3,800 jobs in August, raising the one-year total to more than 46,000, but the state unemployment rate remains steady at 9.3%.

► Today from AP — Unemployment benefit requests jump to 428K — The number of people applying for unemployment benefits jumped last week to the highest level in three months. It’s a sign that the job market remains depressed.

► At Politico — Poll: Unemployment is now top issue –Unemployment has jumped to the top of the list of voter concerns, surpassing “the economy,” a new poll out today shows. With the jobless rate refusing the drop below the 9% mark, 39% of Americans now consider unemployment or jobs the country’s most important problem — that’s up 10% from the 29% in August.

► In today’s NY Times — Some Democrats balking at Obama’s jobs bill — Many Congressional Democrats, smarting from the fallout over the 2009 stimulus bill, say there is little chance they will be able to support the bill as a single entity, citing an array of elements they cannot abide.

LOCAL

► In today’s Peninsula Daily News — Elwha Dam removal work begins today — A crew of 11 workers and supervisors with Barnard Construction of Bozeman, Mont., will reportedly begin the demolition work at about 7 a.m. A “ceremonial scoop” will be removed during a dam removal celebration at 11 a.m. Saturday featuring Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Gov. Chris Gregoire, Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, and Rep. Norm Dicks.

EDITOR’S NOTE — At its 2011 Convention in August, Washington State Labor Council delegates voted to boycott Elwha River celebrations because of the National Park Service’s refusal to honor a Presidential Executive Order that could have resulted in 100% local hire through a Community Workforce Agreement, particularly given high unemployment in the trades on the Olympic Peninsula. Read the resolution for more info.

► In today’s Seattle Times — Two relatively unknown Republicans may challenge Sen. Cantwell — Republicans have been searching for months for someone — anyone — to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell in 2012. Now they’ve come up with two possible contenders, but neither is well-known statewide, and one is a political novice. State Sen. Michael Baumgartner (R-Spokane) confirms he is seriously exploring a run. The other candidate is a Washington native now working overseas: Phillip Yin is a TV anchor for Bloomberg Television.

► At SeattlePI.com — Costco pours another $820,000 into liquor privatization initiative — The big box retailer has now given almost $2.5 million to the “Yes on 1183” coalition, which has now raised just over $4 million in cash and in-kind contributions.

► In today’s News Tribune — Failure of Washam recall effort means it’s up to voters now (editorial) — Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer Dale Washam has retaliated against whistle-blowers, misused his office’s resources to further personal vendettas and created a hostile workplace. With the recall effort coming up short of signatures, he still will have more than a year to do even more damage and run up the bill for county taxpayers.

► In today’s Olympian — Georgia-Pacific plant celebrates 50 years — The Olympia plant on Fones Road celebrated 50 years of manufacturing corrugated boxes Wednesday, inviting former and current employees to the plant to mark the milestone.

NATIONAL

► In the South Bend Tribune — AFL-CIO’s Trumka: Workers must take charge — “While America isn’t broke, something is broken in America,” Trumka said in a speech Wednesday night at at the University of Notre Dame. “Our sense of justice, our expectation of fairness, our confidence that for all of our quarrels with each other, we really are all in this together, that’s what’s broken.”

► In today’s NY Times — Immigration advocates split over Arizona boycott — After Arizona’s passage of controversial immigration legislation in April 2010, musicians canceled Arizona concerts, tourists canceled Arizona vacations and convention organizers bypassed Arizona in favor of less politically toxic states. But the very activists who put the boycott in place, hurting the state’s pocketbook in the process, are now divided over whether it ought to continue.

TODAY’S MUST-READ

► In today’s NY Times — Bleak news on health insurance (editorial) — The Census Bureau reported this week that the number of uninsured people rose nearly by 1 million to 49.9 million. This is particularly troubling during an economic downturn in which more people have been pushed into poverty and median family income has plummeted, leaving the uninsured with even fewer resources to pay for health care. The only consolation was that government insurance programs were able to mitigate some of the damage. The percentage of people covered by these programs increased for the fourth consecutive year. Medicaid and a related children’s health insurance program have actually enrolled more children in recent years than were dropped from employer coverage. The new health care reforms will expand Medicaid coverage for the poor and provide subsidies to help middle-income people buy private health insurance. Such steps will make health care much more affordable to those who lack employer-based coverage.

The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 9 a.m. Make this electronic “clip service” your first stop each morning! These links are functional on the date of posting, but sometimes expire.