Friday, June 13, 2014

LOCAL

► In today’s (Longview) Daily News — Labor Council holding rally to support local unions negotiating contracts — The Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Central Labor Council will hold a solidarity rally Saturday as several unions prepare to negotiate with local employers. Council President Kyle Mackey said the AWPPW, ILWU and other labor organizations soon will begin negotiating contracts with some of the area’s largest employers, including Weyerhaeuser Co., PeaceHealth, KapStone Paper and Packaging and others. Washington State Labor Council President Jeff Johnson and others will speak at the event from 3 to 5 p.m. next Saturday, June 21 at the Longview Civic Center in front of the Monticello Hotel.

► At AFT.org — Talks break down: UW lecturers still fighting for fair first contract — English Language Faculty at the University of Washington announced Thursday that talks have broken down again on their negotiations for a fair contract with the UW administration. After two weeks of progress, the sides are stuck over recompensation for the years of underpayment these instructors have experienced.

► At WFSE.org — Judge orders KTSS back to the bargaining table in series of unfair labor practice rulings — An NLRB administrative law judge has ordered Kitsap Tenant Support Services back to the bargaining table with the Washington Federation of State Employees and to cease and desist from actions the judge deemed illegal.

► From KIRO TV — Seattle City Light employees petition against 114K CEO raise — Some Seattle City Light employees have launched a petition opposing a 45 percent increase in their chief executive officer’s pay. Last week City Council committee approved a raise for Seattle City Light CEO Jorge Carrasco, to bring his annual salary to a total of $364,000 from his current rate of $250,000.

TAKE A STAND — Here is the petition urging the Seattle City Council to oppose the 45 percent raise for Carrasco.

► In today’s Seattle Times — Big cuts possible at King County public health clinics — Up to four clinics could close because of a $15 million-per-year shortfall facing Public Health — Seattle & King County for the next two years.

► In today’s Seattle Times — Sakuma Brothers berry growers to pay $850,000 settlement — Sakuma Brothers Farms has agreed to pay $850,000 and change certain employment practices at the Skagit Valley berry supplier in what could be the largest farmworker wage-and-hour settlement on record in Washington.

YESTERDAY at The Stand — Sakuma farm workers win record wage settlement

STATE GOVERNMENT

► In today’s Olympian — State Supreme Court orders state to respond to its order in McCleary school funding case — The Washington State Supreme Court Thursday ordered representatives of the state to appear before the court Sept. 3 to defend what the court deemed a failure to comply with its order in the McCleary school funding case.

► In today’s Seattle Times — High court to lawmakers: Why are schools still underfunded? — “I don’t know of anyone who likes to be called into court,” said House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan (D-Covington). “I’m disappointed that we are where we are.”

► In the (Everett) Herald — Services reduced to one word (editorial) — Infrastructure is vital to the economic and social health of the Pacific Northwest. If we don’t invest in it, the Northwest loses capacity to move goods, stimulate business and ensure primary services such as public safety.

AEROSPACE

► In today’s (Everett) Herald — Farnborough air show could pay off for Washington — Few big announcements are likely to come out of the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom next month, but the biennial aerospace industry gathering could mean big things for Washington companies. Several high-level meetings are planned during Farnborough between Gov. Jay Inslee and CEOs of aerospace companies that are “seriously considering or close to making decisions about investments here,” said the governor’s aerospace industry adviser.

► This morning in the Seattle Times — Boeing inks $7.4 billion 737 order from Chinese airline — Boeing won its biggest order from a Chinese carrier as China Eastern Airlines Corp. agreed to buy 80 737 jets valued at $7.4 billion.

► In today’s Seattle Times — Boeing, 5 Japanese suppliers ink 777X deal — Boeing inked a deal Thursday for five Japanese companies to manufacture key components for its twin aisle 777X jets, but the contract doesn’t include making the wings, which were a source of delays for the 787 Dreamliner.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

► At AFL-CIO Now — Low-wage federal contract workers move closer to $10.10 an hour — The more than 200,000 food service, cleaning and other low-wage workers employed by federal contractors across the nation are closer to getting a raise to $10.10 an hour. The Labor Department today issued a proposed rule to implement President Barack Obama’s February executive order requiring federal service and construction contractors to pay workers a minimum of $10.10 an hour.

► At AFL-CIO Now — U.S. trade deals limit choices in government purchasing — Everything the government buys, from computers, iron pipes and furniture to services such as construction and janitorial contracts should be used as a tool to promote job creation, wage growth and a cleaner environment for working people. But the opportunities to use government purchasing in this way are limited by trade deals that restrict governments’ choices.

► In the Atlantic — The real reasons that young people can’t find jobs — 1) Young people can’t find work because they’re not looking for work, they’re in school. 2) They’re young, and young workers have been under-employed at high levels for decades. 3) They’re having the same trouble that other job-seekers are having following the deep recession and slow recovery. They’re competing with older workers because too much work only pays an entry-level wage.

POLITICS

► MUST-READ at Politico — Democrats still need blue-collar votes (AFL-CIO Political Director Michael Podhorzer) — Even though it’s rarely spoken of in polite company, people vote by class. An easy and powerful distinction is to look at voters who make less than the median wage and compare their views with those who make more than the median wage. According to the exit polls, voters who made more than $50,000 elected Mitt Romney president, 53-45. And that’s a consistent pattern: 55 percent of them voted for Republicans in 2010, and 52 percent are voting for them now. On the other hand, Democrats are backed by those making less than $50,000. Always. What decides elections is the margin by which Democrats win working-class voters… Democratic candidates have an opportunity to surprise the pundits this fall if they make a convincing, concrete case that they will deliver a better life to the working-class voters Democrats have traditionally sought to represent.

► In today’s NY Times — The fix isn’t in (by Paul Krugman) — “Movement conservatism” is an interlocking set of institutions and alliances that has won elections by stoking cultural and racial anxiety but used these victories mainly to push an elitist economic agenda, meanwhile providing a support network for political and ideological loyalists. With the surprise primary defeat of Rep. Eric Cantor, it is unraveling before our eyes.

► In today’s Washington Post — McCarthy is favored for House majority leader — In the race to replace Cantor, who will step down from his leadership post at the end of July, House Republicans began coalescing around Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), who is more aligned with the establishment wing of the party.

► In the Onion — Resigning House Leader Cantor reflects on all the accomplishments he thwarted — “Of course, I’m disappointed because I thought I had many more years of impeding accomplishments ahead of me, and I’ll be the first to admit that I never quite managed to stall environmental policies as much as I would have liked. But at the end of the day, I’m very proud of how I helped Congress accomplish so little during my time in office.”

T.G.I.F.

► Happy 44th birthday, Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo! Twenty years ago (!), on what would have been Buddy Holly’s 58th birthday, Weezer released this single. Cuomo had wanted to leave it off the band’s debut album because it was too “cheesy,” but producer Ric Ocasek (of The Cars) convinced him to keep it on. This memorable video of the band performing at Arnold’s Drive-In from TV’s “Happy Days” boosted the song’s popularity, and it eventually eked it’s way onto Rolling Stone‘s Top 500 Songs of All Time. And so, The Entire Staff of The Stand™ presents, the 499th Greatest Song of All Time. Enjoy!

The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.