NEWS ROUNDUP
Murray’s hot seat, Inslee steps in, lifting all yachts…
Monday, June 22, 2015
FAST TRACK
ALSO at The Stand — Cantwell, Murray now ‘critical moral votes’ on Fast Track
— Take action urging Murray, Cantwell to vote NO on Fast Track
1) Please call 1-855-712-8441 and leave a message for Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray urging them to vote NO on cloture (which would end debate if 60 senators vote “yes”) on the Fast Track TPA bill, and if debate ends, to vote NO on the bill itself.
2) Attend a NO on Fast Track vigil Monday night, June 22 outside the senators’ Seattle offices from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Jackson Federal Building, 915 2nd Ave. Download and share this vigil flier. For more information, contact email Gillian Locascio of the Washington Fair Trade Coalition or call her at 206-227-3079.
► From the Hill — Warren’s last stand on trade — Liberal groups are ready to make a last stand against President Obama’s trade agenda in the Senate with Elizabeth Warren, one of their strongest allies on the issue.
STATE GOVERNMENT
► In the Columbian — Dems take taxes off the table — Democrats have given up their call for a capital gains tax as Washington lawmakers continue wrangling over a two-year budget plan, focusing on closing some tax breaks instead. The surrender on taxes came as Gov. Jay Inslee said Friday that there is no reason Washington state lawmakers shouldn’t agree on an operating budget this week.
► In the Seattle Times — Final compromise needed on state spending for education, transportation (editorial) — The path toward the middle would require the Senate Republican caucus to agree to close some tax loopholes, which they’ve said they’d be willing to do. And the House Democratic caucus would have to acknowledge they’ve been outsmarted this session by a more disciplined GOP caucus.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Really, Seattle Times? The final concession (of many) for Democrats is to acknowledge that the Republicans’ irresponsible and costly — but apparently “disciplined” — game of shutdown chicken “outsmarted” them? With that analysis, I guess we can look forward to near-shutdowns for every state budget in the future.
► In today’s (Everett) Herald — Failure on budget can’t be allowed (editorial) — Delay until the session’s final hours, or worse, June 30, brings us closer to losing too much for our communities and jeopardizing future economic growth.
LOCAL
► From KIRO TV — Space Needle workers continue to fight
ALSO at The Stand — Seattle leaders back raises, fair contract for Space Needle staff
ALSO at The Stand — Green River board backs Ely; faculty authorizes strike (May 27)
— Green River faculty: President Ely has got to go (May 15)
► In the (Longview) Daily News — LCC president defends his leadership in the face of faculty, staff frustrations — a rift has opened between Lower Columbia College President Chris Bailey and the college’s faculty and staff, some of whom call Bailey a divisive leader, a top-down manager who alienates staff. The faculty union has presented the Board of Trustees with a list of concerns about his leadership.
► In the (Longview) Daily News — KapStone labor talks still at a stalemate — A strike appears slightly less imminent, but KapStone and its pulp and paper union made little progress Friday in their first contract talks in weeks, an AWPPW leader said.
► In the News Tribune — Aerospace’s good times keep rolling for Puget Sound, but for how long? — To judge by admittedly superficial measures — order announcements and market projections — the current condition of the aerospace industry generally and Boeing in particular allows for a bit of cautious optimism.
► In today’s Yakima H-R — Darigold’s Sunnyside plant expansion well underway — The two cranes that tower high above the Darigold plant on the south edge of town means the milk cooperative is well along in its $90 million-plus expansion.
► In the Peninsula Daily News — 25 years after spotted owl listing: fewer owls, less timber industry — Twenty-five years later, the effects of the landmark decision can be seen in the reams of economic, industry and environmental data routinely gathered by state and federal governments. The outcomes are by turns expected, disheartening and surprising.
C.E.O. PAY
► In the Seattle Times — As pay raises increase for Northwest CEOs, so does income inequality — Average pay for Northwest CEOs of publicly traded companies rose 23 percent last year, despite greater national efforts to rein in excessive compensation at the top. Some are starting to look for answers in the larger issue of income inequality.
► In the Seattle Times — Changes in public policy could put a lid on executives’ excessive pay packages (by Jon Talton) — The analogy between chief executives and great athletes or entertainers is fatally flawed. The latter compete in a real marketplace that rewards the best talent through market forces. Most CEOs operate in a crony world. At the worst, they pick their own compensation committee. Even independent boards are clubby and in thrall of all the justifications for unjustified and ever-rising compensation. What’s good for the 1 percent CEOs is bad for America. We can change that.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
► From Reuters — Tensions build as Supreme Court readies blockbuster rulings — Tensions are building inside and outside the white marble facade of the U.S. Supreme Court building as the nine justices prepare to issue major rulings on gay marriage and President Barack Obama’s healthcare law by the end of the month. The court will issue some rulings on Monday, with more likely later in the week.
► From Politico — Price tag of ACA repeal: $353 billion — The CBO’s conclusion today that sacking the Affordable Care Act would swell the budget deficit by as much as $353 billion wasn’t at all what Republicans were expecting. Using so-called dynamic scoring, which attempts to account for the economic effects of policy changes, a repeal would still hit the deficit, although by less — about $137 billion, CBO said.
NATIONAL
► From the Business Journals — APWU hopes to nix the Office Depot acquisition — The American Postal Workers Union is taking a strong stance against the Office Depot and Staples acquisition, which was overwhelmingly approved by shareholders Friday. The APWU held a briefing following the meeting of Office Depot’s shareholders, outlining why the union feels federal regulators should block the deal.
TODAY’S MUST-READ
► From MoveOn.org — Want to fix the economy? Address mass incarceration — In his latest video on how to improve the American economy, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich lays out the case that addressing the current problems with mass incarceration would be a good place to start. He says our unjust criminal system is racist, it’s destructive, it doesn’t make us safer and it’s a disaster for our economy.
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.