Tuesday, August 18, 2015

STATE GOVERNMENT

► In today’s News Tribune — Despite mounting fines, lawmakers plan to take time to answer McCleary ruling — Gov. Jay Inslee and legislative leaders met Monday in SeaTac to discuss how lawmakers should respond to court sanctions issued last week in the ongoing McCleary education funding case. But following the hourlong meeting, Inslee said he wouldn’t immediately call a special session of the Legislature to address the state Supreme Court’s latest order, even as the state gets fined $100,000 per day. And some lawmakers seemed to think that calling the Legislature back to Olympia before its scheduled return in January may not be needed at all.

► From PubliCola — Hopefuls line up for 36th District seat — State Rep. Reuven Carlyle (D-36th) announced that he’ll seek the appointment to the State Senate if his district colleague Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles wins her election campaign to replace retiring King County Council member Larry Phillips. Six people have said they will seek the appointment to fill Carlyle’s seat: John Burbank, Noel Frame, Jeff Manson, Rene Murry, Sarah Reyneveld, and Randy Gordon.

LOCAL

► From AP — Tourists flee Washington town as wildfire threatens homes — Several large fires burning near the town of Chelan have scorched more than 155 square miles and destroyed an estimated 75 homes and businesses, officials said. Scores of homes remain threatened, and mandatory evacuation orders remained in effect for more than 2,900 people in the area.

► In the Skagit valley Herald — Sakuma workers leave fields again — About 100 farmworkers left Sakuma Bros. Farms before starting work Monday morning over a dispute regarding pick rates.

ALSO TODAY at The Stand — Sakuma farm workers walk off job (again), urge negotiations

► In the Auburn Reporter — Washington State Labor Council issues resolution against Green River College — The Washington State Labor Council has taken action in hopes of re-establishing shared governance between Green River College administration and faculty and staff and improving morale on campus. The Labor Council approved a resolution at its annual convention on July 25, which calls for the council to send a letter to Green River’s administration and Board of Trustees (pictured here) and “explore adding Green River College to the WSLC’s Unfair to Labor/Do Not Patronize list” if the situation does not improve.

ALSO at The Stand:

WSLC delegates set new policies, priorities with 2015 Resolutions (Aug. 4)

Green River College board backs Ely; faculty authorizes strike (May 27)

► In The Stranger — Seattle City Council candidates boycott debate at the Hyatt over ongoing labor dispute — At least two council candidates — Tim Burgess and Jon Grant — are saying they won’t participate in a city council candidate forum set for Wednesday, Sept. 9 at the Hyatt at Olive 8 to be hosted by the Rotary Club of Seattle #4 unless organizers finds a different, more labor-friendly venue.

ALSO at The Stand — Public officials urged to honor boycott of Hyatt hotels in Seattle

BOEING

► In the P.S. Business Journal — Big contract could be coming to Renton: Boeing a finalist for JSTARS military-commercial aircraft — Workers in Kent are starting work on a $10 million design contract set to be completed by next July that would spell out how Boeing would convert the 737-based Boeing Business Jets into technology-packed Air Force surveillance aircraft. Winning the final contract would add more work to Boeing’s Renton factory.

AMAZON

► From Slog — What you need to know about the NY Times’ Amazon story — This weekend, the New York Times published a long, damning story about the brutal corporate culture inside Amazon—a place where workers allegedly develop ulcers, don’t sleep for days, are penalized for being parents, cry at some point, and are eventually replaced. Here are more highlights.

► In today’s Seattle Times — Reactions mixed to NYT story about Amazon’s work conditions — Perhaps the hordes of blue-badged Amazon workers zipping around South Lake Union at lunch time are indeed “Amabots” looking for a recharge needed to continue their all-consuming toil.

► In today’s NY Times — Work policies may be kinder, but brutal competition isn’t — However much the most sought-after employers in the country may be changing their official work policies, brutal competition remains an inescapable component of workers’ daily lives. In some ways it’s getting worse.

CAMPAIGN 2016

► From TPM — CNN poll: Trump now first and second choice of GOP voters nationwide — Not only is real estate mogul galloping in front of all other Republican presidential candidates, a poll from CNN/ORC released Tuesday showed he’s also leading the pack as the second choice of GOP voters.

► In today’s Washington Post — Trump driving immigration debate among GOP field — Drastic ideas once at the fringe gain traction, which could mean an even bigger headache for Republican leaders desperate to attract more Latino voters.

► From Huffington Post — Scott Walker wants to build a border wall, too — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) said that his immigration proposals were “very similar” to those of Donald Trump, who over the weekend released a tough new plan exclusively focused on enforcement and cracking down on unauthorized immigrants. Walker said that he, too, wanted to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, which is one of Trump’s most controversial proposals.

► In today’s NY Times — Scott Walker is heckled in Iowa State Fair appearance — Speaking on the Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair, a perch that has drawn candidates of both parties since the fair opened last week, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin was the first to face a significant chorus of opposition.

NATIONAL

► In today’s NY Times — Union ruling underlines NCAA’s evolution — In effect, the college sports establishment has so far been able to head off fundamental alterations to its model in part by allowing incremental changes.

► From the Onion — St. Louis Rams threaten to leave town unless taxpayers personally build new stadium with bare hands

BUY UNION

► From AFL-CIO Now — Union-made Labor Day shopping list — Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer. While the day honors the hardworking women and men who make this nation go and grow, the weekend also gives us a chance for one more big backyard barbecue blowout. Here’s some union-made food and drink to get your barbecue off to a great start. Text MADE to 235246 for more union-made-in-America product lists.

ALSO at The Stand — Celebrate, rededicate on Labor Day, Sept. 7 — See the list of events hosted by Central Labor Councils around Washington state.

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