Monday, July 11, 2016

LOCAL

► From KIRO TV — Darigold workers in Seattle, Issaquah vote to strike — Darigold workers in Seattle and Issaquah voted to strike Saturday. About 200 workers will be affected by the strike. The company said it is actively working with the workers and will be at the bargaining table next week.

ALSO at The Stand — Darigold workers OK strike amid contentious contract talks

► In today’s Seattle Times — Software vs. service jobs: Income inequality on rise among 20-somethings — A widening income gap among Seattleites in their 20s has emerged from 2000 to 2014, with more high-income and low-income young people, but fewer in between.

► In the Seattle Times — Driving while black? Even Seattle’s Ron Sims counts 8 cop stops (by Danny Westneat) — He’s arguably the most successful black politician in Seattle history, as well as a pillar volunteer in the community. Yet he’s been pulled over eight times… I have never been pulled over in the city. I drove around for years in a 30-year-old Volvo with a muffler tied on with a coat hanger and red tape for a taillight. Never pulled over once.

AEROSPACE

► In today’s Seattle Times — Ahead of Farnborough Air Show, Boeing’s Conner talks job cuts, Iran and new airplanes — Boeing Commercial Airplanes boss Ray Conner said Sunday in London that though the pace of voluntary job reductions in the Puget Sound region has been slower than expected, job cuts will continue through more voluntary buyouts and should total around 4,000 by year end. That figure doesn’t include any potential job cuts in other Boeing units in the region, such as defense and corporate services.

► In the (Everett) Herald — Triumph Group plans to close its Everett aerospace facility — The Triumph Group is closing its Everett operation as the company slashes costs after posting a $1 billion loss in its last fiscal year. It said work done here will be moved to other Triumph sites, but did not specify which ones. About 200 people work for Triumph Structures-Everett. The workforce includes many highly-trained machinists and other production workers.

STATE GOVERNMENT

► In Sunday’s Seattle Times — Legislature needs more pressure to solve McCleary puzzle (editorial) — The state Supreme Court has a right to be impatient on behalf of Washington’s citizens. Since 2012, the court has sent forceful message after forceful message to the Legislature and the governor telling them what they need to do to fulfill the requirements of the McCleary school-funding decision by the 2017-18 school year. Justices have been giving lawmakers step-by-step instructions on how to fulfill their constitutional requirement to fully pay the cost of basic education, but they have failed every year to finish the job. The court should dramatically step up the pressure.

EDITOR’S NOTE — Meanwhile, Republicans like the “Professor of Politics” Rep. Matt Manweller (R-Ellensburg) are focusing their energies not on reaching consensus on education funding, but rather on recruiting and promoting election challengers to incumbent Supreme Court justices. He has openly speculated that this political threat could convince the court to back off on McCleary.

TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP

► From The Nation — Democrats toughen trade stance — but reject formal opposition to the TPP — A statement from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka described the amended language as “a major milestone,” but added that “the threat of unfair agreements, including TPP remains. We will continue to point out TPP’s fundamental flaws and mobilize to defeat it, and any trade deals that don’t work for working people.”

► From CNN — In platform fight, Sanders loses on trade but wins on minimum wage — Sanders’ campaign is declaring victory after striking deals with Clinton’s allies over climate change, health care and a $15-an-hour minimum wage. But the rivals’ negotiators never found common ground on trade — with Clinton’s supporters voting down the Sanders backers’ language to specifically reject the 12-nation TPP. “We got 80% of what we wanted in this platform,” said a top Sanders foreign policy adviser. Those successes could keep in place plans for Sanders to appear in person with Clinton on Tuesday in New Hampshire, finally endorsing his Democratic primary rival.

► From Huffington Post — Democrats must fight to defeat the TPP (by Bernie Sanders, written prior to the platform vote) — This should not be controversial. It is the exact same position that Secretary Clinton and I have taken during the campaign, and opposition to the TPP is the position of the overwhelming majority of Democrats in Congress.

ELECTION 2016

► From Politico — Clinton’s new friend — and maybe VP — Unlike other Democrats being mentioned as potential running mates, Tom Perez has actually gotten to know Hillary and Bill Clinton, and they’ve both taken a shine to him.

► From Huffington Post — Donald Trump: Superhero to billionaires (by Leo W. Gerard) — Trump’s tax plan, his refusal to raise the minimum wage, his insistence that American workers make too much money, his anti-union stances, all endear him to his fellow 1 percenters. With pledges like these, Trump plans to guarantee that he — and his billionaire buddies ­– can continue taking too much.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

► From Huffington Post — Modernizing Unemployment Insurance as part of the modern social compact (by Gene Sperling) — UI plays three critical roles: 1) as an automatic macroeconomic stabilizer; 2) as vital income security and a safety net for people at a time when job loss can be more unpredictable than the past; and 3) as the helping hand to assist the unemployed in taking the next step in finding a path to re-employment and new careers. The new CAP/Georgetown/NELP report details how UI currently serves these goals, as well as the large gaps that must be strengthened going forward.

NATIONAL

► From UW Newsbeat — Labor unions are boons for community health, UW study finds — Labor unions help to build a culture of health in the workplace and beyond, according to a report from the University of Washington School of Public Health. Labor unions not only advocate for healthy and safe work environments, but they also improve the lives and promote the health of workers, their families, the community and public health, researchers found after analyzing the contract-protected benefits and working conditions of union members from employers across the Pacific Northwest.

► In the NY Times — Investors get stung twice by executives’ lavish pay packages (by Gretchen Morgenson) — Shareholders suffer when generous stock grants dilute the value of their stakes, and then again when companies buy back stock to counter that dilution.

TODAY’S MUST-SEE

► From Huffington Post — This Black Lives Matter photo should be seen across the world — A photo of an unnamed protester at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has become a powerful image of the ongoing struggle between law enforcement and black Americans.

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