Wednesday, July 27, 2016

LOCAL

► In the Seattle Times — Panic buttons, health insurance for Seattle hotel workers up for vote in fall — Seattle voters will decide whether hotel workers such as housekeepers should be guaranteed panic buttons, help with health insurance and other benefits under city law. The City Council on Monday voted unanimously to put Initiative 124 on the November ballot. Backed by hotel-workers union UNITE HERE! Local 8, it qualified earlier this month after campaigners collected more than 20,000 signatures. The initiative’s provisions fall into several categories, including protecting hotel workers from violent assault and sexual harassment, protecting them from injuries, improving their access to medical care and preventing disruptions in the hotel industry.

EDITOR’S NOTE — Learn more about I-124 here.

► From the PSBJ — Seattle voters to decide whether to protect hotel maids — “This one is a no-brainer to me,” said Councilmember M. Lorena Gonzalez, who worked in a hotel to pay for college. As an attorney, she dedicated her career to the victims of sexual assault and harassment.

► In today’s Olympian — City of Olympia tries to block income tax proposal from Nov. ballot — The City of Olympia has officially set the stage for a court challenge that could determine whether a proposed local income tax — the first of its kind in the state — will appear on an upcoming election ballot.

STATE GOVERNMENT

► In today’s News Tribune — Worthy goal, wrong tactic (editorial) — For Randy Dorn, this lawsuit makes for a dramatic High Noon exit on a two-term tenure, but it won’t fix McCleary’s underlying problems. We still live in a state that doesn’t support a uniform system of education, where elected officials refuse to brave uncomfortable decisions and implement the state’s constitutional obligation. Lawsuits and sanctions won’t change these truths; our hope lies with a resolute state Supreme Court and with voters who are paying attention.

BOEING

► From AP — Boeing reports 2nd quarter loss of $234 million — Boeing on Wednesday reported a second-quarter loss of $234 million, after reporting a profit in the same period a year earlier.

► And the local spin, courtesy of the PSBJ — Boeing losses better than expected in Q2 — Boeing announced second-quarter revenues of $24.8 billion, but those sales didn’t translate to profit for shareholders thanks to previously announced charges related to multiple programs.

ALSO at The Stand — Jim McNerney’s legacy at Boeing: $29 billion in unpaid 787 bills — Diamond Jim was lavishly paid as he led the company down this 787 rabbit hole. In just his final three years before bailing in July 2015, he got $80 million. For his 10 years of service, he also collects a pension worth $4 million per year for the next 15 years. Sure, the stock performed well while he was there. McNerney slashed costs and boosted profits by, among other things, cutting or eliminating pensions for everybody else.

► In the Wall St. Journal — Boeing is ‘delinquent’ on payments, says supplier Rockwell Collins — In a rare public dust-up between two of the biggest collaborators in the aerospace industry, a major Boeing supplier said the world’s largest plane maker was behind on tens of millions dollars in payments due at the end of last month.

ELECTION 2016

► In today’s Washington Post — A historic night for Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party — Hillary Clinton on Tuesday became the first woman to be nominated for president by a major political party on a historic night during which her campaign also sought to reintroduce her to skeptical voters and calm continuing tensions at the DNC in Philadelphia.

► In today’s NY Times — This is what democracy looks like (editorial)– The Democrats, in their unruly way, seem to have risen above the dissension and near chaos that began their convention.

► In today’s Seattle Times — With nudge from SeaTac, delegates back platform with $15 minimum wage — The demand for a $15-an-hour minimum wage, partially ignited by workers in Seattle and SeaTac, made it all the way to the Democratic National Convention this week. “I think it’s great,” said SeaTac Airport worker Alex Hoopes, whose wages have risen from less than $10 an hour to more than $15 thanks to the union-backed initiative approved in 2013. “It’s a good thing for the platform to move on and set an example for the working-class people.”

► In today’s NY Times — U.S. consensus grows that Russia hacked the DNC — Intelligence services aren’t sure if the breach was routine cyberespionage or part of an effort to manipulate the election.

► From AP — Trump says Russia should find Clinton’s missing emails — “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.”

► From Huffington Post — Trump won’t release taxes, top aide says — Addressing questions about whether Donald Trump has financial ties to Russia, Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort said Trump’s decision to break with tradition and not release his taxes “has nothing to do with Russia.”

ALSO at The Stand — Tax-free Trump says his returns are ‘none of your business’ (by Leo W. Gerard)

► From the Atlantic — The class inversion of American politics accelerates (by Ronald Brownstein) — Post-RNC polls show Donald Trump with the potential to run as well among blue-collar whites as any Republican since at least Ronald Reagan in 1984 while underperforming any modern Republican among white-collar whites and facing cavernous deficits among voters of color.

TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP

► From Politico — Clinton friend McAuliffe says Hillary Clinton will flip on TPP, then walks it back — Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, longtime best friend to the Clintons, said Tuesday that he believes Hillary Clinton will support the TPP trade deal if elected president, with some tweaks.

► From The Hill — Podesta says McAuliffe wrong about Clinton and TPP — Clinton campaign manager John Podesta publicly disagreed with the governor, tweeting that he had Clinton all wrong on the TPP: “Love Gov. McAuliffe, but he got this one flat wrong. Hillary opposes TPP BEFORE and AFTER the election. Period. Full stop.”

► From The Hill — Labor leader: Clinton told me NAFTA should be renegotiated — United Auto Workers President Dennis Williams says he has heard directly from Hillary Clinton that she wants to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.

► In the Seattle Times — DNC day one: more bad news for TPP backers — Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders made a point of denouncing the TPP. Hillary Clinton has already said she opposes it (as does her Republican opponent, Donald Trump). Delegates on the floor chanted, “No TPP!” … These managed-trade deals (not “free trade”) have encouraged companies to send work overseas to lower-wage countries. Some elite sectors in leading states have been clear winners, but in the main the deals have likely hurt job creation and definitely held down wages nationally. Meanwhile, the corporate toffs who helped craft these deals are richer than ever. TPP would only be more of the same.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

► From AP — In break from Trump, Paul Ryan defends trade deals — Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan spoke of the need for the U.S. to be a leader in crafting free trade agreements.

► From Huffington Post — Wage theft discovered inside the Senate — If members of Congress want to learn more about wage theft, they should talk to some of the low-wage workers who serve them meals. The Labor Department announced Tuesday that federal contractors had shorted 674 Senate cafeteria workers to the tune of $1 million. Two companies, Restaurant Associates and its subcontractor, Personnel Plus, violated the law by misclassifying workers into lower-paying positions and having them work off the clock.

TODAY’S MUST-READ

► From the National Catholic Reporter — An abundant worldview leads to shared prosperity (by Richard Trumka) — Any politician who wants the support of the AFL-CIO must answer a fundamental moral question: Will you choose a world of scarcity or one of abundance? A vision of scarcity leads to the building of walls, the turning away of refugees, and the denial of vital services to the most vulnerable among us. A vision of scarcity leads us away from compassion and toward a bitter and impoverished society. The Bible — as well as the teachings of every faith tradition — offers a different vision, one of abundance and love. In that vision, we trust that our world is overflowing with more than enough for ourselves and all those in need.

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