NEWS ROUNDUP
We’re #3! ● Teachers walk ● Trumka vs. Trump ● Bernie vs. Amazon
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
LABOR DAY
► In the (Everett) Herald — What workers can celebrate and keep an eye on (by Jeff Johnson) — On Labor Day, celebrate recent wins for unions and workers, but be wary of so-called “right to work” efforts.
► In the Olympian — Despite attacks, unions remain strong and hopeful (by Jeff Johnson) — In spite of the recent Supreme Court decision in Janus v AFSCME, unions and the labor movement are healthy, growing, and working with community partners to strengthen our economy.
ALSO at The Stand — Labor, community are tackling our challenges (by Jeff Johnson)
► MUST-READ in the Seattle Times — In labor-friendly Seattle, unions push for new territory — AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, the head of the largest U.S. labor organization, vows that someday “we will go in to organize Amazon,” and talks about automation, the Janus decision and more as unions flex their muscle in Seattle.
PAY OUR TEACHERS!
► Today from KUOW — Teachers hit picket lines around Puget Sound — Teachers in Tukwila, Puyallup, Stanwood and Tumwater went on strike Wednesday morning. Outside Foster High School in Tukwila at 7 a.m., teachers wore red shirts and carried signs. People driving by honked in support.
The Longview School District is ordering 12-month employees to report to work, effective immediately. We believe this order is WRONG on so many levels and that we should stand strong in solidarity with our teachers and until the District negotiates a fair contract for teachers and bargains in good faith with us and our Longview secretaries.
However, each member must make their own decision, based on their own circumstances. Standing strong on the picket line is not without risk: the District will consider employees who do not report to work as absent without leave, and may take disciplinary action against them. SEIU 925 will fight any action the District takes against Longview members.
► In today’s News Tribune — Tacoma and Puyallup teachers vote to strike; first day of school on hold — Teachers in Tacoma and Puyallup voted Tuesday evening to strike, delaying the start of school for about 52,000 South Sound students. Votes by teacher unions in the two districts passed by 97 percent and 98 percent, respectively. Puyallup teachers will hit the streets Wednesday. Tacoma teachers will break out their picket signs Thursday.
► In today’s Seattle Times — Teacher contract talks: Centralia, Puyallup, Tukwila start strikes; Tacoma close behind
► In the (Everett) Herald — No school Wednesday; Stanwood teacher strike continues
► In the Olympian — First day of school in Tumwater, Rainier and Centralia delayed by teacher strikes
► In the Columbian — Negotiations continue in Evergreen, Battle Ground, Washougal — The chips are falling in most teacher salary negotiations around Clark County, but a few — and notable — districts remain at the picket lines.
► In the Columbian — Camas, Hockinson, Ridgefield teachers applaud contracts — While Camas (12.5% raises) avoided a strike Monday night, two of the county’s six strikes ended, as teachers in Ridgefield (16%) and Hockinson (14.5%) also voted to ratify new contract agreements.
► In the Skagit Valley Herald — Teachers in three districts approve contracts — With teachers in three Skagit County public school districts ratifying contracts Tuesday, all teachers in the county’s seven districts are now operating with active contracts for the upcoming school year. While not all districts have released numbers, increases in teacher salary in Skagit County vary, including a 27 percent increase in La Conner
► In the Kitsap Sun — Teachers ink agreements on salaries in most Kitsap, North Mason districts
► From KNKX — Expert says Washington teacher negotiations may help unions prove their value after Janus — Bradley Marianno of the University of Nevada Las Vegas said that as many teachers’ unions reach agreements for sizeable pay increases, it’s a good chance to remind members what the union is doing for them. Lynne Dodson, secretary-treasurer of the Washington State Labor Council, agrees: “It is a good reminder in this time of Janus about how important the union is and the teachers coming together in order to negotiate for a fair share, because they wouldn’t be getting the increases that they’re getting in some districts if they weren’t in unions.”
FOR THE LATEST on which school districts are on strike and which have reached contract settlements, visit the Washington Education Association’s website or check out their interactive map.
LOCAL
► In today’s Tro-City Herald — Radioactive contamination found in workers’ car filters, says Hanford watchdog — Its latest report found “modest but detectable level(s)” of radioactive material that had collected on the air filters of three vehicles belonging to Hanford workers.
► In today’s Spokesman-Review — Mayor Condon wants to add 10 more officers to Spokane’s police force — If Mayor David Condon gets his way, Spokane will hire another 10 police officers next year and retain 48 firefighters currently paid for through grants that expire later next year.
► In the Yakima H-R — Is Toppenish outsourcing everything? (letter) — I find it sad, and I am angry that Toppenish is considering contracting out our dispatch at the police department; they closed the jail, closed the court (around 4 jobs lost) and now dispatch?
THAT WASHINGTON
► From AP — On Labor Day, Trump slams union leader who criticized him — President Donald Trump started his Labor Day with an attack on a top union leader, lashing out after criticism from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.
► In today’s Washington Post — Kavanaugh hearing offers an ‘unprecedented’ display of the Senate’s institutional decline — “Any claim that this has been a thorough, transparent process is downright Orwellian,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who was elected in 1974 and has been involved in 19 Supreme Court fights. “This is the most incomplete, most partisan, least transparent vetting for any Supreme Court nominee I have ever seen, and I have seen more of those than any person serving in the Senate today. What is being done here is unprecedented. … I have never seen so much at stake with a single seat, and I’ve also never seen such a dangerous rush to fill it.”
TAKE A STAND! — Tell the Senate: Stop Brett Kavanaugh!
► From Fortune — A new NAFTA without Canada? Unions, tech push back against Trump’s Mexico-only deal — President Trump may be insisting that the U.S. will be “better off” without a North American free trade deal that includes Canada, but American unions do not agree—and neither does the tech industry. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said Sunday that Canada needs to be on board, alongside the U.S. and Mexico, due to existing economic integration across the continent.
► From Yahoo News — Rep. Denny Heck: Trump collusion with Russia ‘is well established’ — President Trump’s collusion with Russia “is hiding in plain sight,” a Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee said. “I know of no other way to interpret then-candidate Trump openly, publicly encouraging Russia to hack a computer system,” said Rep. Denny Heck (D-Wash.)
NATIONAL
TODAY’S MUST-READ
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.