Tuesday, September 11, 2018

PAY OUR TEACHERS!

► In the Centralia Chronicle — Centralia teacher strike ends — After the Centralia School District and Centralia Education Association reached a tentative agreement on Monday evening, the district confirmed students will be back in the classroom on Wednesday. CEA members are set to meet at 8 a.m. on Tuesday for a ratification vote. “We are over the moon,” said Kerri Kite-Pocklington, who is a co-chair of CEA.

► From AP — Teacher strikes escalate with arbitrator request — Two school districts in Washington state have escalated their fight with teacher unions by calling for the intervention of a state arbitrator in contract talks. District leaders in Tacoma and Battle Ground are seeking the intervention through the rarely used Public Employment Relations Commission, though any pay recommendations that might result would not be binding.

► In today’s News Tribune — Tacoma teachers strike hits Day 4, with no end in sight as district sends mixed messages — If Monday’s confusing signals from Tacoma School District leaders are any indication, the ongoing strike by Tacoma teachers is far from over. Tacoma teachers voted last week to strike after weeks of negotiations over hoped-for salary increases broke down. Teachers want increases that compare to raises received by other teachers across the state. Tacoma schools leaders say they can’t afford it. The district announced Monday afternoon that school was canceled Tuesday. Monday, hundreds of teachers gathered for a rally outside the school district’s central administration building, waving signs and wearing red as union and district negotiators continued to wrangle inside.

► In today’s Seattle Times — Tacoma teachers’ strike: Sides ‘far apart’ in state’s 4th-biggest school district — Tacoma’s public schools will be closed for a fourth day Tuesday as an ongoing dispute over teacher pay creates the state’s largest work stoppage of educators.

► From the Tumwater Education Association — Tumwater teachers’ strike continues — “The TEA was saddened to learn today that this Thursday’s Tumwater School Board meeting has been cancelled. It’s disappointing to know that Superintendent Bash and the TSD School Board do not want to hear from the community. The people in Tumwater deserve to be heard, especially during this critical time.” — TEA President Tim Voie

► In the Columbian — Support teachers, Battle Ground school board told — The Battle Ground Education Association, the teachers union, decried the board’s PERC request for fact finding as “delay tactics.” “Battle Ground School District leaders have relinquished their responsibility to their students, parents, the community and their employees,” President Linda Peterson said. “BGSD leaders have punted their obligations to the Public Employees Relations Commission. The administration’s decision to request fact finding is so infuriating. After more than three months of bargaining, they continue to stonewall our efforts to negotiate a fair settlement.”

► In the Daily News — Longview teachers receive 9% pay raise, return to work

LOCAL

► From The Hill — ‘Raise the wage’ advocates have reason for optimism (by Carl Nadler, Sylvia Allegretto and Michael Reich) — We found that, so far, the new minimum wage policies are working just as intended — they are raising the earnings of low-wage workers without causing statistically significant employment losses. In particular, consider the average restaurant in a city like Seattle that had paid their employees about $400 a week. Our findings indicate the workers received an extra $16 to $32 a week after the city raised the minimum wage to $13 in 2016 from $9.47 a year earlier.

ALSO at The Stand — No job loss from higher minimum wages, report finds

► In today’s (Everett) Herald — Union: Stop Swift bus at city limit to save Everett routes — As Everett Transit faces a budget shortfall, ATU Local 883 representing bus drivers says terminating a cost-sharing agreement with Community Transit could avoid proposed cuts to service.

► In today’s Daily World — Grays Harbor College approves 3 percent pay raise for faculty — Faculty at Grays Harbor College will receive a 3 percent pay raise this year, after the college’s Board of Trustees agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with its faculty union last Friday.

THIS WASHINGTON

► In today’s (Everett) Herald — Secure funding for light rail that voters approved (editorial) — State lawmakers can consider an adjustment to the ST3 tax package, but full funding of the project is key.

► From CrossCut — You can save millions on your property taxes — if you’re rich — For property owners in King County who are upset with their tax bills, there are two options: grit their teeth and pay it or appeal the value of their real-estate to the assessor’s office. But the process for doing so can be intimidating. As a result, the yearly list of appellants skews wealthy and corporate — commercial businesses, wealthy homeowners, and the largest landlord of single family homes in the country. Small businesses and more modest homeowners, on the other hand are less likely to do so.

► In today’s (Everett) Herald — In legal fight with AG, cost of contempt is rising for Eyman — On Friday, a Thurston County Superior Court judge doubled the fine levied against Tim Eyman for not providing financial records sought as part of a civil suit accusing him of illegally profiting from political activities in 2012.

THAT WASHINGTON

► In today’s NY Times — Democrats are credible on health care (by Paul Krugman) — Democrats have earned a lot of credibility on health care: They delivered what they promised, and they have showed that they can build systems that work. Republicans, on the other hand, aren’t just lying about their health plans — pretending, for example, to protect people with pre-existing conditions when they aren’t. They’ve also been utterly wrong about everything, and have learned nothing from their mistakes.

NATIONAL

► In today’s Washington Post — Hurricane watches issued as ‘extremely dangerous’ Florence churns toward Carolinas — The National Hurricane Center predicts the storm could strengthen to nearly Category 5 intensity. Watches have been issued from Edisto Beach, S.C., northward to the North Carolina-Virginia border. More than 1.5 million people have already been ordered to evacuate.

► In today’s (Everett) Herald — As hurricane nears, Boeing suspends assembly in SC

► In The Times of Northwest Indiana — U.S. Steel potentially faces ‘largest work stoppage since 1986’ — The United Steelworkers union is accusing U.S. Steel of “playing a dangerous game of chicken with the markets, steelworkers and America,” as the possibility of the largest strike in more than three decades looms over ongoing contract talks. U.S. Steel employees across the country voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike as the USW and U.S. Steel return to the bargaining table. The company has proposed a six-year contract it said would mean stability for families, a slight increase to 401(k) plans and a raise of 4 percent in the first year and 3 percent in each of the next two years.

► In today’s Chicago Tribune — Dirty rooms, check-in delays, managers changing the sheets: Downtown strike puts hotels in a bind — As a strike against 25 downtown Chicago hotels entered its fourth day on Monday, managers at some locations were scrambling to keep operations running and guests were complaining about dirty rooms and check-in delays.
Kristian Hulgard, in town from Dallas for the International Manufacturing Technology Show, said it took him eight hours to check into his room at the Palmer House Hilton. The hotel offered free drinks and food to compensate for the trouble, but once he did get in, around midnight, he discovered the room had not been cleaned.

► From GeekWire — Years after patenting the concept, Amazon admits putting workers in a cage would be a bad idea

NEVER FORGET

In memory of Sophia Buruwa Addo, @unitehere100 member, and all who died on #September11. UNITE HERE lost 43 union siblings who died while working at Windows on the World restaurant on top of the World Trade Center North Tower. #1u https://t.co/6QjWpke3Lk pic.twitter.com/anyyu9eF1K

— UNITE HERE #1Job (@unitehere) September 11, 2018

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