DAILY NEWS
Trump’s shutdown ● Tax cuts reduced income ● More teacher strikes ahead
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
TRUMP’S SHUTDOWN
ALSO at The Stand — AFGE sues feds over ‘inhumane’ shutdown, work without pay
► From AFGE — Largest federal employee union praises House effort to reopen government, raise federal pay
► Today from Reuters — White House calls Democrats’ plan to end shutdown ‘non-starter’
► From IFPTE — Shutdown places unnecessary burden on highly-skilled professionals
► From Time — Trump said federal workers support shutdown. Not true, say unions representing hundreds of thousands.
► In the Washington Post — Trump claims without evidence that ‘most of the people not getting paid’ in partial government shutdown are Democrats
► In the News Tribune — ‘A total joke.’ In the shadow of Mount Rainier, it’s hard to find a fan of the government shutdown (by Matt Driscoll) — While much of the media coverage of the ongoing government shutdown has understandably focused on the impact the budget dispute has on thousands of federal employees, small business owners in places like Elbe and Ashford feel like the toll it’s taking on them isn’t being appreciated.
► From The Columbian — Dozens of employees furloughed at refuges, parks in region
LOCAL
► In the Seattle Times — State appeals court strikes down Seattle’s hotel-worker rights law, citing faulty ballot measure — The court found the measure violated a rule that says initiatives put before the voters can cover only one subject. “We couldn’t disagree more strongly with the Court of Appeals decision and will be working with the city to ensure that the will of Seattle voters is upheld and the needs of Seattle hotel workers are met,” said UNITE HERE Local 8 spokeswoman Abby Lawlor.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Didn’t get a raise? Get a union! Get more information about how you can join together with co-workers and negotiate a fair return for your hard work. Or go ahead and contact a union organizer today!
THIS WASHINGTON
ALSO at The Stand — New year brings family-friendly policies — Washington’s lowest-paid workers just got a raise, and all employers and employees in the state have begun building a groundbreaking paid family and medical leave program, thanks to state laws that took effect on New Years Day. The changes were the result of an initiative and legislation strongly supported by the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, plus many of its affiliated unions and community partners.
► In today’s Seattle Times — With a price tag of $900 million, Washington state will soon take over all school employee health care plans — A lot of behind-the-scenes work needs to happen before workers and their families– as many as 300,000 individuals — know what monthly premiums they can expect to pay.
► In the (Everett) Herald — Eyman bankruptcy filing stalls state campaign-finance suit — The move stopped state attorneys in their tracks in the high-profile case. Under federal law, a bankruptcy filing triggers an automatic stay of civil proceedings against a debtor. The attorney general is seeking a judicial order to continue the litigation over alleged violations.
THAT WASHINGTON
► From The Hill — Appeals court says Obama-era ‘joint employment’ labor test too broad — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in a 2-1 ruling found the NLRB did not properly define the type of “indirect control” over working conditions that would make companies joint employers of franchise and contract workers.
► From The Hill — Lobbyists gear up for critical year on trade — Trump is ratcheting up pressure on Congress to pass the revised trade deal with Mexico and Canada. The administration will also be pushing ahead on trade talks with China. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a 90-day ceasefire on any new tariffs in December, but tensions are rising over other issues such as intellectual property theft.
NATIONAL
► From the Republican Standard — Lawmaker files bill to repeal Virginia’s ‘right-to-work’ law — Virginia’s House of Delegates will consider legislation repealing the state’s 72-year-old “Right-to-Work” law during the 2019 legislative session, beginning next month.
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.