Friday, May 31, 2019

LOCAL

► In the Vancouver Sun — Vancouver, BC port workers, association reach agreement — The ILWU said Thursday the deal was reached after all-night bargaining with the B.C. Maritime Employers Association. About 6,500 longshore workers at ports from Metro Vancouver to Prince Rupert had already begun setting up picket lines after longshore workers were locked out Thursday morning.

► In today’s (Everett) Herald — Transit CEO promises Everett will get its light rail on time — Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff assured the Everett City Council that the light rail extension due to arrive in the city in 2036 won’t be held up by other projects in the system.

► From KNKX — Company plans expansion of Northwest Detention Center, but no new beds — GEO’s plan includes new “multipurpose spaces” for detainees to congregate for activities, areas for “support staff” and “medical support,” a parking garage and additional parking spaces. They would add to the detention center’s existing 120,500-square-foot complex on Tacoma’s tideflats.

BOEING

► In the Bothell Reporter — Boeing says decision on new airplane will come this year — In the company’s first definitive statement on the timing of a decision since the 737 Max crisis began in March, the Boeing Co. plans to decide by the end of the year whether to offer an all-new airplane. Aerospace analysts are uncertain how Boeing will proceed with a decision on the new “middle-market” airplane, informally dubbed the 797.

ALSO at The Stand:

Washington #1 state (by far) to build new Boeing jet, study says (June 7, 2018)

Washington ranked #1 (again) for aerospace manufacturing (Sept. 13, 2018)

► From CNBC — United CEO says he’s not sure travelers will want to fly a Boeing 737 Max — even after a fix — “We will be incredibly communicative to all our customers and very transparent when that aircraft comes back,” said United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz. “The first and foremost objective is to not assume everyone will want to fly, or assume everyone will get over it.”

THIS WASHINGTON

► In today’s Spokesman-Review — ‘Gigantic expansion’ of Washington’s State Need Grant means free college for poorest students — Under a new system that raises taxes on about one-fifth of Washington businesses, many more low-income students will benefit from the State Need Grant – rebranded as the Washington College Grant – starting in 2020. There will be no wait list for those who qualify, so students won’t need to rush to get ahead of other students. Some will effectively get free rides at public colleges.

► In today’s Oregonian — After shaky start, Oregon House passes PERS reform — In an emotional vote on the House floor Thursday, lawmakers approved legislative leaders’ controversial bill to rein in escalating pension costs on a 31-to-29 vote after initially voting the bill down 29-to-31. the cause of Thursday’s drama was the bill’s controversial employee cost-sharing provisions, which redirects a portion of the retirement contributions employees currently make to a supplemental 401K-like savings plan. Currently, Oregon is one of only two states that don’t require employees to contribute to their pension benefits.

THAT WASHINGTON

► In today’s NY Times — Trump says U.S. will hit Mexico with 5% tariffs on all goods — Trump said that he would impose a 5 percent tariff on all imported goods from Mexico beginning June 10, a tax that would “gradually increase” until the flow of undocumented immigrants across the border stopped.

► In today’s Washington Post — Lawmakers express alarm as Trump forges ahead with Mexico tariffs — U.S. lawmakers expressed alarm at the potential economic fallout from Trump’s plan to quickly impose import penalties on all Mexican goods, part of a widening backlash to the White House’s surprise announcement.

► From Politico — GOP senators warn Trump’s Mexico tariffs could blow up trade deal — Republicans are warning Trump that he could sabotage his hopes of a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico if he follows through on plans to impose harsh new tariffs on the latter country.

► From The Hill — Stocks sink after Trump announces tariffs on Mexico

► In today’s NY Times — Tariffs, Mr. Trump’s miracle cure (editorial) — The president appears to view tariffs as the solution to a wide range of foreign policy problems. It isn’t working.

► From Politico — How President Inslee would address immigration

► From Think Progress — Trump takes aim at firefighting jobs with largest federal cut in a decade — The Trump administration is planning to cut over a thousand jobs — including many wildland firefighting jobs — in what’s thought to be the largest federal jobs cut in a decade. The move comes ahead of another wildfire season and amid threatened halts to financial assistance following deadly fires last year.

► From HuffPost — Harvard constitutional law professor unloads on ‘flagrant dickhead’ Mitch McConnell — Laurence Tribe used a blistering tweet to accuse the Republican Senate majority leader of hypocrisy over his plans to fill any Supreme Court vacancy next year.

NATIONAL

► In the Press-Enterprise — UFCW says first contract offer from big three grocers ‘unacceptable’ — The union that represents workers at Southern California’s three major supermarket chains on Friday strongly criticized the grocers’ first comprehensive contract offer, calling it “unacceptable” and making its first veiled threat of a possible work stoppage.

► From the Intercept — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s office is working with Volkswagen to crush a union drive — The governor’s office has been secretly assisting Volkswagen’s efforts to defeat the United Auto Workers organizing drive in Chattanooga, according to emails obtained through the state’s public records law.

EDITOR’S NOTE — Based on past practice, Governor Lee should get rewarded with a lucrative seat on VW’s board of directors. Sweet!

T.G.I.F.

► Happy 55th birthday to Darryl McDaniels of the legendary hip-hop trio RUN-D.M.C.  A notoriously heavy drinker during the band’s heyday in the 1980s, Daryl began feeling depressed and suicidal. But in 1997, he heard Sarah McLachlan’s song “Angel” on the radio and it inspired him to reassess his life and career. He began work on his autobiography and found out, for the first time, that he had been adopted. Since then he has fought for adult adoptees to have access to their original birth certificates and was presented with the Congressional Angels in Adoption Award for his work with children in foster care and promotion of adoption.

But in this classic video, he’s just teaching Penn and Teller some moves.

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