NEWS ROUNDUP
Baby Camila! ● ‘Colossal mistake’ on NAFTA 2.0 ● Alaska vs. unions
Thursday, October 10, 2019
LOCAL
► In today’s News Tribune — UNFI plans to fight ruling in contract dispute with Tacoma distribution workers –The gradual ending of operations at the Tacoma UNFI grocery distribution site has been the center of an arbitration battle between workers and the company. On Monday, the workers won that battle, but that victory was short-lived. On Wednesday, UNFI announced that it planned to fight the arbitration decision in federal court.
ALSO at The Stand — Teamsters win big ruling in UNFI relocation to Centralia
► In today’s News Tribune — Judge won’t dismiss case on wages of immigrant detainees — Washington state’s effort to force a privately run immigration jail to pay its detainees minimum wage for work they perform can continue after all, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
► In the Wenatchee World — Okanogan County sued for unlawful immigration hold — A North Central Washington woman has accused the Okanogan County Jail of unlawfully detaining her at the request of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
► And then there’s this…
Thrilled to share the good news: Camila Elena Valdes-Mosqueda is here, happy and healthy! Many of you have sent well wishes and advice through my pregnancy. Thank you again for your notes and support! https://t.co/MYv4gvis5x #newmama #BabyCamila pic.twitter.com/zHszpsRQeZ
— Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda (@CMTMosqueda) October 9, 2019
BOEING
► From Bloomberg — Cracks found on 5% of older Boeing 737 planes in inspections — More than 5% of older Boeing Co. 737 jets that underwent urgent inspections worldwide in the past week have cracks in a structure connecting the wings to the fuselage and will have to be temporarily grounded.
THIS WASHINGTON
► In today’s (Longview) Daily News — Ecology pauses Kalama methanol permit decision — A key permit decision for the proposed Kalama methanol project is on hold after the state Department of Ecology announced Wednesday it is pausing its review to ask for more information.
► In today’s (Everett) Herald — A boring election for state seats in 2020? Try nine of them (by Jerry Cornfield) — Nine of the most powerful political jobs in Washington will be filled by voters in 2020, but next year is shaping up to be one of the least competitive election cycles for these jobs in awhile. To be frank, it could be boring.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
ALSO at The Stand:
Without fixes, AFL-CIO must oppose the new NAFTA (Sept. 17)
Making sense of NAFTA and its replacement (by Stan Sorscher, June 10)
► BREAKING from the Washington Post — Trump to meet with top Chinese official as trade talks reach critical stage — Top White House officials met with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on Thursday as Trump signaled that a trade agreement may follow, buoying U.S. stock markets after a chaotic 12 hours. The highly anticipated trade talks have spawned a rush of conflicting reports about whether the negotiations would spur progress or be cut short.
► From Jacobin — Trump’s assault on labor — Unsurprisingly, the Trump administration’s first term has failed working people. Besides not delivering on certain grand promises, he has managed to launch a multifaceted assault on the labor movement that is achieving what many Republicans and neoliberal Democrats have been wanting for years with the help of the Supreme Court, the NLRB, executive orders, and deregulation.
IMPEACHMENT
► In today’s Washington Post — Only hyperpartisanship will save Trump (by E.J. Dionne) — Assuming the House votes for impeachment, Trump needs 34 senators to block his removal from office… it’s why nasty, angry hyperpartisanship will be at the heart of everything he does from now on.
► In today’s Washington Post — Trump returns to the campaign trail as another poll shows support for his ouster is growing — The president is holding a rally for the first time since House Democrats launched an impeachment inquiry.
NATIONAL
► In today’s Detroit Free Press — Key sticking point: GM and UAW at odds over what will be made in America — For the 46,000 UAW members in the fourth week of nationwide strike against GM, a promise that the company will build upcoming vehicles in U.S. plants equals job security. The two sides negotiated throughout the day Wednesday. The were expected to recess in the evening and resume Thursday morning.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Want fair pay and affordable health care? Form a union! Find out 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!
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.