DAILY NEWS
NO on I-976 ● ‘Historic’ grocery contract ● Dennis loses a title
Monday, October 14, 2019
ELECTION
► In the Seattle Times — Vote no on I-976, which will slow our traffic and the economy (by Larry Brown, Steve Mullin Alex Hudson) — This isn’t just about commute times, it’s also about jobs. Huge amounts of raw materials, agricultural goods and manufactured products move via roads and railways. That’s why our state’s business, labor and environmental leaders have all come together to oppose I-976. We agree that I-976 threatens our economy and our environment. It is far too costly.
► In the (Vancouver) Columbian — We can’t afford the savings I-976 would bring (editorial) — Initiative 976 on the Nov. 5 statewide ballot imagines a fantasy world in which Washington’s highways, roads and bridges either come without cost or are already and forevermore complete. Instead, an adequate and efficient transportation system that is the foundation of the state’s economy depends on funding from vehicle fees that would be gutted by I-976. The Columbian’s Editorial Board recommends a “no” vote on the measure.
► In the (Vancouver) Columbian — I-976: Cities stand to lose transportation dollars
ALSO TODAY at The Stand — I-1000 opponents linked to racist hate group — Backers of I-1000 call upon opponents to denounce their affiliation with Proud Boys hate group, national Trump-affiliated anti-rights organization, and end use of racially charged language.
LOCAL
► In the (Longview) Daily News — Grocery workers ratify ‘historic’ contract with Fred Meyer, Safeway — A “sizable majority” of members in a regional grocery workers union ratified a contract with Fred Meyer and other stores late Friday night, ending a 16-month period of sometimes tense negotiations, according to union officials. The three-year contract guarantees employees a minimum 20-hour work week, provides wage increases for all workers and “aims toward” closing a perceived gender pay gap, said UFCW Local 555 spokeswoman Kelley McAllister. The union, which represents about 18,000 grocery workers in Oregon and Southwest Washington, also didn’t lose any ground in negotiations, she said.
► In the Columbian — New I-5 Bridge project: Here we go, again … again — Officials stay positive about second effort, but divisive issues remain from failed Columbia River Crossing.
THIS WASHINGTON
► In the Spokesman-Review — Spokane judge blocks Trump rule restricting immigration for people who need government help — The Trump administration proposed a tightening of the definition of a public charge that would allow denying the application for permanent residence to anyone who receives public benefits for more than 12 months in a three-year period. U.S. District Court Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against those changes Friday.
BOEING
THAT WASHINGTON
► In today’s Washington Post — In China, talk of ‘progress’ and a ‘result,’ but no mention of any trade deal with U.S. — One word has been suspiciously absent from China’s media coverage of the trade talks with the U.S. over the past few days: deal. There has been a “result,” there has been “progress,” but there has been no “deal.” Beijing’s version of recent events stands in sharp contrast to the way Trump has described them.
► An impeachment update from the Washington Post — Trump renews call to unmask whistleblower; House GOP decries ‘clown show’ as another witness testifies — Trump renewed his call to unmask the whistleblower whose complaint sparked an impeachment inquiry, and he took issue with a suggestion by a leading Democrat that the anonymous U.S. intelligence official may not be called to testify in person before Congress.
► From The Hill — Backlash erupts at video depicting Trump killing media, critics
NATIONAL
► In today’s Detroit Free Press — Here is what’s been settled and what remains in play in GM-UAW talks — By early Monday morning, three main sticking points remained between General Motors and UAW negotiators as they pushed to close in on a new tentative contract.
► From Reuters — UAW boosts strike pay as GM walkout continues — The union will boost strike pay for 48,000 hourly GM workers by $25 a week to $275 as a strike against the largest U.S. automaker nears the end of its fourth week.
► From The Morning Call — Mack workers go on strike, begin picketing Sunday morning — About 3,500 Mack Trucks employees (UAW) in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Florida went on strike Saturday night for the first time in 35 years.
► From PR Newswire — Thousands to strike against ASARCO’s Unfair Labor Practices — The United Steelworkers (USW) said that about 2,000 hourly workers at five ASARCO LLC, locations in Arizona and Texas voted overwhelmingly to strike against unfair labor practices rather than to accept the Grupo México subsidiary’s so-called “last, best and final” offer.
► From The Guardian — Workers making £88 Lululemon leggings claim they are beaten — Lululemon, an athleisure brand whose £88 leggings are worn by celebrities and Instagram influencers, are sourcing clothing from a factory where Bangladeshi female factory workers claim they are beaten and physically assaulted.
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.