DAILY NEWS
‘Appalling’ opposition to I-1000/R88 ● Costs of I-976 ● Unions winning
Monday, October 21, 2019
ELECTION
► Here at The Stand — Got your ballot? See labor’s endorsements
► In The Olympian — The Olympian endorses Referendum 88 — If you vote yes for Referendum 88, you will be in good company: Its supporters include former Republican Governor Dan Evans, former Democratic governors Gary Locke and Christine Gregoire, the Washington State Labor Council, the Washington Education Association, and a host of other community leaders, media, and organizations.
► In the (Everett) Herald — R-88 assures best students, workers aren’t overlooked (by Dr. Adam Jonas) — As a physician, I see patients in the hospital who need high quality and high-tech care to survive. Innovation drives our health care industry to improve patients’ quality of life and help patients get well and stay well. But innovation can only happen when the brightest minds are at the table. That’s one of many reasons why we at Kaiser Permanente support Referendum 88; our state needs key talent and ideas from every community.
► In the Tri-City Herald — Vote no on Eyman’s I-976. It will devastate the Tri-Cities (by Nickolas Bumpaous and Joel Bouchey) — I-976 hits us where it really hurts: jobs and commerce. Our state’s raw materials, agricultural goods and manufactured products depend on effective traffic corridors. Exports support millions of Washington state families, which is why transportation cuts will slow traffic and our economy. For these reasons and more, our region’s business, labor and environmental leaders have all come together to oppose I-976. It threatens our economy and our environment. It’s just too big a risk. Say yes to mobility and strong communities by voting NO on I-976.
► In the (Everett) Herald — Costs of I-976 would be too great to bear (editorial) — Approval of I-976 would save most vehicle owners some money each year when they renew their tabs. But that savings would quickly be eaten up by the cost of longer commutes, greater wear and tear from bad roads, lost jobs from delayed or canceled construction projects and lost economic opportunities from businesses unwilling to expose employees or their goods and services to more congestion. I-976 is not worth it. Vote no.
► In today’s Seattle Times — Cities try to prepare for potential ‘massive impact’ if car-tab fees slashed by Initiative 976 — I-976 aims to repeal local authority to charge car-tab fees collected through transportation benefit districts. In cities across the state, those fees are used for paving, pothole repair, sidewalk construction and other projects.
LOCAL
► From the Columbian — Burgerville union announces strike — Members of the Burgerville union announced they will strike at an undisclosed time next week after contract negotiations with Burgerville USA broke down on Friday. The union spans five locations in Oregon and none in Vancouver. Union members also plan to camp overnight on Thursday at Burgerville’s corporate office in Vancouver, at 109 W. 17th St.
► In the Oregonian — Burgerville union forms picket line in Portland after contract talks fail — Burgerville Workers Union marched to the fast food chain’s Hawthorne location in Portland on Saturday and set up a picket line around the restaurant’s perimeter for about two hours.
BOEING
► In the Washington Post — Messages show Boeing employees knew in 2016 of problems that turned deadly on the 737 MAX — Mark A. Forkner, then chief technical pilot for Boeing’s 737 who had a major role in the Max, wrote: “So I basically lied to the regulators (unknowingly).”
► In today’s Seattle Times — Boeing denies pilot messaging chat shows prior knowledge of 737 MAX flight control problem — Boeing insisted Forkner’s “comments reflected a reaction to a simulator program that was not functioning properly,” as opposed to a flawed system design.
THIS WASHINGTON
ALSO sat The Stand — WSLC endorses Carolyn Long for Congress in 3rd District
EDITOR’S NOTE — SImmons was part of a Campaigns for Social Justice panel at the 2019 WSLC Convention.
THAT WASHINGTON
► From ARS Technica — Senators propose near-total ban on worker noncompete agreements — A bipartisan pair of senators has introduced legislation to drastically limit the use of noncompete agreements across the U.S. economy. “Noncompete agreements stifle wage growth, career advancement, innovation, and business creation,” argued Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.). He said that the legislation, co-sponsored with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), would “empower our workers and entrepreneurs so they can freely apply their talents where their skills are in greatest demand.”
► In today’s NY Times — Why Trump dropped his idea to hold the G7 at his own hotel — He knew Democrats would criticize him. When Republicans started doing so, he changed his mind.
NATIONAL
► In today’s Detroit News — UAW-GM strike day 36: Members reviewing contract details — The 48,000 members of the United Auto Workers remain on strike as they review the details of a tentative agreement with General Motors Co. Monday is the 36th day of one of the longest strikes against GM in history and marks six weeks since the union members left assembly lines for picket lines. UAW leaders voted to keep members out on strike while they review details and vote on the tentative plan. Members across 55 GM facilities in 19 states are supposed to turn their ballots in by Friday, Oct. 25.
► In the Washington Post — The GM strike is one of the largest in decades. Other unions say it is inspiring them. — The strike is part of an uptick in workplace organizing in recent years, raising hopes that unions could end their decades-long slide.
► From the Morning Call — Striking Mack Trucks workers irked after company cuts their health care plans — Striking Mack Trucks workers are expressing frustration after the company cut their medical coverage, something employees say they didn’t realize had happened until they tried to pick up a prescription or visit a doctor’s office.
► In the NY Post — Amazon workers ‘forced to go back to work’ after fellow employee dies on shift — An Amazon worker in apparent cardiac arrest was lying on the floor of a warehouse for 20 minutes before anyone noticed, according to a report. Billy Foister, 48, who scanned and stocked shelves for the internet giant, collapsed at an Etna, Ohio, facility just a week after he’d visited a medical clinic complaining of chest pains and a headache. He was given two beverages to combat dehydration and sent back to work, the Guardian reported. Foister’s brother, Edward, told the paper he was shocked his brother was on the floor dying for so long before an Amazon floor monitor spotted him. “How can you not see a 6-foot-3-inch man laying on the ground and not help him within 20 minutes? A couple of days before, he put the wrong product in the wrong bin and within two minutes, management saw it on camera and came down to talk to him about it,” Edward Foister said.
► From Vox — Google’s attempt to shut down a unionization meeting just riled up its employees — A group of dozens of full-time Google employees at the company’s largest European office, which is located in Zurich, Switzerland, met to discuss unionization on Monday in defiance of their employer’s attempt to cancel the meeting. The tensions surrounding this meeting reflect Google’s growing struggles with employee discontent over workplace issues that go beyond just labor organizing.
► From HuffPost — Worker injured in deadly Hard Rock Hotel collapse now faces deportation — The Honduran is part of a lawsuit with other construction workers who are seeking damages for their injuries sustained from the tragic accident in New Orleans.
TODAY’S MUST-READ
EDITOR’S NOTE — Had “enough” yet? If you’re tired of being disrespected at work, maybe it’s time for form a union. Find out more 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.