DAILY NEWS
Swedish clock ticks ● Tower crane safety ● Trump on ‘trial’
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
LOCAL
► From My Edmonds News — “The parties are too far apart”: Swedish heath care workers give notice of planned strike Jan 28-30 — In a roundtable briefing, nurses and caregivers of SEIU Healthcare 1199 NW at Swedish-Providence announced they were delivering a 10-day notice of intent to strike Jan. 28-30 “if proposals adequately addressing patient safety and staffing levels are not forthcoming.” Four Swedish Medical Center nurses and caregivers represented by SEIU shared their experiences of patient safety and workplace issues at Swedish. You can watch the recording of the livestream here.
The Stand (Jan. 17, 2020) — SEIU 1199NW plans Jan. 28-30 strike at Swedish-Providence — Swedish-Providence nurses and healthcare workers intend to strike Jan. 28-30 if proposals adequately addressing patient safety and staffing levels are not forthcoming.
► From KING 5 — Seattle restaurateur seeks tip credit penalty after minimum wage hike — Several leaders in Seattle’s restaurant industry want to see a tip credit implemented to combat increased costs from a higher minimum wage.
► In today’s (Everett) Herald — Kaiser Permanente buys Everett sites for ‘world-class’ facility — Kaiser Permanente has closed on the purchase of three properties adjoining a medical facility in Everett’s Riverside neighborhood, paving the way for a previously announced expansion that will triple the non-profit health-care provider’s footprint near Pacific Avenue and I-5.
BOEING
► In today’s (Everett) Herald — Boeing has reached out to retirees to maintain the 737 MAX — Hundreds of Boeing workers are responsible for looking after the airplanes being stored at the company’s Moses Lake test facility, including a cadre of retired employees who have returned to work under a deal allowing them to draw a paycheck and keep their pension benefits.
THIS WASHINGTON
► In today’s Seattle Times — As smaller Washington cities grapple with homelessness, Republicans take up the issue in the Legislature — In the 2020 legislative session, a Republican lawmaker wants to authorize a local sales tax increase to pay for homelessness programs. No, that’s not a typo.
THAT WASHINGTON
► From Politico — Supreme Court won’t hear Obamacare case before election — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Democrats’ plea to consider a high-stakes legal challenge that could kill the Affordable Care Act, punting a resolution in the politically fraught case until after the presidential election. In deciding to immediately stay out of the fray until after the election, the justices sided with the Trump administration and group of red states leading the challenge to the ACA. The lawsuit’s lingering threat exposes Trump to attacks that he is still trying to gut the law’s popular protections for people with preexisting conditions.
TRUMP ON “TRIAL”
► From Reuters — Democrats blast McConnell’s rules for Trump impeachment trial in Senate — Democrats on Tuesday blasted the top Senate Republican’s proposed rules for U.S. President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, saying its failure to guarantee witnesses or that evidence gathered by investigators would be allowed into the record was tantamount to rigging the proceedings.
► In today’s NY Times — ‘Constitutional nonsense’: Trump’s impeachment defense defies legal consensus — The president’s legal case would negate any need for witnesses. But constitutional scholars say that it’s wrong.
► From Politico — Poll: Most Americans want Trump removed from office by Senate — Fifty-one percent of respondents to the CNN poll want the Senate to convict Trump on the impeachment charges brought by the House, which would lead to his immediate expulsion from office. Meanwhile, 45 percent of respondents said they don’t want to see him removed.
NATIONAL
► In today’s Washington Post — Gig economy bills move forward in other blue states, after California clears the way — Legislators in three other states with Democratic majorities, New York, New Jersey and Illinois, are considering similar bills that could open the door for a wide range of freelance workers. The bills would benefit not just app gig workers but janitors, construction workers, truckers and educational workers. Advocates say the bills would crack down on a culture of rampant misclassification fostered by companies whose business model depends on apps like Uber, Lyft and DoorDash.
The Stand (Jan. 6, 2020) — New report: Misclassification costs Washington workers, state — The number of employers engaging in worker misclassification in Washington state has risen substantially over the last 10 years. Misclassification has resulted in the denial of pay and benefits for tens of thousands of workers as well as millions of dollars in lost revenue, according to a new study from researchers with Harvard Law School’s Labor and Worklife Program.
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.