DAILY NEWS
Boeing gets friendly ● HB 1888 advances ● More terror from ICE
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
LOCAL
► From the AP — What is the most deadly occupation in Washington state? — Transportation incidents accounted for 34% of the 86 fatal occupational injuries suffered in the Evergreen state in 2018, according to the BLS. Violence and other injuries caused by people or animals represented 23% of the fatal workplace incidents, falls slips and trips accounted for 20% and contact with objects and equipment created 15% of the fatalities. All other causes represented only 8%.
BOEING
The Stand (Feb. 14) — SPEEA members will vote on contract extension with Boeing
THIS WASHINGTON
The Stand (Jan. 24) — Protect public employee privacy, safety by passing HB 1888
► In today’s (Everett) Herald — Why are nurses so overworked at Providence Everett? (letter) — My mother was a registered nurse and she never would have believed how conditions are today. These are devoted, caring medical professionals. Some light needs to be shed on what is really going on there.
ALSO TODAY at The Stand — We need healthcare transparency, oversight — SHB 2036, which passed the House on Sunday, would shed light on what is driving skyrocketing hospital costs.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Fun Fact: According to 24/7 Wall St., Washington also ranks 7th in its list of Most Tax-Friendly States for the Rich.
► In the Olympian — State Senate honors U.S. Rep. Denny Heck for career that began in the Legislature — State Sen. Sam Hunt (D-Olympia), who sponsored the resolution honoring Heck, said he “has been a real public servant for over 45 years for the state of Washington, from the Legislature, to the governor’s office, to Evergreen State College, and to Congress, where he has served very valuably and ably.”
The Stand (Dec. 5, 2019) — WSLC’s Brown: Heck has served ‘with honor and distinction’
THAT WASHINGTON
EDITOR’S NOTE — Merriam-Webster defines “terrorism” as the systematic use of violence or the threat of violence used as a weapon of intimidation or coercion.
► In today’s Washington Post — Federal judges reportedly call emergency meeting in wake of Stone case intervention — The extraordinary move follows Trump’s tweets about the Roger Stone case and U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson.
NATIONAL
EDITOR’S NOTE — Insecure at work? Experience the power of solidarity. Get 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!
► In the SF Chronicle — Safeway workers cancel contract, may strike in Northern California — The union representing 14,000 Safeway workers from Eureka to Monterey canceled its contract with the grocery chain after negotiating for a year and a half and is pushing to strike, although the company hopes to avert that outcome.
► From WAMU — Giant, Safeway workers float possible strike in the D.C. region — Safeway and Giant workers in the D.C. area say they could announce a strike vote on Wednesday if contract negotiations with their employers do not change course. Such a move would include about 25,000 workers at more than 280 grocery stores in the region.
► From the Courier — North Carolina workers are fed up with the state’s $7.25 minimum wage — In 2019, Democratic lawmakers introduced at least seven bills to raise the state’s minimum wage, but not a single one received a committee hearing, let alone a vote, in the Republican-controlled legislature. Now, workers are sharing their stories at church hearings, calling on the state to raise its minimum hourly wage from $7.25 to $15, at events organized by Raising Wages NC and Fight for $15.
► From The Hill — States, cities rethink tax incentives after Amazon HQ2 backlash — Studies in retrospect show many of those deals rarely work out, either because the company does not deliver the promised jobs or because the promised residual economic growth never materializes.
TODAY’S MUST-SEE
► From PBS — “You’re just disposable”: Former Amazon workers speak out — In interviews with FRONTLINE for a new documentary, former Amazon employees who worked in the company’s fulfillment centers describe a work environment in which they felt pressured to pick and pack items at productivity rates they say are “unrealistic.”
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.