DAILY NEWS
Which side are you on? ● Historic LGBTQ win ● Dear CEOs…
Monday, June 15, 2020
LOCAL
► LIVE from the Seattle Times — Coronavirus daily news update, June 15 — The latest count of COVID-19 cases in Washington totals 25,834 infections (7-day average of new infections per day: 295) and 1,217 deaths (7-day average of deaths per day: 7)
► From the Seattle Times — UW Medicine shuts down psychiatric unit amid financial shortfall — UW Medicine will close Seven North, a psychiatric facility at UW Medicine — Montlake, laying off staffers and reducing the number of inpatient beds available to those in need of care amid the state’s mental health crisis. The Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA), which represents Seven North nurses, issued a statement calling for UW Medicine to “reverse course and re-open this facility.” Negotiations over layoffs will begin Monday, said Heather Vargas-Lyon, a nurse who will participate in bargaining.
TODAY at The Stand — WSNA urges UWMC to reopen ‘critical lifeline’ psychiatric unit
► From the (Everett) Herald — Child care services are in limbo as the reopening commences — Local child care centers are facing uncertain futures. Some, in dire financial straits, could be forced to close their doors. And those that remain open must navigate a host of unknowns.
► From the Tri-City Herald — COVID cases reported in Hanford, PNNL workers. But no outbreaks declared
► From the Daily World — Grays Harbor County revenue lags, reductions being considered
► From the Seattle Times — Seattle coronavirus survivor gets a $1.1 million, 181-page hospital bill (by Danny Westneat) — Michael Flor said he’s hyper-aware that somebody is paying his million-dollar bill — taxpayers, other insurance customers and so on. “Fears of socialism” have always stopped us from guaranteeing full health care for everyone, he said. But there’s also the gold-plated costs here, twice as expensive per capita as anywhere else in the world. “It was a million bucks to save my life, and of course I’d say that’s money well-spent,” he says. “But I also know I might be the only one saying that.”
► From the Seattle Times — C’mon people, the West Seattle bridge is an emergency, act like it (by Phil Talmadge) — Before it shut down, 107,000 drivers and 25,000 transit riders a day relied on that corridor. Elected officials need to come together on a funding package now. Folks in West Seattle are having their lives disrupted, and it will get worse once we emerge from the pandemic.
POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY
The Stand (June 5) — MLK Labor demands changes from Seattle mayor, police union
► From the Seattle Times — After pouring money into police budget, Seattle faces a new reckoning — After years of pouring money into police training and accountability initiatives, city leaders face calls from protesters to dismantle SPD or cut its funding. That pressure is compounded by the coronavirus pandemic, which has created a vast hole in the city budget.
► From the Washington Post — Killing of black man in Atlanta puts spotlight anew on police, as prosecutors contemplate charges against officer — Atlanta’s top prosecutor said his office will decide this week whether to bring charges against the police officer who shot Rayshard Brooks, a black man whose killing outside a Wendy’s on Friday sparked a fresh wave of protests against police violence in the Southern city and added fuel to nationwide anger over racial injustice.
► From The Hill — Skepticism looms over police reform deal — Senators say reaching a deal won’t be easy, and some are already expressing skepticism given the deep differences underscored by competing proposals circulating around Capitol Hill.
THIS WASHINGTON
► From the Columbian — Educators rally in Vancouver in support of Black Lives Matter — The Washington Education Association, the state’s teacher union, encouraged its members to protest white supremacy and police brutality against black people. Locally, teachers gathered at several spots along Mill Plain Boulevard, waving signs in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Bill Beville, president of the Evergreen Education Association, said it’s no longer good enough for educators to be opposed to racism, but to actively work against racist practices in schools.
THAT WASHINGTON
► From Politico — Supreme Court could force Congress into battle over Dreamers — Yet lawmakers, facing a growing list of crises, may not have the bandwidth to help DACA recipients — especially in an election year.
► From Politico — Unions warn small business rescue changes will weaken paycheck protection — Damon Silvers of the AFL-CIO said he’s concerned that the changes “are going to lead to employers pocketing the money and not hiring, and not protecting anybody’s paycheck.”
► From Roll Call — Trump administration puts ‘hold’ on green card requests from U.S.
► From the Washington Post — GOP senator defends Trump’s Tulsa rally as health official warns it’s ‘a huge risk factor’ amid coronavirus spike
NATIONAL
► From Politico — Unions tap into burst of worker angst over coronavirus — “Maybe these workers will start to understand the value they have for society, because for decades they’ve been told they have no value and that they’re replaceable,” one union official said.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Your work has value and you deserve decent pay and safe working conditions. 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!
► From Reuters — Meatpacking workers often absent after Trump order to reopen — Nationwide, 30% to 50% of meatpacking employees were absent last week, said UFCW Vice President Mark Lauritsen. More than a dozen meatpacking workers, union leaders and advocates told Reuters that many employees still fear getting sick after losing confidence in management during coronavirus outbreaks in April and May. Absenteeism varies by plant, and exact data is not available, but some workers’ unwillingness to return poses a challenge to an industry still struggling to restore normal meat output.
► From Mother Jones — How did Europe avoid the COVID-19 catastrophe ravaging U.S. meatpacking plants?
► From the AP — Auto workers chief, prosecutor to discuss reforming the union — The head of the United Auto Workers will meet this month with the U.S. attorney in Detroit to discuss potential changes for the union following a wide-ranging corruption probe.
► From the Seattle Times — The stark racial inequity of personal finances in America (by Tara Siegel Bernard Ron Lieber) — Dollars are like air — crucial to vitality. And when it comes to wealth, Black Americans have less at nearly every juncture of life, from birth to death…An imbalance of societal power cannot be separated from cradle-to-grave economic inequality.
TODAY’S MUST-READ
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.