Tuesday, August 2, 2022

ELECTION

► From McClatchy — Ballots must be postmarked or placed in official ballot drop boxes by 8 p.m. Tuesday — Primary election ballots in Washington must be postmarked — not simply mailed — or placed in official ballot drop boxes by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2. Residents can register and vote until the polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day, but they must do so in person at the Auditor’s Office.

► From Crosscut — How — and why — to vote in today’s WA Primary Election — If your dog ate your ballot, you can still vote on Tuesday.

The Stand (Aug. 1) — There’s too much at stake to sit this one out (by Sarah Tucker) — Young workers: We need to vote like the well-being of our fellow workers depends on it.

EDITOR’S NOTE — Consider the 2022 Election Endorsements of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO as you fill out that primary election ballot and VOTE!

► From the Cascadia Daily News — Conservatives spend big to attack Shewmake in key Senate race — In its campaign against 42nd District state Senate candidate Rep. Sharon Shewmake (D-Bellingham), the “North Cascade Jobs PAC” has spent more than $126,000 on negative TV and digital ads.  The PAC’s only donor is another PAC, called simply Jobs PAC. Peeling back that layer reveals that Jobs PAC’s several donors include Marathon Petroleum, Koch Industries, Kroger, Walmart, Puget Sound Energy and political committees representing Realtors, farmers, contractors, hospitals and hotels.

► From the AP — Murray highlights abortion rights in bid for 6th Senate term — Patty Murray is running for a sixth term in the U.S. Senate and, if reelected, she’d join two former Democratic stalwarts as the longest serving senators from Washington state. Murray, 71, was first elected to the chamber in 1992 during the “Year of the Woman” and has aggressively promoted her support of abortion rights ahead of Tuesday’s primary.

► From the AP — Kansas first state to vote on abortion since Roe’s demise — Kansas on Tuesday will hold the nation’s first test of voter feelings about the recent Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, with people throughout the state deciding whether to allow their conservative Legislature to further restrict or ban abortion.

LOCAL

► From KIRO — Concrete truck drivers a no-show to work after failed negotiations with concrete companies — Teamsters Union Local 174 confirms with KIRO 7 that 174 concrete truck drivers did not show up to work after a secret ballot vote on Monday, stalling several projects in the area. Jamie Fleming with the union says it rejected the concrete companies’ offer 170-1, saying the offer still does not meet its members’ needs. The union says it has been under an expired contract with these companies for over a year now. Fleming said:

“The fact that these companies are not moving from a position that they know for a fact that has been told over and over and over again that this isn’t good enough. And they are not moving from that position. It’s just ridiculous and it’s offensive.”

TODAY at The Stand — Teamsters reject latest proposal from concrete companies

AEROSPACE

► From the Seattle Times — Boeing gets FAA clearance to restart 787 Dreamliner delivery — Boeing received preliminary U.S. regulatory clearance to restart deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner aircraft, paving the way for the end to a drought that drained cash and dented the planemaker’s reputation for quality. The jet manufacturer had largely halted deliveries since late 2020 as its engineers found improperly filled gaps in about 20 locations.

► From the PS Business Journal — Auburn Boeing supplier closes up shop, laying off 83 workers — Auburn-based sheet metal manufacturer Imaginetics LLC is closing its Washington operations and laying off 83 employees, effective immediately.

THAT WASHINGTON

► From the AFL-CIO — 8 ways the Inflation Reduction Act helps working people — 1. Negotiation of lower drug prices for seniors; 2. Inflation caps for prescription drugs; 3. Improved Medicare prescription benefits; 4. Preventing a premium spike for ACA enrollees; 5. Investment in climate, energy and American manufacturing; 6. Investing $80 billion in the IRS to strengthen enforcement; 7. Imposing a 15% minimum corporate tax on corporations with profits exceeding $1 billion; and 8. Closing the “carried interest” tax loophole.

► From The Hill — Economists say reconciliation bill will lower prices for all Americans — A group of more than 120 economists is backing the climate, health care and tax package that Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) will bring to a vote this week. They said the Inflation Reduction Act will reduce prices for American families while making “crucial” investments in energy and health care.

► From the NY Times — Analysis deems Biden’s climate and tax bill fiscally responsible — Despite Republican claims, the new legislation would be only a modest corporate tax increase, Congress’s Joint Committee on Taxation found.

► From The Hill — Democratic anxiety grows over Sinema’s silence — Senate Democrats are growing more anxious over maverick Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s (D-Ariz.) five-day silence on a sweeping proposal to reform the tax code, tackle climate change and reduce the federal deficit.

► From the Washington Post — Don’t sink this bill, Sen. Sinema (editorial) — Sinema shouldn’t sink this bill, most of whose contents she has indicated in the past that she supports.

► From Politico — Senate GOP backtracks after veterans bill firestorm — Senate Republicans are reversing course on a veterans health care bill, signaling they’ll now help it quickly move to President Joe Biden’s desk after weathering several days of intense criticism for delaying the legislation last week.

NATIONAL

► From WQAD — ‘We’re just looking for a fair contract’; railroad workers rally — More than a hundred people rallied Saturday in Galesburg, Illinois, to protest the working conditions for fright train workers across the country. The workers and unions have been negotiating with rail companies since late 2019. The freight train workers said they want higher wages, better hours and to be treated respectfully.

TODAY at The Stand — Sign petition of support for freight rail workers

► From NBC News — ‘Sending drivers out to die’: UPS workers demand heat safety amid record temps — Union representatives around the country say they’re worried about the number of UPS workers who have needed medical treatment for heat illness this summer.

► From The Hill — Most U.S. women would lose their savings after 8 weeks of unpaid maternity leave: survey — A new survey conducted among 1,000 employed women between the ages 18 and 44 found nearly 75 percent would deplete their cash savings after eight weeks of unpaid maternity leave, while more than half would consider taking out a personal loan to cover maternity leave expenses.

► From the Guardian — Booming U.S. cannabis industry seen as fertile ground for union expansion — “Our phones are ringing off the hook,” say organizers as workers seek to win good pay and conditions in newly legalized sector.

EDITOR’S NOTE — Ready for a voice at work? 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!

► From the Washington Post — BP profits highest in 14 years, raking in $8.5B as consumers feel gas pump pinch — Oil giant BP has reported a record profit of $8.5 billion for its second quarter on Tuesday, its highest in 14 years. It comes as consumers around the world are feeling the hurt of decades-high inflation coupled with a cost of living crisis, and in particular feel the pinch at the gas pump where prices have soared. Earlier this year the national average gas price in the United States skyrocketed over $5 dollar a gallon for the first time.

The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.