Friday, August 5, 2022

LOCAL

► From KOMO — Nurses at Seattle Children’s Hospital plan informational pickets amid concerns over pay — Some nurses at Seattle Children’s Hospital said they are fed up and burnt out from issues at the medical center and are still working without a contract following nine bargaining sessions with management. That has led the nurses’ union to plan informational pickets to take place outside the hospitals next week in order to raise awareness about their plight.

TODAY at The Stand — Rally to support Seattle Children’s nurses on Aug. 9 — The 1,700 registered nurses represented by the Washington State Nurses Association at Seattle Children’s Hospital and their supporters will rally outside the hospital, 4800 Sand Point Way N.E., at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 9 for better working conditions and compensation that attracts and retains nurses. All are invited and encouraged to attend. The nurses will also conduct informational picketing that day from 6 to 9 a.m. and noon to 3 p.m.

► From KOMO — As new academic year looms, some local school districts still struggling to hire teachers — With just a few weeks before the start of a new academic year, many school districts in Washington state are still looking to hire teachers through hundreds of job openings for classroom educators posted online. So, what’s the solution to this crisis in the classroom? “We have as a profession and have always (had) what we call a wage gap,” said Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, adding that eliminating that wage gap will be the first step to hiring and retaining teachers.

► From the Skagit Valley Herald — Hours cut for some Mount Vernon schools staff — In an attempt to address a $7 million budget deficit, the Mount Vernon School District is making cuts to the scheduled hours of district paraeducators, in addition to cuts to various staff such as library and custodial staff.

► From the Tri-City Herald — 1st major solar farm planned near Tri-Cities. Learn more, speak up at local hearing. — The public can learn more about the Wautoma Solar Project planned for Benton County and give an opinion about whether the project meets land use rules on Monday. During construction about 300 to 400 people would be employed, with an additional 100 to 200 workers at peak construction, said an Innergex spokesperson.

► From the PS Business Journal — UW to break ground on $90M Boeing-backed engineering building this fall

ELECTION

► From the Spokesman-Review — Some primary races still too close to call as of Thursday — The candidate who will move on in November to face Secretary of State Steve Hobbs was still unclear after a new round of results came in Thursday night. Hobbs was still leading with 40.5%.

The Stand — Pro-worker candidates fare well in primary (election results UPDATED this morning)

► From the union-busting Columbian — Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler’s lead over Joe Kent halved in latest ballot returns

► From the Seattle Times — Larkin to face Schrier in WA congressional race

THIS WASHINGTON

► From the Olympian — Monkeypox vaccine being snapped up in WA as cases double each week — The Washington Department of Health said monkeypox cases are doubling every 7 to 8 days, and expected to rise, as the disease continues to spread throughout the state.

► From Roll Call — Administration declares monkeypox a public health emergency — The HHS declared monkeypox a national public health emergency on Thursday, a move aimed at helping to direct more funds toward stemming the outbreak.

The Stand (July 28) — Monkeypox: Have we learned nothing from AIDS or COVID? (by Lyndon Haviland)

► From the Olympian — Working WA high school students could have ‘more flexibility’ under new OSPI plan — High school students would be able to earn four elective credits through paid work experience under a plan proposed by Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal on Thursday.

THAT WASHINGTON

► From the AP — U.S. employers add 528,000 jobs; unemployment falls to 3.5% — Defying anxiety about a possible recession and raging inflation, America’s employers added a stunning 528,000 jobs last month, restoring all the jobs lost in the coronavirus recession. Unemployment fell to 3.5%, lowest since the pandemic struck in early 2020. July’s job creation was up from 398,000 in June and the most since February.

► From the Washington Post — Democrats, Sinema reach deal on Inflation Reduction Act, after key changes to tax policies — Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) said she would soon be ready to “move forward” on a revised version of Senate Democrats’ health-care, climate and deficit-reduction package, opening the door for party lawmakers to adopt the long-stalled bill as soon as this weekend.

► From HuffPost — Democrats plan Saturday vote on Inflation Reduction Act

TAKE A STAND — The AFL-CIO is urging all union members: Tell Your Senators: Thank You for Voting for the Inflation Reduction Act

► From Politico — Pharma group leader says Dems who vote for reconciliation bill ‘won’t get a free pass’ — PhRMA, not accustomed to losing legislative fights, has waged a multimillion-dollar advocacy campaign against the drug pricing measures in the inflation Reduction Act, and is crafting contingency plans if they fail. In addition to hinting at running campaign ads against Democrats in tough races this fall.

► From the Washington Post — Our uninsured rate is at a record low. But no victory laps just yet. (by Catherine Rampell) — A record-high share of the U.S. population has health coverage, and access to the better financial and health outcomes that go with it. President Biden is understandably taking a victory lap. These recent gains, however, are extremely fragile.

► From The Hill — Rising health care costs, inflation lead Americans to skip or delay treatment — “People have been making tradeoffs to pay for health care for years. Inflation has only made things worse as people are also now struggling with the high price of gas, food, and electricity.”

► From The Guardian — Too radical or not radical enough? U.S.’s top labor lawyer in the spotlight — Jennifer Abruzzo, the NLRB’s most vigorously pro-union general counsel in decades, has been hailed as a champion by some and as a “radical” by her opponents. For others involved in the white-hot world of union organizing, she has not gone far enough.

NATIONAL

► From the Teamsters — Teamsters edge closer to a national work stoppage at Costco — More than 17,000 Costco Teamsters are currently working under an expired contract. Now they are one step closer to a nationwide work stoppage following another day of contentious negotiations for a new national contract. Sean M. O’Brien, Teamsters General President, said:

“Our members at Costco will stand up for their rights and withhold their labor if necessary. As always, if our members decide to act, they will have the backing of the 1.2-million member International Brotherhood of Teamsters behind them.”

► From The Hill — Reuters journalists go on 24-hour strike over contract negotiations — Over 300 Thomson Reuters journalists (NewsGuild/CWA) began a 24-hour strike Thursday, according to the workers’ union, citing low wage increases over the last two years.

► From the Guardian — Russian court jails US basketball player Brittney Griner for nine years on drug charges

Statement from the WNBPA regarding our member, Brittney Griner. #WeAreBG pic.twitter.com/VLSWV01Ckl

— WNBPA (@TheWNBPA) August 4, 2022

► BREAKING from CBS — Russia ‘ready’ to discuss prisoner swap now

The Stand (July 7) — WSLC joins AFL-CIO, WNBPA in calling for Griner’s release

► From HuffPost — FBI arrests 4 Louisville cops in Breonna Taylor shooting investigation — Officers were accused of using false information to obtain the search warrant that led to Taylor’s killing.

► From the NY Times — Amtrak rewarded executives with six-figure bonuses as rail service struggled — Most of the top leaders received bonuses above $200,000 in the last fiscal year, as Amtrak worked to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

► From the Washington Post — PetSmart offered free training. But it saddled employees with debt. — PetSmart promises “free paid training” for dog groomers. But employees are stuck with $5,000 in debt unless they stay with the company two years, a California lawsuit alleges.

T.G.I.F.

► Today, The Entire Staff of The Stand is celebrating the birthday of Adam Yauch, founding member of the influential rap group Beastie Boys, who died in 2012. In addition to being a rapper, Yauch was an independent filmmaker and a practicing Buddhist. He was an outspoken advocate for Tibetan independence, creating a non-profit devoted to the cause and organizing several benefit concerts, including the Tibetan Freedom Concert. But most of us know him as MCA of the Beastie Boys. Here they are doing their thing at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards. Yauch is pictured in the center of the video thumbnail. Enjoy.

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