Thursday, August 11, 2022

LOCAL

► From the South Seattle Emerald — Seattle Children’s still missing the mark on diversity (by WSNA member Edna Cortez) — I love working at Seattle Children’s as a nurse. I have been at the hospital for over 30 years in various areas, and I love the mission and the patients and the families. But as a Filipina nurse who has been engaged at the hospital in issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, Seattle Children’s is still missing the mark on many levels… The hospital not only needs to engage greater racial diversity at every level — signage, staffing, meetings, leadership — it needs to understand the part it plays in systemic racism and make substantial changes and amends.

The Stand (Aug. 10) — Nurses at Seattle Children’s demand safe staffing, fair wages

► From Axios — Second labor complaint filed against Nintendo — The NLRB complaint was filed on Monday was against Nintendo and contracting firm Aston Carter, a contractor that recruits customer service and administrative workers for the Redmond-based game company. It alleges that the companies established “coercive rules” and in some way retaliated, discharged or disciplined a worker for engaging in protected activity with others.

► From Teamsters 117 — Teamsters Back to School Drive 2022 — Pencils, crayons, notebooks, rulers… When it’s time for kids to go back to school, families strain to get the supplies they need. Our Back to School Drive is a Teamsters supporting Teamsters program. Whatever donations we collect, we will match. All donations will be used to buy school supplies for free for families in need.

EDITOR’S NOTE — We are aware that many local unions around Washington state — particularly teachers’ unions — also have Back to School supply drives to help families in need. Check to see if your union local has one, or you can contribute to the Teamsters 117 drive!

AEROSPACE

► From the Seattle Times — Boeing delivers its first 787 Dreamliner in more than a year — Boeing on Wednesday delivered its first 787 Dreamliner since May 2021, ending a blockage that has starved the manufacturer of cash, added $5.5 billion in costs and led to a buildup of more than 120 jets in storage. The delivery pipeline was formally cleared Monday when the FAA announced that it was satisfied with the changes Boeing had made to its production system to ensure that the 787s meet all certification standards.

THIS WASHINGTON

► From the Columbia Basin Herald — State council gets federal workforce improvement grant — The Washington Student Achievement Council has been awarded a $23.5 million grant under a U.S. Department of Commerce workforce training program. The grant, part of the $500 million Good Jobs Challenge program created under the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan passed by Congress in 2021, is designed to help state agencies train future workers for jobs in 15 key industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, agriculture and food production.

TODAY at The Stand — Washington state wins $23.5M grant in Good Jobs Challenge

► From the union-busting Columbian — Perez, Kent sharpen positions in 3rd District race — The top two candidates for the 3rd Congressional District are sharpening their attacks and honing their strategies for reaching voters who would have otherwise supported Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler — or might just stay home.

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

EDITOR’S NOTE — The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO has endorsed Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in this race.

THAT WASHINGTON

► From the Tri-City Herald — Tri-Cities biggest employer to share in $17B to develop next-generation computer chips — Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland is poised to help make the United States a leader in the next generation of semiconductor chips, after Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) led key work to make the largest investment in research, technology and manufacturing in America’s history. This week Cantwell stood beside President Biden and gave a thumbs up as he signed the CHIPS & Science Act into law.

► From The Hill — Herrera Beutler’s loss underscores risk to GOP of crossing Trump — Joe Kent’s win also appears to have put Washington’s 3rd District on less solid ground for Republicans. After Herrera Beutler’s loss on Tuesday, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report moved the district from “solid Republican” to “lean Republican.”

► From the AFL-CIO — The Inflation Reduction Act is a victory for working people — On Sunday, the Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act. There will be a House vote on this bill Friday, and it is expected to pass. Then it goes to President Biden for his signature. Once the process is completed, the legislation will represent a significant victory for working families.

The Stand (Aug. 8) — Inflation Reduction Act ‘will transform lives’ — AFL-CIO’s Liz Shuler hails Senate passage of bill to reduce energy and health care costs, and calls for swift House passage.

Right now, instead of workers begging employers for work, we’re seeing employers have to compete for American workers.

We’re seeing a resurgence of worker organizing and unionization.

Where I come from that is a good thing. And it’s long overdue.

— President Biden (@POTUS) August 11, 2022

LAW & ORDER

► From the Washington Post — Amid tumultuous week, Trump takes the Fifth — Donald Trump spent hours in a deposition Wednesday with the New York attorney general and repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions, the latest in a series of ominous legal developments that would have once been considered devastating for a former president considering another run for the White House.

► From the Washington Post — Citizen Trump may have broken a law that President Trump made a felony (analysis by Philip Bump) — If Donald Trump is found to have violated federal law in removing and retaining classified documents without authorization, he could be convicted of a felony punishable by five years in prison. And that conviction would be a felony carrying that punishment because of a law signed by President Donald Trump.

NATIONAL

► From The Hill — U.S. workers lost $28B in wages during pandemic: report — U.S. workers without paid sick leave during the first two years of the coronavirus pandemic lost an estimated $28 billion in wages, according to a new report. It found that work absences due to illness, child care or other family matters increased by 50 percent when compared to the previous two years. Women were 40 percent more likely to miss work without pay, while they were also among several groups — including self-employed, Black and Hispanic workers — who experienced the biggest increase in missed days.

► From HuffPost — Trader Joe’s union effort gains steam as more workers seek elections — Fresh off a win in Massachusetts, the new Trader Joe’s United hopes to unionize stores in Minneapolis and beyond. Trader Joe’s employee Sarah Beth Ryther said:

“We’re talking to people all day long about this movement. I think it’s just time.”

EDITOR’S NOTE — It’s time for you to have a voice at work, too! Get more information about how you can join together with co-workers and negotiate for better wages and working conditions. Or go ahead and contact a union organizer today!

► From Labor Notes — Immigrant detainees strike over $1-a-day pay, working conditions — At two federal detention centers in California, more than 50 immigrant workers are on strike over unsafe working conditions and low wages.

INTERNATIONAL

► From Reuters — Canada’s largest private sector union elects first woman president — Canada’s largest private sector labour union, Unifor, elected Lana Payne as president on Wednesday, making her the first woman to lead an organization representing more than 315,000 workers, including in the auto sector.

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