Monday, September 12, 2022

EDUCATION

► From the Seattle Times — No school as Seattle teachers, district keep talking — Kids in Seattle will miss a fourth day of school on Monday. The Seattle Education Association and Seattle public school officials continued to bargain over the weekend but by late Sunday afternoon they had not reached an agreement on a new contract for more than 6,000 educators and staff across the city. School officials said talks would continue into the night.

► From KUOW — ‘Making good progress on negotiations,’ Seattle schools says after three days of teacher strike — Seattle Public Schools wrote to students’ families on Saturday saying they are “making good progress on negotiations.” Teachers and other certificated staff started striking last Wednesday.

TAKE A STAND — Show your support for Seattle educators by joining a picket line at public schools throughout the city, joining SEA’s community email list for updates on the strike status, and by sending a message to the Seattle School Board urging a fair contract for our teachers.

EDITOR’S NOTE — Eatonville Education Association, which represents more than 100 educators, remains on strike as they seek smaller classes, increased supports for staff, and compensation that keeps up with inflation and neighboring districts. Sign and share the petition for Eatonville educators.

► From the union-busting Columbian — No deal between Ridgefield schools, teachers; classes canceled Monday — The Ridgefield Education Association and the Ridgefield School District were not able to reach a tentative deal on a new contract following Sunday afternoon’s bargaining session. Ridgefield schools will again be closed on Monday while teachers remain on strike.

LOCAL

► BREAKING from the PS Business Journal — Teamsters: Seattle-area concrete truck drivers ratify new contract — The strike by Seattle-area concrete delivery truck drivers has ended. A spokesperson for Teamsters Local 174 wrote in a Sunday text that the contract has been ratified, and that more information will be coming. Through a spokesperson sand-and-gravel companies Glacier Northwest, Cadman, Stoneway Concrete and Salmon Bay said they “are pleased that we were able to reach an agreement with Teamsters Local 174. The final agreement provides our drivers a four-year contract with an exceptional package of wages and benefits and we are happy to bring the issue to a close.”

► From the Cascadia Daily News — Hospital workers, PeaceHealth approve new contract — Health care workers at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham agreed to a new labor contract with the hospital in a vote that concluded Sept. 6. The roughly 900 members of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW who work at St. Joe’s, from housekeeping staff and certified nursing aides to MRI technicians and emergency room workers, received a 7.5% raise in the first year of their new, two-year contract.

EDITOR’S NOTE — Ready for a raise? 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!

THIS WASHINGTON

► From the News Tribune — Corrections fined for violating safety rules amid tuberculosis outbreak at Stafford Creek — The state Department of Corrections has been fined $84,400 for reportedly failing to follow safety rules meant to stop the spread of disease at Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen.

► From the News Tribune — It’s time for free community college for students in Washington state. Here’s why. (by Bernal Baca) — Many states across the country currently offer free community college. It is a proven policy with proven results. Free community college will not only give more students across the state access to higher education, it will help the state economically. It is a win-win.

► From the News Tribune — ‘Parents Bill of Rights’ targets CRT, sex ed, trans youth. Here’s what else it does — State Sen. Jim McCune (R-Graham) plans to introduce a packet of bills to the 2023 Washington Legislature that includes bans on critical race theory, sex education and puberty blockers for students.

THAT WASHINGTON

► From the AP — Americans give health care system failing mark: poll — The poll reveals that public satisfaction with the U.S. health care system is remarkably low, with fewer than half of Americans saying it is generally handled well. Only 12% say it is handled extremely or very well. Americans have similar views about health care for older adults.

► From the NY Times — Expanded safety net drives sharp drop in child poverty — With little public notice and accelerating speed, child poverty fell by 59 percent from 1993 to 2019, according to a comprehensive new analysis that shows the critical role of increased government aid.

► From the Washington Post — The Georgia voting breach reminds us how dangerous the ‘big lie’ is (editorial) — The tale of how rogue actors sought to access voting systems after the 2020 election becomes more convoluted with every new piece of information. Yet the bottom line remains simple: Former president Donald Trump’s allies went to swing states around the country breaching critical infrastructure and damaging democracy even as they claimed to protect it. The “big lie” motivating their efforts is as potent a threat today.

NATIONAL

Strike lines are rocking across the state! #patientsbeforeprofits #striketember pic.twitter.com/vg0BUzCExR

— Minnesota Nurses (@mnnurses) September 12, 2022

► From MPR — Minnesota nurses begin 3-day strike — Some 15,000 nurses at 16 hospitals in the Twin Cities and northern Minnesota began a three-day walkout Monday morning. The Minnesota Nurses Association has been in negotiations since March, and working without a contract since June. The main sticking points are wage increases, retention, staffing and safety concerns, as well as addressing ongoing burnout, heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

► From the AP — Teacher shortages are real, but not for the reason you heard — Many schools have struggled to find enough educators. But the challenges are related more to hiring, especially for non-teaching staff positions. Schools flush with federal pandemic relief money are creating new positions and struggling to fill them at a time of low unemployment and stiff competition for workers of all kinds.

► From The Hill — Concerns about COVID exposure at work steady since last fall: Gallup — A third of employed adults are concerned about exposure to COVID-19 at work, a figure that is relatively unchanged since the fall last year, according to a new Gallup poll.

NO STAND TOMORROW

► The Entire Staff of The Stand will see you at the solidarity rally in support of Starbucks workers — and against the company’s union-busting — at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 13 outside Starbucks corporate headquarters, 2401 Utah Ave. S, in Seattle. Get details.

In the meantime, please sign the No Contract, No Coffee! Pledge to Act in Solidarity with Starbucks Workers United.

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