NEWS ROUNDUP

Deal at UW | Dock dispute | Forced birth in Idaho | Airport unrest

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

 

LOCAL

 

The Stand (Sept. 22) — UW staffers picket at all campus sites for a fair contract

► From the PS Business Journal — Providence Swedish workers latest to land big pay raises with new contract — Nurses and other workers with Providence Swedish hospitals are among the latest to win big raises as health care unions wield heightened bargaining power amid costly staff shortages. Last week, a vast majority of the 7,000 nurses and health care workers at Swedish Medical Center and Swedish Edmonds, represented by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, voted to ratify a new contract. It calls for 21.5% raises over two years, market adjustments and retention bonuses.

The Stand (Sept. 22) — ‘Historic economic package’ won at Swedish

EDITOR’S NOTE — How do raises like that sound to you? 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 union-busting Columbian — Evergreen paraeducators to meet as talks stall — The Evergreen Public Service Employees plan an emergency members-only meeting on Wednesday evening to discuss district proposals and next steps, as the union and Evergreen Public Schools have yet to reach a deal on a new contract after months of bargaining.

 

PORTS

 

► From Bloomberg — West Coast dockworker talks imperiled by Seattle labor dispute — A dispute over the assignment of work at a terminal in Seattle is casting a shadow on the outcome of talks to reach a new labor contract between 22,000 dockworkers at 29 U.S. West Coast ports and about 70 employers, the union representing the employees said. The ILWU said SSA Marine Inc. — the largest marine terminal at Seattle — and another union (IAMAW) are seeking an intervention from the NLRB over assigning which workforce can perform tasks at SSA. The ILWU said it views the move as a violation of the collective-bargaining agreement between itself and the Pacific Maritime Association that represents the maritime and port employers in California, Washington and Oregon. The union and the PMA started negotiating a new contract for dockworkers in May, and the most recent agreement — reached in 2015 — expired July 1.

► From the Olympian — 4 unfair labor practice violations filed against Port of Olympia, union official says — Jon Brier of ILWU Local 47-B, the newest bargaining unit at the Port, says the union filed four unfair labor practice charges with the Public Employment Relations Commission claiming retaliation against members. At Monday’s Port of Olympia commission meeting, former Port employee Naomi Hagelund said:

“I was retaliated against for joining the union. I was removed from several teams and denied previously approved overtime, and I was told by multiple staff and management it was because I joined the union.”

 

AEROSPACE

 

► From Reuters — Russia aiming to fly solo without Airbus and Boeing — Russia’s aviation industry will go it alone without the West, using locally built parts to produce 1,000 airliners by 2030 and end a reliance on Boeing and Airbus, state-owned engineer Rostec said.

EDITOR’S NOTE — But how did they get the aerospace expertise to…

The Stand (May 8, 2014) — Profits come before democracy as Boeing exports jobs to Russia (by John Burbank) — When Boeing lays off engineers here, it hires them in South Carolina, Alabama… and Moscow. The capital of Russia is the big bear that is threatening the Ukraine and other nations that won their independence with the collapse of the Soviet Union… Boeing’s history in the last decade has been to put corporate profits and CEO prerogatives ahead of respect for workers, ahead of the communities in which Boeing is situated, and far in front of democracy.

► From KNKX — All-new, all-electric commuter aircraft takes off on maiden flight from Moses Lake — A western Washington aircraft maker on Tuesday provided a glimpse at one possible future for sustainable air travel — electric commuter planes.

 

FORCED BIRTH

 

► From the AP — Idaho universities warn staff of felony charges if they refer students to abortion services — Idaho universities are warning staffers not to refer students to abortion providers, and at least one public university is barring employees from telling students how to obtain emergency contraception or birth control as well.

► From the Seattle Times — Idaho is yanking women back to the stagecoach era (by Danny Westneat) — An Idaho law, first written in the territorial days in 1867, that covers both abortion and contraception and is now apparently back in action due to the U.S. Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade last summer… “The University of Idaho’s announcement is the canary in the coal mine — an early sign of the larger, coordinated effort to attack birth control access,” said Rebecca Gibron, CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest. At least one Supreme Court Justice, Clarence Thomas, vowed to go after the right to contraception next. So this isn’t an idle concern.

► From the Guardian — Top Republican urged murder charges for women who defied abortion ban — Asked in 2019 if he was saying women should be charged with murder for violating an abortion ban he proposed, Doug Mastriano, now the Republican nominee for governor of Pennsylvania, said: “Yes, I am.”

 

THAT WASHINGTON

 

► From Politico — Senate advances funding bill after Manchin punts his energy plan — The Senate easily advanced a short-term government funding bill on Tuesday after Joe Manchin conceded defeat on his push to combine the funding fix with his energy permitting package.

► From the AP — Millions of Americans will save on Medicare fees next year — For the first time in a decade, Americans will pay less next year on monthly premiums for Medicare’s Part B plan, which covers routine doctors’ visits and other outpatient care. The rare 3% decrease in monthly premiums is likely to be coupled with a historically high cost-of-living increase in Social Security benefits — perhaps 9% or 10% — putting hundreds of dollars directly into the pockets of millions of people.

► From The Hill — McConnell gives big boost to Senate’s Electoral Count Act bill — McConnell’s support gives a big boost to the legislation, in part a response to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol that took place as Congress was trying to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. Trump has pressed Republicans to oppose the legislation.

EDITOR’S NOTE — This bill making it harder to overthrow an election passed the House with all of Washington’s Democratic delegation and outgoing Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA, 3rd) voting “yes.” Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA, 5th) and Dan Newhouse (R-WA, 4th) sided with Trump and voting “no.”

► From The Hill — Union urges Congress to pass measure expanding collective bargaining rights for VA staff — The American Federation of Government Employees said that the VA Employee Fairness Act of 2021 would allow thousands of VA employees like doctors, registered nurses and dentists to have full collective bargaining rights to negotiate better working conditions.

 

NATIONAL

 

► From the Washington Post — Worker protests at airports spread nationwide over staffing and pay — Cashiers, baristas, bartenders, cooks and lounge attendants at San Francisco International Airport launched an open-ended strike Monday over staffing levels and wages, shutting down most of one of the nation’s busiest airport’s food concessions. Flight attendants at United and Southwest airlines on Tuesday are expected to demonstrate at 21 airports around the United States, including Guam, as well as in London, to draw attention to workplace problems made worse by understaffing.

► From the Guardian — Virgin Atlantic staff can choose which uniform to wear ‘no matter their gender’ — Airline reflects diversity of workforce with policy on its Vivienne Westwood-designed outfits.

 

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

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