Friday, June 2, 2023

LOCAL

► From UAW 4121

UW faculty are calling on UW to pay us a living wage! Today, a delegation of UW faculty, Postdocs & RSEs delivered a letter to the Office of the President signed by 89 faculty members. Watch Dr. Sharona Gordon’s powerful remarks:#FairContractsUW #UWPostdocsRSEs #UWworksBCWeDo pic.twitter.com/TpLDQqgQdS

— UAW 4121 Academic Workers @ Univ. of Washington (@UAW4121) June 1, 2023

The Stand (June 1) — WSLC’s April Sims: UW ‘doesn’t get a pass’ on fair pay — As June 7 strike looms, University of Washington administration urged to reach contract with Postdocs and RSEs.

The Stand (May 26) — UW Researchers, Postdocs set strike date — Hundreds will walk off job June 7 unless contract agreement is reached.

THIS WASHINGTON

► From WFSE — Echo Glen workers call for change after escape, staff assault — More than 100 workers have signed a petition calling for management to immediately address the staffing crisis at the juvenile detention center. Dangerous conditions at the Echo Glen Children’s Center made headlines yet again after seven residents assaulted a staff member and broke out of custody on Saturday, May 27.

► From the WA State Standard — At State Parks, revenue is up and staffing levels are down — State Parks collected almost $123 million between July 2021 and April of this year, $12 million more than anticipated. Despite rising revenue, the agency is struggling to hire and keep staff, with the Eastern Washington region staffed at only 60% of target levels.

► From L&I — 175 violations lead to one of the largest worker safety fines in state history for King County business — Three confidential complaints from an employee of Seattle-based Young Corporation — which makes excavator equipment at the Nordick Manufacturing machine shop division in Woodinville and the Meltec Foundry division in Seattle — have resulted in 175 safety and health violations and a $2 million fine from the state Department of Labor & Industries.

► From the WA State Standard — House lawmaker announces run for Mullet’s Senate seat — State Rep. Bill Ramos (D-Issaquah) will run for state Sen. Mark Mullet’s seat, following Mullet’s announcement Thursday that he would run for governor in 2024. Ramos since 2019 has represented the 5th Legislative District, which sprawls east of Seattle, toward Snoqualmie Pass and to the south stopping just shy of Enumclaw.

SUPREME COURT

► From the LA Times — Supreme Court warns unions against strikes that damage an employer’s property — The Supreme Court warned unions on Thursday that they may face suits for damages if striking workers destroy their employer’s property. In an 8-1 decision, the justices revived a suit brought in Washington state against the Teamsters Union whose drivers allegedly walked off the job one morning after their trucks had been loaded with fresh concrete. With only Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in dissent, the court ruled the company may press its suit for damages in a state court.

► From NPR — Unions relieved as Supreme Court leaves right to strike intact

The Stand (June 1) — Glacier NW decision: ‘This changes nothing’ — Washington state’s labor movement stands with Teamsters 174, says workers will continue to organize and strike.

The Stand (June 1) — AFL-CIO’s Shuler: Glacier NW decision will not deter workers

EDITOR’S NOTE — In her dissent on Glacier Northwest, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote:

“Workers are not indentured servants, bound to continue laboring until any planned work stoppage would be as painless as possible for their master. They are employees whose collective and peaceful decision to withhold their labor is protected by the NLRA even if economic injury results.”

► From the Washington Post — Conservative Supreme Court hands down a rare pro-union decision — It doesn’t happen often with this Supreme Court, but federal labor leaders are celebrating a strong pro-union decision written by an archconservative justice. Led by Justice Clarence Thomas, the 7-2 decision stopped the Ohio National Guard from unilaterally reversing a payroll union dues collection practice, while declaring itself exempt from a key federal labor law.

AEROSPACE

How to Make a Great Big Supply Chain

► From Reuters — Boeing CEO says fixing supply chain constraints is ‘frustratingly slow’ — Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun on Friday said progress on resolving supply chain problems has been “frustratingly slow” even as airlines’ demand for planes has bounced back to pre-pandemic levels.

► From the Seattle Times — Boeing CEO Calhoun offers hints of next new airplane — Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun this week expressed confidence in the jetmaker’s path to recovery and its ability to catch up with rival Airbus. Speaking in North Charleston, South Carolina, he also made comments about Boeing’s next all-new airplane that suggest a radical technology shift.

► From the AP — Know any airplane mechanics? A wave of retirements is leaving some U.S. industries desperate to hire — Recruiters for airlines, plane manufacturers and repair shops are desperately seeking mechanics as most of their existing mechanics are aging, and demand for travel is growing.

THAT WASHINGTON

► From the Washington Post — Senate passes debt ceiling bill, sending it to Biden to sign into law — The Senate passed a bipartisan bill late Thursday to suspend the debt ceiling and curb federal spending, sending the legislation to President Biden to sign into law in time to avert an unprecedented U.S. government default.

► From the AP — U.S. employers added a strong 339,000 jobs in May as labor market stays durable — The nation’s employers stepped up their hiring in May, adding a robust 339,000 jobs, well above expectations and evidence of strength in an economy that the Federal Reserve is desperately trying to cool.

► From Politico — Senate votes to torpedo Biden’s student debt relief plan amid veto threat — The Senate passed Republican-led legislation Thursday seeking to overturn President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel up to $20,000 of student debt relief for tens of millions of borrowers, setting up a promised veto from the White House.

NATIONAL

► From the AP — Journalists to strike June 5 at the largest U.S. newspaper chain — Journalists across the U.S. will walk off their jobs next week at roughly two dozen newsrooms run by Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in the U.S., their union said Thursday. The mostly one-day strike, which will start June 5, aims to protest Gannett’s leadership and cost-cutting measures. The publications participating will come from California, Arizona, Texas, Indiana, Florida, New Jersey and New York.

► From the NY Times — Netflix shareholders vote to reject executive pay packages — The vote, after the union representing striking writers urged opposition, can be overruled by the streaming giant’s board of directors.

► From the AP — CEOs got smaller raises. It would still take a typical worker two lifetimes to make their annual pay — The typical compensation package for chief executives who run S&P 500 companies rose just 0.9% last year, to a median of $14.8 million. It was the smallest increase since 2015. Still, that’s unlikely to quell mounting criticism that CEO pay has become excessively high and the imbalance between company bosses and rank-and-file workers too wide.

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!

T.G.I.F.

► Billy Joel announced yesterday that he will end his “residency” at New York City’s Madison Square Garden in July 2024, where he has played sold-out shows monthly since January 2014. His last performance there will be his record-breaking 150th at the venue. It’s hard to imagine anyone ever breaking that record. He’ll be 75 years old next year, but The Entire Staff of The Stand still remembers seeing this legend perform when he was a young — and angry. Enjoy.

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