NEWS ROUNDUP
New union at Walla Walla CC | Restoring Davis-Bacon | Shutting L.A. down
Tuesday, August 8, 2023
STARBUCKS
TODAY at The Stand — Starbucks solidarity at ‘Strike Place Market’ — Starbucks Workers United’s ‘Union Is Calling’ bus tour arrives in Seattle as workers rally nationwide to call for end to company’s union-busting. Meanwhile, more workers are organizing.
LOCAL
► From the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin — New union approved for Walla Walla Community College professional salaried workers — A third union — this time for professional salaried workers — has been approved at Walla Walla Community College, and officials said the new group could be finalized by the end of this year. Talks of the new union began in March. The group of about 50 employees at the time now includes about 70 union members. The college is working with the American Federation of Teachers to iron out the union’s makeup. Two other unions already on campus include one for academic faculty and one for classified staff members, who are hourly workers.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Ready for a voice at work? 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 Olympian — Child-care workers and teachers on strike at Lacey preschool over wages, other issues — About a dozen workers were on strike Monday against Cadence Academy preschool in Lacey, continuing an effort they launched Friday to improve wages and training. Rose Bayer, 21, who has worked at the school for about a year, said she earns $16 per hour, just 26 cents per hour more than the state minimum wage of $15.74 per hour.
► From KXLY — Spokane City councilmembers, corrections officers union asks for delay in jail ballot measure — Spokane City Council President Lori Kinnear and Councilmember Zack Zappone, in partnership with AFSCME Local 492 Corrections Officers, are requesting a delay in the proposed jail ballot measure. The measure asks voters to approve a 0.2% sales tax over 30 years.
► From KUOW — Understaffing leads to safety problems at King County juvenile detention, draft report finds — The county commissioned a safety and security analysis following a sharp uptick in assaults by young people at the jail. In draft recommendations, consultants found that ongoing staffing shortages, a lack of structure, and interrupted programming lead to behavior problems and fights at the jail.
AEROSPACE
► From the Seattle Times — Boeing reveals 737 MAX sales breakdown for the first time — The breakdown shows the substantial sales success of the largest MAX, the MAX 10, designed for up to 230 seats. That jet won’t be certified by the FAA to enter service until next year yet has already booked just over 800 unfilled orders as of the end of July. That makes clear how critical it is for Boeing to get that jet certified as soon as possible.
THIS WASHINGTON
THAT WASHINGTON
► From the AP — Judges halt Biden rule offering student debt relief for those alleging colleges misled them — Career Colleges and Schools of Texas, an association of for-profit higher learning institutions, filed a lawsuit against the rule in February.
NATIONAL
► From the AP — Thousands of Los Angeles city workers walk off job for 24 hours alleging unfair labor practices — Thousands of Los Angeles city employees, including sanitation workers, lifeguards and traffic officers, walked off the job Tuesday for a 24-hour strike alleging unfair labor practices. The union said its members voted to authorize the walkout because the city has failed to bargain in good faith and also engaged in labor practices that restricted employee and union rights.
► From the LA Times — ‘More work for less money’: Strikers picket at LAX as thousands walk off the job — Thousands of Los Angeles city workers hit the picket lines Tuesday for a massive one-day strike that could impair services across the city. At Los Angeles International Airport, which employs at least 1,000 union members, dozens of strikers were marching before dawn. Most were mechanics and custodians. “If we don’t get it, shut it down,” the workers chanted.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Disney CEO Bob Iger says striking SAG-AFTRA members’ demands for better pay from streaming content and limits on the use of AI are “unreasonable.” Iger made that comment when at a gathering known as the “Billionaire’s Camp.” The day before Billionaire Bob said that, Disney extended HIS contract to 2026. He stands to make $31 million a year.
► A related story from Variety — Marvel VFX workers vote to unionize — Visual effects (VFX) crews at Marvel Studios have voted to unionize, IATSE announced on Monday. The unionization effort marks the first time VFX professionals have banded together in such a fashion, as this segment of the industry has largely remained non-union.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Disney owns Marvel Entertainment.
► From the AP — UPS lowers 2023 revenue expectations, citing tentative labor deal with 340,000 unionized workers — Revenue declined at UPS in the second quarter and the package delivery company lowered its full-year revenue expectations by $4 billion, primarily due to a tentative labor contract reached late last month with its 340,000 unionized workers.
► From Jacobin — Newly unionized Amazon delivery drivers say the company is hiding behind subcontractors — Like many corporations, Amazon has used subcontractors to avoid responsibility for working conditions and pay. A group of Palmdale, California, subcontracted workers wants to force Amazon to change that.
► From the AP — A proposed constitutional change before Ohio voters could determine abortion rights in the state — Voters in Ohio on Tuesday are weighing whether to make it more difficult to change the state’s constitution, a decision that will have national implications in the debate over the future of abortion rights in the United States.
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.