NEWS ROUNDUP
Teachers at a tipping point | Treasurers vs. megamerger | Iger angers strikers
Thursday, August 24, 2023
LOCAL
► From KGW — Vancouver teachers vote to authorize potential strike ahead of school year — School might not start on time in Evergreen Public Schools as 93% of teachers voted Wednesday evening to authorize a potential strike, according to the Evergreen Education Association. Classes in the district are scheduled to start Wednesday, Aug. 30. The EEA teachers are asking for more support for students with special needs, time for educators to plan and consult, promised cost-of-living adjustments to help attract and retain enough educators, and adequate staffing to support a safe environment for all students.
TODAY at The Stand — Evergreen educators vote to authorize strike
► From the Camas-Washougal Post-Record — Bargaining between Camas School District, teachers’ union reaches tipping point — Camas School District students are scheduled to go back to school next week, but ongoing contract negotiations between the Camas School District and its teachers’ union could delay the scheduled start of the 2023-24 school year. Members of the Camas Education Association, the union representing 450 Camas educators, met Tuesday, Aug. 22, to discuss the contract negotiations.
EDITOR’S NOTE — The CEA members voted to authorize a strike if no deal is reached.
► A related story from the Washington Post — Teacher shortages have gotten worse. Here’s how schools are coping. — Research published Wednesday shows that teacher shortages are worsening in several states, and it was not a pandemic aberration. Instead, it seems to be part of a worrisome trend: Teachers are leaving the classroom at higher rates, and the pool of candidates is not big enough to replace them. Nearly a quarter of teachers surveyed by the RAND Corporation in January said they planned to leave by the end of last school year, citing stress, low pay and long hours.
The Stand (Aug. 21) — Disaster relief from wildfires available for union members — Union members: If you and your family are experiencing hardship as a result of wildfires or some other natural disaster in Washington state, the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO urges you to apply for disaster relief from the Foundation for Working Families.
We have officially passed our new contract!
In a unanimous vote on Tuesday afternoon, the Longview NewsGuild members approved a contract we have spent months negotiating. Thanks to all of our current and former members who helped to secure these increases.
— Longview NewsGuild (@longviewguild) August 23, 2023
THIS WASHINGTON
“The impact on wages would not be limited to employees of Kroger and Albertsons alone; all grocery store workers in the affected cities would potentially experience suppressed earnings. Furthermore, if the merger leads to layoffs or hours cuts, the consequences for affected workers would be even more severe.”
The Stand (July 27) — Urge FTC to block Kroger-Albertsons merger — UFCW 367 calls on the community to contact the FTC and voice concerns over the proposed megamerger.
► From ProPublica — Washington special education school accused of harming kids is barred from taking new students — A state investigation into Northwest SOIL, launched following a Seattle Times and ProPublica series that highlighted problems at the school, found “unacceptably high” use of physical restraints and isolation rooms.
► From the Washington State Standard — Gov. Jay Inslee orders Cal Anderson tree memorial restored
AEROSPACE
► From Reuters — New Boeing 737 MAX supplier defect to delay aircraft deliveries — Boeing has recently identified a new 737 MAX quality problem involving supplier Spirit AeroSystems that has resulted in improperly drilled holes on the aft pressure bulkhead, the planemaker said on Wednesday. Boeing said the defect will delay near-term deliveries and the company is evaluating whether it could cause it to miss its annual delivery target of at least 400 737s this year.
► From the AP — Spirit Aerosystems aware of quality issue on some fuselage units for 737 — The Wichita, Kansas-based company said because it uses multiple suppliers, only some units are impacted and it will continue to make unit deliveries to Boeing.
► From Reuters — Norwegian Air feeling more positive on Boeing MAX 10, CEO says — Norwegian Air may consider adding Boeing’s MAX 10 model to its fleet, CEO Geir Karlsen said on Thursday, after finding the plane’s flight range was better-suited to the airline than initially thought.
THAT WASHINGTON
► From Word in Black — 60 years after the March on Washington, let’s recommit to the fight for justice (by Fred Redmond) — Sixty years ago, A. Philip Randolph called those gathered for the March on Washington “the advanced guard of a massive, moral revolution for jobs and freedom.” And said that “we here today are only the first wave … .and we shall return again and again to Washington in ever growing numbers until total freedom is ours.”
NATIONAL
EDITOR’S NOTE — Iger has said that the demands of striking writers and actors for better pay from streaming content and limits on the use of AI are “unreasonable.” He made those comments when he was at a gathering known as the “Billionaire’s Camp.” And the day before Billionaire Bob said that, Disney extended HIS contract to 2026 and he stands to make $31 million a year.
► From the LA Times — The studios went public with their WGA offer. Was it a mistake?
► From Bloomberg — Labor union turns up heat in battle over sale of U.S. Steel — In a scathing letter sent by United Steelworkers to its members at United States Steel, the president of the labor group said the company doesn’t prioritize its union workforce and accused it of betrayal.
► From Jacobin — Healthcare worker unions are on the side of patients (by Luke Messac and Max Jordan Nguemeni) — Hospitals portray unions as opposed to the interests of patients. The opposite is true: health care unions have been the strongest advocates for safer conditions and patients who can’t pay debts.
AND THEN, THERE’S THIS…
#ItsBetterInAUnion pic.twitter.com/mEU4BSxz7C
— AFL-CIO ✊ (@AFLCIO) August 24, 2023
EDITOR’S NOTE — Ready for your job to get better? Get more information about how you can join together with co-workers and negotiate for higher pay, better benefits, and a voice at work. Or go ahead and contact a union organizer today!
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.