Monday, October 30, 2023

LOCAL

► From the (Everett) Herald — Providence Everett staffing spurs nurses to authorize strike — Providence nurses in Everett are now preparing to strike if they can’t reach a deal over staffing by the next contract meeting Nov. 3. Last week, most of the hospital’s nearly 1,400 nurses (represented by UFCW 3000) voted to authorize a strike. About 97% of votes were in favor. Nurses are demanding higher pay on shifts when the hospital doesn’t adhere to its staffing plans. Nurses intend to give Providence two weeks notice before a strike, which would be the first for nurses since 1999.

► From the Seattle Times — Ex-Amazonian critical of return-to-office mandate says she was forced out — Standing outside Amazon’s Seattle headquarters in May, Pamela Hayter told her colleagues she wasn’t nervous.“We’re here today because it’s the right thing to do,” the eight-year Amazon veteran said to a group of employees who had participated in a walkout in hopes of getting the company to reconsider a recently issued return-to-office mandate. By August, Hayter had left Amazon and accused her former employer of retaliation for her remote work advocacy.

THIS WASHINGTON

► From the Seattle Times — Today is the last day to register online to vote in Nov. 7 election — If you want your vote to count in the Nov. 7 election, today is your last day to register online. Online and mail registrations must be received eight days before Election Day. That’s Oct. 30. You can register online at the Washington secretary of state website with a driver’s license or identification card. Go to www.sos.wa.gov and click on “Register to vote.”

The Stand (Oct. 18) — It’s time to VOTE: There are no ‘off-year’ elections — Ballots have been mailed. Check out the CLC endorsements and GOTV events.

► From the Washington State Standard — WA lawmaker plans hiatus from think tank job to comply with ethics rules — A Yakima state lawmaker appeared Friday to satisfy concerns of an ethics panel so he can continue working for the Washington Policy Center without violating any conflict-of-interest laws. Rep. Chris Corry (R-Yakima) will take a leave of absence from the center when the legislative session begins in January. It is scheduled to last 60 days.

EDITOR’S NOTE — SourceWatch reports that the WPC “advances a right-wing agenda and is affiliated with organizations in the Koch Network.” It is a member of the State Policy Network, a web of right-wing “think tanks” and tax-exempt organizations that push, among other things, laws intended to weaken unions.

► From HuffPost — Firearms charge against state Sen. Jeff Wilson dismissed in Hong Kong court — With the case dispensed without a conviction, Wilson is free to leave the territory.

THAT WASHINGTON

► From NPR — Biden plans to step up government oversight of AI with new ‘pressure tests’ — President Biden on Monday will take sweeping executive action to try to establish oversight of the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence sector, setting new standards for safety tests for AI products – as well as a system for federal “pressure tests” of major systems.

► From The Hill — Biden administration puts $1.3 billion toward new power lines — The Biden administration is putting $1.3 billion toward bolstering the nation’s power lines while emphasizing the investment’s importance for carbon-free power.

NATIONAL

► BREAKING from the AP — General Motors reaches tentative agreement with UAW, potentially ending 6-week strike — General Motors and the United Auto Workers union have reached a tentative contract agreement that could end a six-week-old strike against Detroit automakers, two people briefed on the deal said Monday. The agreement follows the pattern set with Ford last week and Jeep maker Stellantis over the weekend.

► From the AP — UAW and Stellantis reach tentative contract deal as union adds strike at Tennessee GM factory — Jeep maker Stellantis reached a tentative contract agreement with the United Auto Workers on Saturday as the union escalated strikes against General Motors by adding a plant in Tennessee. The Stellantis deal, which still must be ratified by members, leaves only GM without an agreement with the union. But the union walked out Saturday night at a GM factory in Spring Hill, Tennessee, in an effort to increase pressure on the company to reach a deal.

TODAY at The Stand — UAW wins tentative deal with Stellantis

► From Reuters — UAW’s record deal could boost others’ wages as labor notches another victory — The tentative agreement reached between the UAW and two of the Detroit Three automakers marks another victory for labor unions that have turned up the pressure on big corporations to put better deals on the table.

► From Reuters — UAW-Ford deal nets union big wins on wages, benefits, investments — UAW leaders approved a tentative deal on Sunday with Ford that includes a pay hike of at least 30% for full-time workers and could more than double pay for others, in a victory for the union’s fight to roll back 15 years of concessions.

EDITOR’S NOTE — Ready for a voice at work? Get more information about how you can join together with co-workers and negotiate for better wages and working conditions. Or go ahead and contact a union organizer today!

► From the AP — Some striking UAW members carry family legacies, Black middle-class future along with picket signs — As Britney Johnson paced the picket line outside Ford’s Wayne Assembly plant, she wasn’t just carrying a sign demanding higher pay and other changes. She also carried a legacy of car factory jobs and union wages that allowed generations of her family to enjoy middle-class lifestyles and that for years had been unattainable for many Black Americans.

► From Variety — SAG-AFTRA talks end for the day as negotiators keep working on a deal — The talks were scheduled to resume on Sunday. The union delivered its latest response on Saturday, and is awaiting word back from the studios. A studio source described the talks as “productive.”

► From the LA Times — Thousands of actors sign letter declaring they’d ‘rather stay on strike than take a bad deal’ — Thousands of striking actors, including a number of Hollywood stars, have signed an open letter reaffirming their commitment to the cause as negotiations continue and the walkout stretches into its 106th day.

EDITOR’S NOTE — You can support striking SAG-AFTRA members by donating to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, an emergency assistance program available to SAG-AFTRA members in urgent financial need due to the strike. Also, consider making a contribution to the Entertainment Community Fund, which supports all workers in the entertainment industries and gives living expense grants to those in need.

► From KTNV — Culinary Union, casinos still at stalemate over current contract negotiations — Following six months of negotiations with MGM International, Wynn Resorts, and Caesars Entertainment and two major demonstrations on the Strip, a Culinary Union strike could happen in the coming weeks.

► From the Teamsters — Amazon Teamsters extend strike from California to New York — Amazon drivers picketed an Amazon warehouse on Long Island on Saturday over the company’s unfair labor practices. The picket at the DYY9 warehouse is just the latest in a four-month strike by drivers from the company’s DAX8 delivery station in Palmdale, Calif., that has spread to warehouses around the country.

► From NPR — Canadian workers reach deal to end strike that shut down Great Lakes shipping artery — A deal was reached Sunday to end a week-long strike that had shut down a major shipping artery in the Great Lakes, halting the flow of grain and other goods from the U.S. and Canada.

► From GoIAM.org — Machinists Union mourns death of Peyton Brewer-Ross, IAM Local S6 member lost in Lewiston, Maine tragedy — We were devastated to learn that the tragedy has claimed the life of IAM Local S6 member Peyton Brewer-Ross, 40, an esteemed Local S6 Education Committee member and a dedicated Bath Iron Works pipefitter in Bath, Maine.

► From the AP — More than 1,000 pay tribute to Maine’s mass shooting victims on day of prayer, reflection and hope

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