Boeing fire fighters to vote | GOP plans fast-track | Waiting at Starbucks

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

LOCAL

► From the Seattle Times — Boeing, union fire fighters reach tentative contract agreement — Boeing and a union representing the company’s fire fighters reached a tentative contract agreement that could allow the fire fighters to go back to work after more than three weeks of being locked out, the two sides announced Tuesday evening. Members of IAFF Local I-66, which represents about 125 fire and emergency service workers who serve the company’s airfields in Washington, still have to vote on the proposed contract.

Today from The STAND — IAFF I-66, Boeing reach tentative deal to end lockout — The results of a ratification vote are expected on Thursday, with the union recommending approval.

► From the People’s World — Washington state labor leaders march on Boeing picket line — The 300 delegates to the Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) COPE conference on May 18 endorsed dozens of candidates and unanimously approved the drive to defeat three “backward” Republican ballot initiatives in the Nov. 5 election. During the lunch break, they boarded school buses and traveled to join the picket line of 177 locked-out Boeing firefighters. It was a day of nonstop labor movement activism, and labor’s kickoff in the crucial 2024 elections.

From The STAND (May 18) — WSLC releases 2024 election endorsements

► From KING 5 — Seattle City Council delays vote on potential revisions to app-based delivery worker pay ordinance — The Seattle City Council decided to delay the vote due to wanting more time to review potential amendments and decide on proposed changes.

From The STAND (March 26) — Seattle unions fight to save gig workers’ wage ordinance

► From KUOW — Tensions flare at Seattle school closure meetings — Seattle Public Schools’ community meetings on proposed school closures got off to a bumpy start. Hundreds of parents packed the Roosevelt High School auditorium Tuesday night, hoping to get answers. The mood quickly turned tense. Even before the meeting started, dozens of parents rallied outside, fighting for their schools. “Keep schools open,” the group chanted. “Show your work!”

► From KING 5 — Tacoma Public Schools announces more job cuts amid budget issues, students and educators concerned — Tacoma’s school district announced that starting next year, it will no longer have career-guidance specialists for students.

THIS WASHINGTON

► From the WA State Standard — Democratic employees in Washington Legislature seek union –Democratic staff in Washington’s Legislature have taken the first step toward unionizing. Petitions on behalf of workers in each chamber were filed May 17 with the Public Employment Relations Commission, which will certify bargaining units and conduct elections. One covers 82 legislative assistants, policy analysts and communications staff of the House Democratic Caucus. The other is for 32 legislative assistants in the Senate Democratic Caucus. Both seek to be represented by the Washington Public Employees Association. Josie Ellison, a communications specialist with the House Democratic Caucus:

“We’re all pretty excited about this. We hope this will have a positive impact in creating a better work environment that allows staff to stay on longer.”

Today from The STAND — House Democratic Caucus staff say ‘Union YES!’ — More than 80 percent of newly empowered legislative staffers sign cards to unite with WPEA.

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 Seattle Times — Inslee was right to stare down NIMBYism around Horse Heaven wind farm (by Peter Schwartz) — The saga of the Horse Heaven Hills wind project in Benton County suggests state and federal authorities must govern decisively on these matters. Gov. Inslee, in his response to the EFSEC recommendation, has acted appropriately.

► From the Seattle Times — WA schools must serve students with disabilities until 22, court rules — Current state law cuts off services to these students, who are often severely disabled, at the end of the school year that they turn 21. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals justices determined that this violates federal law governing education for students with disabilities.

THAT WASHINGTON

► From The Hill — Republicans prepare to fast-track tax cuts in reconciliation — Republicans are getting ready to fast-track the extension of the Trump tax cuts through the reconciliation process if they win big in November. Nearly seven years after the GOP used budget reconciliation to pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the party is gearing up to use the same maneuver to renew key provisions set to expire in 2026.

From The STAND (Dec. 6, 2017) — Republican/Trump tax giveaway aims to force big cuts elsewhere (by Jeff Johnson) — Social Security, Medicare, veterans, and health care are all on chopping block.

► From the WA State Standard — Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says — As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses.

NATIONAL

► From the Seattle Times — 40 minutes for Starbucks coffee? Customers and workers fume over fewer staff — Starbucks baristas say they are confronting an alarming issue: Drink orders are coming in fast, but there are fewer people to prepare them. They blame the understaffing, in part, on an algorithm Starbucks Corp. uses to allocate store labor. The worker frustration over the labor algorithm — the inner workings of which some employees say remain a mystery  — is bubbling up as the chain’s quest for speed clashes with customer service, an issue intensified by a productivity push by Chief Executive Officer Laxman Narasimhan.

EDITOR’S NOTE — As Workers United and Starbucks head back to the bargaining table this week, staffing issues are part of negotiations that began in late April. The in-person bargaining meetings are aimed at reaching a foundational framework to address issues faced by all Starbucks partners, including but not limited to wages; scheduling, hours and short staffing; health and safety issues; and access to quality healthcare.

► From HuffPost — Mercedes hired squad of anti-union consultants to combat Alabama organizing — Mercedes-Benz USA hired a large team of anti-union consultants to help the company defeat an organizing effort by the UAW this month, according to disclosures with the Labor Department. The filings show the automaker contracted with three consulting firms for at least 11 “persuaders” to hold meetings with workers about the union ahead of the election. The going rate is around $3,200 per day for each consultant.

► From Supermarket News — CVS pharmacists at two Rhode Island stores vote to join new union — Pharmacists at two CVS stores in Rhode Island voted last week to join The Pharmacy Guild, the new union backed by IAM Healthcare, which is part of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

► From KPBS — A lesson in labor history from Dolores Huerta — “Sí se puede”…. yes we can. That famous slogan is now a rallying cry for activists across the globe, but it all started with Dolores Huerta. She shares her life’s work in laying the foundation for the labor and civil rights activism seen today. Then, we take a dive into the history of the labor movement in San Diego.

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