Shocking VA conditions | Boeing: Listen to the workers | Union Joe Biden

Wednesday, June 5, 2024

LOCAL

► From Cascade PBS — Seattle veterans clinic faces complaints over leaks, ventilation — Patients and staff have endured years of deteriorating conditions as administrators deferred maintenance and extended deadlines for moving operations out of the building. Overtaxed ventilation systems have left the facility cold in the winter and stuffy in the summer, with the VA acknowledging a lack of proper air circulation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff also shared photos of moldy and water-damaged work spaces they fear endanger patients and pose public health risks. Union representatives (AFGE Local 3197) described the conditions to Cascade PBS and Northwest Public Broadcasting as “shocking.”

► From Starbucks Workers United — Another 18 Starbucks stores seek to unionize — This year, Starbucks workers have been unionizing at breakneck speed. On June 4, another 18 soon-to-be union Starbucks stores announced their intent to unionize.

EDITOR’S NOTE — The store at 7th & Westlake in Seattle is among the 18.

► From the (Everett) Herald — Bombshell letters accuse Marysville school leaders of ‘cronyism,’ ‘no plan’ — Amid a packed meeting on pending school closures, finance director Lisa Gonzales called for Superintendent Zachary Robbins to be put on leave, citing “violations of the law.”

AEROSPACE

► From the Independent — Emirates boss lays into Boeing for plane delivery delays: ‘Listen to the workers’ — The president of Emirates has urged the giant planemaker Boeing to “listen to the workers.” Sir Tim Clark, widely regarded as the world’s top aviation leader, has also revealed he has “been worried by the Boeing governance model for many years.”

From The STAND (March 26) — Boeing unions want a seat at the table — Amid executive office shakeup, IAM 751 and SPEEA want to be a part of decision-making to restore the company’s focus on safety and quality.

► From Reuters — Spirit Aero CFO to depart amid cash flow struggles, Boeing talks — Mark Suchinski, a longtime Spirit executive, will be replaced immediately by board member and former Time Warner Cable executive Irene Esteves.

THIS WASHINGTON

► From the Seattle Times — How to find affordable child care and child care subsidies in WA — Washington leaders have recently taken steps to expand child care access in communities across the state, but it’s still difficult for many families to find high-quality, convenient and affordable care.  figuring out child care can be challenging not only because the options are limited but also because they’re complicated, with helpful information hard to come by. So, here are some basics.

THAT WASHINGTON

► From Government Executive — Biden’s labor report card: Historian gives ‘Union Joe’ a higher grade than any president since FDR (by Eric Loomis) — President Joe Biden came into the White House intent on being “the most pro-union president leading the most pro-union administration in American history.” Four years later, he has shown a lot of progress.

► From Government Executive — EPA union ratifies contract to protect employees’ scientific integrity — AFGE’s deal also locks in a maximum of four days per week of telework, though labor leaders said that the agency will likely want to renegotiate the benefit after two years.

► From the Washington Post — Conservative attacks on birth control could threaten access — Since the Supreme Court overturned the right to abortion two years ago, far-right conservatives have been trying to curtail birth-control access by sowing misinformation about how various methods work to prevent pregnancy, even as Republican leaders scramble to reassure voters they have no intention of restricting the right to contraception, which polls show the vast majority of Americans favor.

NATIONAL

► From the AP — Amazon Labor Union moves to affiliate with the Teamsters union amid struggles — The Amazon Labor Union, a grassroots labor group that won a major victory at an Amazon warehouse two years ago, has agreed to affiliate with the Teamsters union, a move that’s bound to inject new energy into the struggling organization. Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien announced the affiliation during the union’s general executive board meeting in Washington on Tuesday. If ratified, members of the Amazon Labor Union, which belong to one warehouse located in the New York City borough of Staten Island, will essentially join the Teamsters as an “autonomous” local union with the same rights and duties as a standard chapter, according to the agreement.

► From the LA Times — Denied again: UC fails a second time to get court order to stop academic workers’ strike — For the second time, California’s labor board has declined to order an immediate halt to the UC academic workers strike, which has resulted in canceled classes, blocked parking garages and disrupted coursework for thousands at a crucial time of the year when students take finals.

► From Deadline — IATSE remains ‘hopeful’ about finalizing basic agreement before Teamsters take up baton, wages still a sticking point

► And then, there’s this from Reuters — Tesla investor Ron Baron backs Musk’s $56 billion pay plan — Prominent investor Ron Baron has come out in support of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s $56 billion pay package, which is up for a shareholder vote next week. Musk’s enormous pay, approved in 2018 but voided by a Delaware judge earlier this year, remains contentious.

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