Boeing negotiations | Doctors organize | Gen Z backs Harris

Thursday, September 5, 2024

STRIKES

► From the Hollywood Reporter — SAG-AFTRA Inks Video Game Deal With ‘Last Sentinel’ Maker During Strike Against Major Studios — The union’s interim agreement, reflecting its demands in the ongoing stalemate with major video game developers, requires performers to consent to the use of AI at particular stages and be paid for that usage. Employers must tell an actor either at an audition or job offer if they are seeking to create a “digital replica” of that person and get their consent, for instance, and get a greenlight from the performer and negotiate pay before that digital replica is used. The agreement also provides for a wage increase of 7 percent effective July 26 and 7.64 percent starting Nov. 7 and a health and retirement contribution rate increase of 17 percent.

LOCAL

► From the Olympian — Heatwave expected to sweep through Washington, raising the risk of heat-related illness — Areas of Eastern Washington, including the Tri-Cities, will experience temperatures as high as 99 degrees during the warning, which will remain in place until Saturday night, although temperatures in the high 90s could continue into next week. According to the advisories, the warm conditions “will significantly increase the risk of heat-related illnesses for those who are sensitive to heat, especially those without effective cooling or adequate hydration.”

► From Cascade PBS — DACA recipients now eligible to be police officers in Washington — Washington offers some unique opportunities for Dreamers, as those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals are commonly called, including access to college financial aid and professional licenses in fields like teaching and nursing. But until this July, becoming a police officer was excluded from that list. California, Colorado, Illinois and New Jersey also allow DACA recipients to apply to be police officers, according to Sen. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, a retired trooper of 30 years who sponsored the bill in the Washington Legislature to start a similar program here.

AEROSPACE

► From Reuters — Acting US labor secretary encourages Boeing and workers to reach ‘fair contract’ — The largest percentage of Boeing’s global workforce, or more than 66,000 employees, live and work in Washington state on the MAX, 767 and 777 widebody jets, along with other planes. The IAM wants the planemaker to provide guarantees that its next airplane program will stay in Washington state’s Puget Sound area. The timing of a new Boeing plane, however, is unclear.

► From The Street — Potential strike could spell more bad news for Boeing stock — Employees who are part of the International Association of Machinists will see their labor agreement end on September 12. If a new deal isn’t reached, these workers who have the vital task of building Boeing airplanes could hit the company with its first walkout in 16 years. So far, negotiations aren’t going well, according to one local union official. The two sides are at odds over pay, health insurance, retirement, and paid time off.

Editor’s note: the latest from IAM 751…

IAM/Boeing Contract 2024 Negotiations Update – September 4, 2024

Wages, health care, retirement, and job security have always been top priorities for our Members. But this time, it’s different. Our Members have made it clear that they deserve more than the status quo – they… pic.twitter.com/L6ESX6kDqa

— IAM Union District 751 (@IAM751) September 5, 2024

CONTRACT FIGHTS

► From CNBC — ‘We’ll shut them down’: Port union near strike, cites contract impasse — ILA leadership said in a video released on Wednesday that it is ready to “hit the streets” on Oct. 1 and described the negotiating positions as “very, very far apart” and at a “contract impasse.” A Biden administration official told CNBC it supports collective bargaining as the best way for American workers and employers to come to an agreement. “That’s why we encourage all parties to remain at the bargaining table and negotiate in good faith…We’ve never invoked Taft-Hartley to break a strike and are not considering doing so now.”

► From Deadline — American Federation Of Musicians Drums Up Support For The “Hard Fight Ahead” At NYC Rally As Live-TV Contract Talks Begin — Members of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) gathered on the doorstep of the old McGraw-Hill Building to kick off a new round of contract talks on the union’s TV Videotape Agreement, which covers the players on live and taped television programs such as Saturday Night Live and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

ORGANIZING

► From the Detroit Free Press — UAW wins union recognition at Ultium battery cell plant in Tennessee — The UAW said a majority of the workers at the [Tennessee] Ultium Cells facility signed cards to join the UAW and the company had agreed to recognize their union after workers at an Ohio Ultium plant overwhelmingly voted to join the union in 2022 and won a new contract earlier this year with significant wage hikes. The companies did not immediately comment.

► From the (Everett) Herald — Arlington, Mount Vernon doctors file to unionize — In early July…about 45 doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants at Cascade and Skagit Valley hospitals — both part of Mount Vernon-based Skagit Regional Health — filed for representation with the Union of American Physicians and Dentists.

► From Broadway World — Portland Center Stage Partners with IATSE, Strengthening Commitment to Fair Labor Practices — Portland Center Stage has announced that it has officially entered into an agreement between PCS and IATSE, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, to provide representation to our Production Staff, a historic step forward in our ongoing commitment to supporting the arts and the skilled professionals who bring our productions to life.

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!

NATIONAL

► From the Washington Post — Biden preparing to block Nippon Steel purchase of U.S. Steel — After an extensive review, the Treasury-led committee appears to have concluded that the national security concerns raised by the acquisition could not be mitigated, according to two industry sources who asked not to be named discussing sensitive deliberations.

► From Reuters — US judge says X must face class action age bias claims over mass layoff  — A federal judge in San Francisco has ruled that roughly 150 older workers who were laid off by social media platform X when Elon Musk acquired the company can sue for age discrimination as a class, exposing the company to millions of dollars in potential damages.

► From the New York Times — What Does a Couple Do When One Partner Is Deported? — Hector Reyes parked his truck in the Mexican border town of Ciudad Juárez, his phone lighting up with photos and videos of his son Daniel receiving his high school diploma. The ceremony was happening only a mile away in El Paso. But Mr. Reyes had been deported in 2017 and barred for 20 years from entering the United States for having twice illegally crossed the border. His wife and two children, all American citizens, have made a life in El Paso, while Mr. Reyes lives eight blocks from the border. He recalled looking up at the sky on the night of the graduation in May, waiting to see the fireworks that would mark the end of his son’s high school years.

► From the New York Times — Leaked Reports and Political Heat Are Testing Trust in Economic Data — Economists and other experts say the bureau’s data remains reliable, and they praise the agency’s efforts to ensure its numbers are accurate and free of political bias. But they say the recent problems threaten to undermine confidence in the agency, and in government statistics more broadly.

► From the Washington Post — EPA restores industrial air pollution rule axed by Trump — In an update posted on its website, the agency quietly signaled it had finalized changes to the “Once In, Always In” rule, which requires facilities classified as “major” sources of toxic air pollution to always maintain strict pollution controls, even if they are later reclassified. EPA considers a facility a “major source” if it annually emits 10 tons or more of a single hazardous air pollutant or 25 tons or more of at least two such pollutants, including arsenic and benzene. Inhaling these pollutants carries a range of health risks.

► From the NYU Stern Center — ‘We Want You To Be A Proud Boy’ How Social Media Facilitates Political Intimidation and Violence — Our main finding is that the research consistently shows that social media is exploited to facilitate political intimidation and violence. What’s more, certain features of social media platforms make them particularly susceptible to such exploitation, and some of those features can be changed to reduce the danger.

POLITICS & POLICY

► From CNN — Here’s what Harris is proposing for the economy — Most, if not all, of Harris’ proposals would require congressional approval, which would be a significant hurdle if Capitol Hill remains as divided as it is currently. So far, her campaign has said she would increase the corporate tax rate to 28%, up from the 21% rate set by former President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cut law – which would raise about $1 trillion over the next decade, according to the committee. Harris has also said she supports the revenue-raising provisions in Biden’s fiscal year 2025 budget blueprint, which includes tax hikes on wealthy Americans and big companies. Overall, these measures would raise about $5 trillion.

► From NBC — Poll: Half of Gen Z voters support Harris, one-third back Trump — Harris is backed by 60% of young voters who say they’re almost certain that they will cast a ballot in the presidential election. That figure pulls in line with the 60% of 18- to 29-year-olds won by Joe Biden in the 2020 election against Trump, according to NBC News exit poll results. Another 1 in 10 respondents to the poll said they will not vote in the presidential election.

► From People’s World — LCLAA to campaign among Latinos against GOP’s Project 2025 — The “Defendiendo Nuestro Futuro” or “Defending Our Future” campaign will feature door-to-door canvassing, focusing on labor rights, environmental issues, education and health care access, LCLAA says. “This extreme plan poses serious risks to the Hispanic community, affecting education, healthcare, and immigration, with significant consequences for states with large Latino populations,” LCLAA says

► From the Washington State Standard — Foes of measure to repeal WA climate law launch their first TV ad — Initiative 2117 would repeal the Climate Commitment Act that established the state’s cap-and-invest program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The measure also would bar state agencies from imposing any type of program involving carbon tax credit trading.

Editor’s note: voting NO on I-2117 is good for our economy, our environment, and our kids’ future — it also has the fringe benefit of pissing off the ultra-wealthy donors who bought their way on to the ballot. A true win-win. 

► From Cascade PBS — Is one Western Washington district shifting further to the right? — The 2nd Legislative District in the south Puget Sound region has always been a conservative foothold among more Democratic and liberal-leaning areas of Western Washington. But now it could be moving even further right, if the current election is an indication of what’s happening in parts of Yelm and Lacey and surrounding rural areas.

Editor’s note: one candidate, Matt Marshall, has ties to the Three Percenters, an extremist ideology common in anti-government militia movements. 

► From the union-busting Columbian — Project 2025 unpopular in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, Democrats’ polling shows — House Majority PAC conducted a survey of 1,253 likely voters throughout multiple battleground districts between July 30 and Aug. 4. Respondents were asked to share their views on multiple issues via online panel interviews. A memo from the political action committee states Project 2025 ranks as the least popular policy in battleground districts. Half of voters polled stated they are unfavorable to Project 2025, including 27 percent of self-identified Republicans.

INTERNATIONAL

► From Supply Chain Brain — Canada Rail Union Challenges Order That Ended Work Stoppage — The president’s choice of a right-wing politician, after an extraordinary delay, inflamed opponents on the left who came out on top in an inconclusive election.

► From the New York Times — Macron Names Michel Barnier to Be French Prime Minister, Breaking Impasse — Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) locked out workers on August 22, following months of failed attempts to reach a new collective bargaining deal with Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC). A day later, Canada’s labor board imposed binding arbitration on the railways and union, requiring the work stoppage to end as soon as possible while the two sides continue negotiating. Now, the TCRC is challenging that decision from the labor board, claiming that it interferes with the union’s ability to collectively bargain.

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