The Debate x2 | Workers walk | Swifties for Harris

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

LOCAL

► From the Yakima Herald-Republic — Monson Fruit pays $250K to settle sex discrimination, retaliation lawsuit –The lawsuit alleged that a manager sexually harassed a female employee in 2019 and then fired the employee’s husband in retaliation after she reported the manager’s conduct and rejected his requests for sex. The settlement requires Monson to add workplace policies and training to better protect workers from harassment, according to the press release, and remove the manager from supervisory positions. The $250,000 will go to the two former employees, the news release said.

► From Geek Wire — Unions finally get a foot in the door at Microsoft … for an AI summit, and possibly more — A two-day AI Labor Summit between AFL-CIO leaders and Microsoft executives this week reflects the tech giant’s revamped approach to unions — which includes a pledge by the company to incorporate feedback from labor unions and their members into the development of artificial intelligence.

► From the Seattle Times — Seattle City Council considers 7 ‘stay out’ drug or prostitution zones — Final votes by the entire nine-person council are scheduled for Sept. 17, and changes could still be made. Opponents asked the committee to shelve the bills Tuesday, arguing banishment zones have been tried before, won’t reduce crime, will lead to discriminatory policing and will further marginalize vulnerable people without addressing the root causes of drug addiction, gun violence and sexual exploitation through new investments in social services.

CONTRACT FIGHTS

► From My Northwest — Public Service workers walk out over staffing crisis, pay cuts — The union argues that the state’s proposal amounts to a pay cut. They say they have lost 20-30% of their purchasing power over the past 25 years due to “pattern bargaining.” According to the Expert Negotiator, pattern bargaining is based on the idea that precedent is a fair and practical standard to use in negotiations.

► From the Washington State Standard — Thousands of Washington state employees take part in lunch hour walkout — “They know the only way you recruit and retain the best people for public service is to raise pay,” Ava Clarridge, a member at large at Local 443. “Why are they still asking us to do more with less?” The state presented its initial compensation proposal July 22. At the time, union negotiators called it “short-sighted and disrespectful.” On Tuesday, Clarridge said the current wage proposals do not account for inflation and could actually result in pay cuts to many workers.

► From the Tacoma News Tribune — State workers protested near Steilacoom City Hall. Here’s what they are upset about

► From the Seattle Times — State workers walk out across WA to call for wage increases

► From the Yakima Herald-Republic — YVC instructors walk out in support of state union members

► From the union-busting Columbian — Clark College classified staff walk out to protest low wage offers from state

► From Axios — New York Times tech workers union votes to authorize a strike — The guild, which was formed in 2022, has yet to secure a contract after more than two years of bargaining. It’s unclear when the guild plans to strike, but with the elections coming up, any time in the near future would be problematic for The Times.

ORGANIZING

► From KTUU — Anchorage Daily News staff set to unionize — News staff and journalists with the Anchorage Daily News are working to form a union, citing the need for fair wages, increased transparency, and a sustainable workplace environment. According to the news guild, roughly 80% of the ADN newsroom support joining The NewsGuild-CWA, the representative for over 25,000 media groups that include The Seattle Times and The New York Times.

NATIONAL

► From the AP — WNBA players and union speak out against commissioner after she failed to condemn fan racism — “Here is the answer that the Commissioner should have provided to the very clear question regarding the racism, misogyny, and harassment experienced by the Players: There is absolutely no place in sport — or in life — for the vile hate, racist language, homophobic comments, and the misogynistic attacks our players are facing on social media,” the [WNBAPA executive director Terri Jackson’s] statement said.

► From The Hollywood Reporter — AFL-CIO, Entertainment Unions Unveil Federal Priorities For Nonprofit Artists and Journalists — The policies, which speak to concerns from nonprofit workers across 12 unions,including Actors’ Equity, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE and more, call for stronger labor protections as part of federal funding received through the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, gaining seats on federal grantmaking councils for working professionals and updating federal grants in these areas, so that the funds are not limited to just one production or project.

► From HR Dive — White House calls for stronger labor standards across federal agencies — The federal government considers itself a “model employer,” in that private sector employers often follow suit when it moves to change standards. The “Good Jobs Executive Order” calls upon agencies to adopt a number of standards around wages, union organizing, workforce development and workplace safety.

► From Axios — The gender wage gap just widened for the first time in 20 years — Men and women both saw real gains in earnings last year, but the wage gap between them widened, per census income data out Tuesday. The median woman working full time in 2023 earned 83% of what the median man earned.

► From People’s World — Unions are the only major social institution whose public respect is on the rise –Podhorzer noted that since the Great Recession 15 years ago, respect for the union movement has skyrocketed, to a near-record high this year of 70%. The gap between respect and disrespect, though Podhorzer didn’t say so, is now a record +47 percentage points.

► From the AP — Spacewalking is the new domain of the rich as billionaire attempts first private spacewalk –First came space tourism. Now comes an even bigger thrill for the monied masses: spacewalking. Tech billionaire Jared Isaacman will pop out of the hatch of his orbiting SpaceX capsule, two days after blasting off from Florida on a chartered flight that lifted him and his crew higher than anyone since NASA’s moonwalkers.

Editor’s note: we need to raise the marginal tax rate on these dudes immediately. 

POLITICS & POLICY

► From PBS — Here’s where Kamala Harris and Donald Trump stand on key issues, from democracy and immigration to tariffs and trade — This year’s presidential race is a genuine contest of ideas between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump — with clear differences on taxes, abortion, immigration, global alliances, climate change and democracy itself.

► From the Washington Post — Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris for president — “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos. I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”

► From the Government Executive — Lawmakers file discharge petition to repeal controversial tax rule affecting federal retirees — The windfall elimination provision reduces the Social Security benefits of retried employees who spent a portion of their careers in the private sector in addition to a federal, state or local government post where Social Security is not intended as an element of their retirement income, like the federal government’s Civil Service Retirement System. And the government pension offset reduces spousal and survivor Social Security benefits in families with retired government workers.

► From the Seattle Times — Ferguson, Reichert clash on public safety, Trump in WA governor debate — In response to Reichert’s criticism about hiring lawyers, Ferguson said he expanded his office to include growth in its criminal division and the creation of a consumer protection division to “take on the biggest corporations in the world that fueled our opioid epidemic,” and that his office was a “revenue generator” for the state including through case settlements. “We return millions of dollars to Washingtonians,” he said. “The total is literally in the billions of debt relief and dollars back in the pockets of Washingtonians.”

► From the Seattle Times — Election officials warn that widespread problems with the US mail system could disrupt voting — In an alarming letter, the officials said that over the past year, including the just-concluded primary season, mailed ballots that were postmarked on time were received by local election offices days after the deadline to be counted. They also noted that properly addressed election mail was being returned to them as undeliverable, a problem that could automatically send voters to inactive status through no fault of their own, potentially creating chaos when those voters show up to cast a ballot.

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