Trump’s labor plans | Ferguson ready | 100 bright spots

Friday, November 8, 2024

LOCAL POLITICS

► From the Washington State Standard — Ferguson and other WA Democrats prepare for new era of showdowns with Trump — In the same way that Washington officials might be more prepared to spar with the Trump administration than they were in 2017, Ferguson said Trump’s team is also likely more prepared and will be less sloppy in how they roll out some executive actions. There are also more conservative appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court than there were in 2017, which could make it more challenging, he said.

► From the Seattle Times — WA Democrat Gluesenkamp Perez keeps House seat, Newhouse holding on — In Washington’s most-watched congressional race, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez won her rematch against Joe Kent, collecting enough votes Thursday to put her over the top and help Democrats in their uphill battle to recapture the U.S. House.

► From the Washington State Standard — Washington legislative races tighten as ballot counting slows — Mungia led Larson by roughly 15,000 votes on Thursday night after trailing him on Election Day. He had 50% of the statewide vote to Larson’s 49.5%. Some of the closest legislative races continue to be in southwest Washington where two Republican senators, Lynda Wilson of Vancouver and Ann Rivers of La Center are retiring.

► From the Seattle Times — Trump made gains in some WA counties — but not all — President-elect Donald Trump has gained ground in 22 counties in the 2024 election, compared with his performance in 2020, based on votes counted as of Wednesday (more votes are being tallied). At the same time, the Republican standard-bearer has lost ground in 16 counties and is treading water in Washington’s most populous area, taking the same vote share in King County as during the last presidential contest.

NATIONAL POLITICS 

► From Common Dreams — Unions Say Building Worker Power Is Only Way to Defeat Trump’s Fascist Right — For Shawn Fain, the fiery president of the United Auto Workers, the struggle for the nation’s working class in the wake of Trump’s victory is identical to the one it faced prior to the election: “unchecked corporate greed destroying our lives, our families, and our communities.” Fain added. “The fight for a living wage, affordable healthcare, and time for our families continues. It’s time for Washington, D.C. to put up or shut up, no matter the party, no matter the candidate. Will our government stand with the working class, or keep doing the bidding of the billionaires? That’s the question we face today. And that’s the question we’ll face tomorrow. The answer lies with us. No matter who’s in office.”

► From the Pennsylvania Capital-Star — Trump won the presidency. What does that mean for education? –Throughout his campaign, Trump has vowed to “save American education,” with a focus on parental rights and universal school choice — offering a sharp contrast to the Biden administration’s education record. With Trump’s White House victory cemented, here’s a look at where he stands on education.

► From the New York Times — Voters Poised to Reject Private School Vouchers in Three States — On a bright Election Day for Republicans, one of their signature education policies — private school choice — was poised to be rejected by voters in three states: Colorado, Nebraska and Kentucky. In Kentucky, nearly two-thirds of voters defeated a proposal to allow state tax dollars to fund private and charter schools.

► From Bloomberg — What Trump Can Do to Workers’ Biden-Era Labor Wins — On the campaign trail this year, Trump courted union workers and promised many that he’d do better for them than Biden did. The last time Trump ran the government, however, he filled key enforcement roles with management-side attorneys who pushed for companies to have more control over workers’ tips, more time to run anti-union campaigns and more discretion over who gets paid overtime. Now that he’s had some practice, he’s likely to do more, faster, with “a deregulatory emphasis,” says Paul DeCamp, a corporate lawyer who served as George W. Bush’s wage and hour enforcement chief. “There’s no real preparation for being president other than having been president.”

► From the AP — Ranked voting will determine the winner of Maine’s 2nd Congressional District — Votes will have to be redistributed under Maine’s ranked choice system to determine the winner of a key congressional race, election officials said. The two candidates were both just below 49%, with Golden holding a slight edge of about 2,000 votes, according to figures released Thursday night by the Maine Department of the Secretary of State. At this point, Maine’s winner won’t be announced until next week.

NATIONAL

► From the AP — Judge strikes down Biden administration program shielding immigrant spouses from deportation — The program, lauded as one of the biggest presidential actions to help immigrant families in years, allowed undocumented spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens to apply for a green card without first having to leave the country. The temporary relief from deportation brought a brief sense of security to some 500,000 immigrants estimated to benefit from the program before Texas-based U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker put it on hold in August, days after applicants filed their paperwork. Barker ruled Thursday that the Biden administration had overstepped its authority by implementing the program and had stretched the legal interpretation of relevant immigration law “past its breaking point.”

AEROSPACE

► From the Seattle Times — Boeing to refund lost pay to employees furloughed during Machinists strike — “We will continue forward with our previously announced actions to reduce our workforce levels to align with our financial reality and a more focused and streamlined set of priorities,” Ortberg wrote Thursday. “These structural changes are important to our competitiveness and will help us deliver more value to our customers over the long term.” However, the immediate cash crunch from the strike that triggered the furloughs was eased late last month when Boeing raised more than $21 billion by selling stock and stock-linked bonds.

JOLT OF JOY

Amid a shift toward anti-worker candidates nationwide, Washingtonians instead voted for pro-worker candidates and policies up and down the ballot. Union members all over Washington worked hard to deliver that result. So if you’re looking for bright sides, here are about a hundred:

The Stand posts links to local, national and international labor news every weekday morning. Subscribe to get daily news in your inbox.