Medicaid defenders | Fed. workers picket | Colombia labor law

Thursday, June 26, 2025

LOCAL

► From My Northwest — Seattle federal building employees picket ICE arrests — McConnell said she and her coworkers risk getting pepper-sprayed as they come and go from work. Employees also reported being shoved by ICE agents, intimidated, harassed, and being followed by agents and stared down, according to the union’s post. “No one’s workplace should be like that, certainly not a federal workplace that serves the people,” McConnell said. McConnell added that she fears being detained for trying to do her job.

► From KING 5 — Boeing to reinstate 58 laid-off workers after union grievance victory — Fifty-eight previously laid-off Boeing employees are set to return to work by the end of this week, their union confirmed to KING 5. The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) called it a win for its union members after it said the aerospace giant violated its labor contracts. The reinstatements follows SPEEA’s challenge asserting that Boeing improperly laid off its union-represented workers while retaining external contractors and personnel from other aerospace companies – often referred to as “Industry Assist” – who they said were performing the same work.

► From Cascade PBS — Despite federal ruling, trans Seattleites can’t update passports — In April, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction in Orr v. Trump requiring the State Department to allow six plaintiffs to get passports with the gender marker that matches their identity. Lawyers then successfully filed to expand their suit to cover all individuals impacted by the executive order…About an hour after heading in for his appointment, John walked out unsuccessful. The passport office employee told him that despite the court order, they couldn’t issue new passports with self-selected gender markers until the U.S. State Department issued guidance on how to proceed.

CONTRACT FIGHTS

► From Reuters — WNBA players push for better pay as league soars to new heights — Under the current framework, WNBA players receive between 20-25% of basketball-related income, far below the NBA’s approximate 50%. Salaries range from $66,000 to $250,000 annually, dwarfed by the NBA’s average player earnings of $10 million…Some players have been exploring alternative pathways to increased pay. Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier launched Unrivaled, an off-season 3-on-3 league offering salaries averaging $222,000 – exceeding what many WNBA players earn. Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese has hinted at more dramatic measures. “I’m hearing that if the league doesn’t give us what we want, we’re sitting out,” she said on her podcast in March.

NATIONAL

► From the AP — College graduates face toughest job market in more than a decade as hiring slows — The unemployment rate for degree holders ages 22 to 27 has reached its highest level in a dozen years, excluding the coronavirus pandemic. Joblessness among that group is now higher than the overall unemployment rate, and the gap is larger than it has been in more than three decades…“Young people are bearing the brunt of a lot of economic uncertainty,” Brad Hersbein, senior economist at the Upjohn Institute, a labor-focused think tank, said. “The people that you often are most hesitant in hiring when economic conditions are uncertain are entry-level positions.”

► From NPR — Purple Heart Army veteran self-deports after nearly 50 years in the U.S. — On Monday, Park, a green-card holder, self-deported to South Korea. His removal order was the result of charges related to drug possession and failure to appear in court from over 15 years ago — offenses that, he said, stemmed from years of untreated PTSD. Park’s story reflects both the challenges of life after combat and the perils that noncitizen veterans face if caught in the legal system — realities made harsher amid the Trump administration’s push for record deportations. “ I can’t believe that this is happening in America,” Park told NPR in an interview prior to his departure. “That blows me away, like a country that I fought for.”

► From the AP — Kilmar Abrego Garcia to remain in jail as attorneys debate deportation — Kilmar Abrego Garcia will remain in jail for at least a few more days while attorneys in the federal smuggling case against him spar over whether prosecutors have the ability to prevent Abrego Garcia’s deportation if he is released to await trial.

► From Wired — ‘They’re Not Breathing’: Inside the Chaos of ICE Detention Center 911 Calls — A WIRED investigation into 911 calls from 10 of the nation’s largest immigration detention centers found that serious medical incidents are rising at many of the sites. The data, obtained through public records requests, show that at least 60 percent of the centers analyzed had reported serious pregnancy complications, suicide attempts, or sexual assault allegations. Since January, these 10 facilities have collectively placed nearly 400 emergency calls…WIRED spoke with immigration attorneys, local migrant advocates, national policy experts, and individuals who have been recently detained or have family currently in ICE custody. Their accounts echoed the data: a system overwhelmed, and at times, seemingly indifferent to medical crises. Experts believe the true number of medical emergencies is far higher.

POLITICS & POLICY

► From Common Dreams — Medicaid Defenders in Wheelchairs Arrested Ahead of Senate Vote on ‘Betrayal of a Bill’ — Protesters were zip-tied and dragged from the building by police after demonstrators unfurled three large banners inside the rotunda with messages calling on lawmakers to protect Medicaid and other essential social programs. One of the banners read, “Senate Republicans Don’t Kill Us, Save Medicaid.”…Most proponents of the bill are determined to pass it with the Medicaid cuts. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that “failure is not an option.” “I know a lot of us are hearing from people back home about Medicaid,” McConnell noted. “But they’ll get over it.”

► From the AP — Key Medicaid provision in Trump’s big bill found to violate Senate rules — The Senate parliamentarian has advised that a Medicaid provider tax overhaul central to President Donald Trump’s tax cut and spending bill does not adhere to the chamber’s procedural rules, delivering a crucial blow as Republicans rush to finish the package this week…GOP leaders were already struggling to rally support for Medicaid changes that some senators said went too far and would have left millions without coverage. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has said more than 10.9 million more people would not have health care under the House-passed bill; Senate Republicans were proposing deeper cuts.

► From the Washington Post — Trump administration is preparing to challenge budget law, U.S. officials say — The Trump administration is preparing to test a 1974 budget law by refusing to spend congressionally mandated funds, senior federal officials say — an escalation that could change the balance of power between Congress and the White House. In both internal communications and interviews, more than two dozen current and former employees across multiple agencies said the administration appears to be readying to push the boundaries of the law meant to prevent the president from unilaterally overturning spending decisions made by Congress.

► From the Washington State Standard — Trump administration sues entire court bench in Maryland over pause in deportations — The Department of Justice in an unusual move has filed a lawsuit against all the judges in the federal court in Maryland, in an attempt to block the court’s two-day pause on deporting immigrants who challenge their detention in the state…In late May, Russell signed a standing order to halt deportations for two days in an effort to accommodate the sudden high volume of habeas corpus claims filed outside of normal court business hours. A habeas corpus claim allows immigrants to challenge their detention.

► From the Daily Montanan — Trump looks to “consolidate” federal wildland fire agencies — U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy, a Montana Republican, introduced legislation in February to combine wildland fire agencies in a bipartisan effort with U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat. “For too long, layers of senseless bureaucracy and red tape have splintered our wildfire management system, failed our brave firefighters on the ground, and let entire communities be wiped off the map by wildfire,” Sheehy said in a statement on Feb. 6. “The time is now to reshape our approach to American wildfire management and start fighting fires better, stronger, and faster.”

► From Reuters — US Senate committee advances Trump nominee to head FAA — The Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday voted 15 to 13 to approve the nomination Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford to head the Federal Aviation Administration but is not hiking proposed funding to overhaul air traffic control.
All Republicans voted in favor, while Democrats voted against after some cited Bedford’s refusal to commit to uphold the 1,500-hour training rule for co-pilots.

► From the Spokesman-Review — New forecast shows uptick in Washington transportation revenue as gas tax set to increase — The new projection, released Wednesday by the Washington State Transportation Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, takes into account $6.5 billion in additional funding resulting from new legislation, account transfers and revenues from the Climate Commitment Act, which are now allocated to transportation purposes. The influx of cash will enable the state to complete a range of previously agreed-upon transportation projects, which were at risk of postponement due to a lack of adequate funding. As lawmakers worked to adopt a transportation budget, legislative leaders warned the North Spokane Corridor could be delayed without additional revenue.

INTERNATIONAL

► From the AP — Colombia’s president signs a labor overhaul into law after 2 failed attempts — The law increases overtime pay for salaried workers and limits the use of short-term contract workers, while requiring companies to provide medical coverage and social security for gig workers like food delivery drivers. It also promises student interns proper contracts and benefits like vacation time and severance pay.

JOLT OF JOY

Closing out my little series of legends in trans and queer music with Shea Diamond. A fierce reclamation of American identity, this is the perfect track to get you pumped to celebrate Pride this weekend. (If you’re feeling the spirit, join Pride at Work at the Seattle Pride March on Sunday.)

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