No Kings | PeaceHealth negotiations | Louvre strike

Monday, June 16, 2025

STRIKES

► From the Colorado Sun — Colorado workers at 4 Safeway stores and a Denver distribution center go on strike — Union workers at Safeway stores in Estes Park, Fountain and two stores in Pueblo walked off the job Sunday morning after a temporary contract extension ended with no agreement. Employees at the Safeway distribution center in Denver also joined the strike. Understaffed stores, changes to health benefits and low wage increases are top issues for the union, as has been the case since the first contracts began expiring in January. The union also accuses managers from Albertsons-owned Safeway and its rivals at Kroger-owned King Soopers of unfairly teaming up to negotiate.

LOCAL

► From KUOW — Mysterious notice tells immigrants to check in at Seattle-area federal building. Several get detained — “I’ve been a lawyer for 20 years and never had a client called in on Saturday or Sunday,” said attorney Lesley Irizarry-Hougan. Of the 40 people who went into the building, roughly five did not come out – including Edipo Menezes of Brazil. He called his wife from inside the facility to tell her he was likely going to the Northwest Immigration Detention Center in Tacoma. That could mean deportation. His wife said no immigration court hearing had been scheduled for him. She said he left in the morning thinking it would be a regular day…The people who showed up on Saturday are not undocumented immigrants. They have legal status to be in the U.S. through the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program, which tracks and surveils people through an app, and can include an electronic device placed on person’s body.

► From the Washington State Standard — WA Medicaid data shared with federal immigration authorities, report says — The shared information, including names, addresses, and social security numbers, is from California, Illinois and Washington D.C., on top of Washington state, according to the Associated Press. This comes as the Trump administration seeks to ramp up deportations. Washington provides benefits that mirror Medicaid to immigrants in the U.S. without legal authorization. Enrollment is capped based on available funding, and only state dollars are used to pay for the program. The other states with data handed over offer similar benefits. The agency that runs Washington’s Medicaid program, known as Apple Health, wasn’t sure “what information was disclosed or how it may have been used.”

► the Seattle Times — Proposed federal cuts ‘horrific,’ says Washington’s schools chief — Perched on the side of a mountain in the Columbia River Gorge, the White Salmon Valley School District is the kind of place where the school is the heartbeat of the community. There aren’t any YMCAs or many options for after-school care. The district fills in that gap, offering a place for students to go. So when news emerged that the Trump administration was proposing broad cuts to education programs, Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn feared it would hit one of the area’s only safety nets. “This would be catastrophic,” said Polkinghorn. Under President Donald Trump’s proposed federal budget, the 1,100-student district stands to see federal money cut by more than a third.

► From the Tri-City Herald — [ICYMI]: 7 stories on Tri-Cities DOGE cuts and layoffs — DOGE-related federal layoffs are straining Tri-Cities by reducing staff at places like the Hanford nuclear site, where job cuts mean less oversight for cleanup work. Debates over Medicaid funding have local leaders concerned for the seniors and disabled who rely on these services.

► From the Yakima Herald — In a bone-dry June, wildfires begin to stalk Washington and Oregon — More than 3,600 acres are still burning in the Columbia River Gorge, where a blaze that began last week foreshadows what experts think will be an above-normal Northwest wildfire season…Statewide, 2,500 acres have burned as of last week, the state Department of Natural Resources said. The National Weather Service in Spokane predicts “elevated fire weather conditions through Wednesday,” followed by cooling and a chance of “much needed rain” by Friday for the inland Northwest. The NWS says it almost declared red flag warnings for Wenatchee, the Waterville Plateau and west Columbia Basin in anticipation of 30 mph gusts Monday and highs near 80. Lightning isn’t a threat, however.

CONTRACT FIGHTS

► From the Salish Current — Negotiations still on for three unions striking against PeaceHealth — According to two of the three unions that went on strike against PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham last month, recent negotiations have not gone favorably. While they wait to set a date for another round, the third union hasn’t had the opportunity to negotiate at all. The striking unions include unit 1199NW of the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, which consists of service and tech workers as well as lab technicians, and two separate unions from the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, or UAPD. One is made up of about 45 hospitalists from Sound Physicians and the other of around 95-100 advanced practice clinicians, or APCs.

NATIONAL

► From KUOW — Photos: See No Kings protests around the country — No Kings protests took place across the country from New York City to Atlanta to Los Angeles. The 50502 Movement, which stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement, said the nationwide protests are aimed at calling attention to what they say are authoritarian actions of the Trump administration.

► From Fortune — The president of the AFL-CIO says she’s committed to the fight against Trump’s immigration policies — Liz Shuler knows she has a long summer ahead of her. Over the past week, the president of the AFL-CIO, which has more than 15 million members, has seen organized labor’s ongoing battle with the Trump administration come under an even brighter spotlight…“We’re definitely built for this,” she says. “The labor movement has endured through the ups and downs of all kinds of politicians.”…This is about thousands of workers who are detained and being targeted by ICE in their workplaces now. And [we know] the implications on communities, and how workers are feeling, [workers] who are contributing to our economy and doing a job that communities rely on, while having this cloud of fear over them.

► From In These Times — “Our Biggest Fear”: A Garment Worker Organizer on the ICE Raid That Set Off Mass Protest — To discuss how the abduction of garment workers can be seen as an effort to prevent immigrants from organizing, and how the labor movement can work to respond to ICE’s aggression, In These Times spoke with Marissa Nuncio, Director of the Garment Worker Center in the heart of the Fashion District, who explained that the protests have become a ​“lightning bolt moment where the realities of our government, the realities of exploitation and of repression are [being] revealed.”…”I think that workplaces, unfortunately, make effective targets for ICE. They go in and they have a factory floor of people to round up, or day laborers at a Home Depot who are public and exposed. They’re just vulnerable sites for immigrants. They’re targeting low-wage industries that are staffed by immigrants. It’s just easy work for them.”

► From NBC News — Judge allows Trump administration to continue to detain Mahmoud Khalil — In his ruling on Friday, Michael Farbiarz of the U.S. District Court for New Jersey rejected Khalil’s request for release. The judge wrote that Khalil can remain in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, as long as the detention is not based on a determination by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the activist is a national security threat. “To the extent the Petitioner requests relief from this Court, the request is denied,” the judge said in his ruling.

POLITICS & POLICY

Federal updates here, local news and deeper dives below:

• Judge Blocks Trump’s Executive Order on Proof of Citizenship for Voting (New York Times)
• Trump Administration Live Updates: Judge Pauses State Dept. Plans for Mass Layoffs (New York Times)

► From the Guardian — ‘Extremely disturbing and unethical’: new rules allow VA doctors to refuse to treat Democrats, unmarried veterans — Doctors at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals nationwide could refuse to treat unmarried veterans and Democrats under new hospital guidelines imposed following an executive order by Donald Trump. The new rules, obtained by the Guardian, also apply to psychologists, dentists and a host of other occupations. They have already gone into effect in at least some VA medical centers. Doctors and other medical staff can also be barred from working at VA hospitals based on their marital status, political party affiliation or union activity, documents reviewed by the Guardian show. The changes also affect chiropractors, certified nurse practitioners, optometrists, podiatrists, licensed clinical social workers and speech therapists.

► From the Government Executive — Senate strips most retirement cuts from reconciliation, but anti-civil service provisions remain — An initial draft of the Senate Republicans’ version of the budget reconciliation package does away with several provisions that would have reduced federal workers’ retirement benefits but significantly increases the burden on new hires. Gone from the bill are House-passed provisions that would require all federal workers to contribute 4.4% of their basic pay toward the Federal Employees Retirement System, reduce their FERS benefit calculation from the average highest three years of salary to the highest five years, and eliminate the FERS supplement for employees who retire before Social Security kicks in at age 62.

► From the AP — Medicaid enrollees fear losing health coverage if Congress enacts work requirements –It took Crystal Strickland years to qualify for Medicaid, which she needs for a heart condition. Strickland, who’s unable to work due to her condition, chafed when she learned that the U.S. House has passed a bill that would impose a work requirement for many able-bodied people to get health insurance coverage through the low-cost, government-run plan for lower-income people. “What sense does that make?” she asked. “What about the people who can’t work but can’t afford a doctor?”

► From the New York Times — ‘Golden Share’ in U.S. Steel Gives Trump Extraordinary Control — Representatives from Nippon Steel — which had been trying to acquire the struggling U.S. Steel since December 2023, but had been blocked by the Biden administration over national security concerns — came around to Mr. Trump’s desire to take a stake that would give the U.S. government significant control over the company’s actions…In an update on Saturday to members of the United Steelworkers union, which had strongly opposed a sale to Nippon, its president, David McCall, expressed displeasure about the deal. “We’re disappointed that President Trump reversed course, jeopardizing the future of American steel making by allowing the merger, now described as a ‘partnership,’ despite over a year of the president speaking forcefully against it,” he said.

► From the New York Times — Randi Weingarten Quits D.N.C. Post in Dispute With Chairman — Randi Weingarten, the longtime leader of the American Federation of Teachers and a major voice in Democratic politics, and Lee Saunders, the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, have told Mr. Martin they will decline offers to remain at-large members of the national party…“These are new times. They demand new strategies, new thinking and a renewed way of fighting for the values we hold dear. We must evolve to meet the urgency of this moment,” Mr. Saunders said. “This is not a time to close ranks or turn inward. The values we stand for, and the issues we fight for, benefit all working people. It is our responsibility to open the gates, welcome others in and build the future we all deserve together.”

► From the union-busting Columbian — Washington legislators condemn political violence following Minnesota shooting — “We are Americans before we are Democrats, Republicans, or Independents and as Americans, we need to continue to stand for truth, decency, democracy, and freedom,” the joint statement reads. “As political leaders of our caucuses, we stand together to condemn all violence that threatens the safety of Washingtonians.” The statement follows two early -morning shootings on Saturday in the suburbs of Minneapolis in what Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said was a “politically motivated assassination.” The statement was attributed to Democratic Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins, Republican House Minority Leader Rep. Drew Stokesbary, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen and Republican Senate Minority Leader John Braun.

INTERNATIONAL

► From France 24 — Overwhelmed Louvre workers strike to protest overtourism, shutting down world’s most-visited museum — The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum, remained shuttered most of Monday when staff went on strike in frustration with what they called unmanageable crowds at an institution crumbling from within. The spontaneous strike erupted during a routine internal meeting, as gallery attendants, ticket agents and security personnel refused to take up their posts in protest over unmanageable crowds, chronic understaffing and what one union called “untenable” working conditions.