NEWS ROUNDUP

Rotschy picketed | Fed. worker contracts | AI regulation

Friday, June 20, 2025

STRIKES

► From the Pittsburgh Union Progress — NLRB charges Pittsburgh Post-Gazette with contempt for ignoring federal court’s health insurance ruling — The National Labor Relations Board on Tuesday filed civil contempt of court charges against the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for what it said is the newspaper’s refusal to comply with a federal court order to restore health insurance the company illegally took away from its workers in 2020…Post-Gazette newsroom workers, who are represented by the guild, have been on an unfair labor practice strike against the newspaper since October 2022 in part because of the company’s unilateral change in health insurance. It is the longest ongoing strike in the country.

LOCAL

► From the union-busting Columbian — ‘This contractor really needs to step it up’: Union members picket outside Rotschy headquarters, spotlighting safety issues — Union members, accompanied by a giant inflatable rat and two inflatable pigs, lined the sidewalk near the Vancouver headquarters for construction company Rotschy Inc. on Wednesday morning. The informational picket, organized by the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 701, came two days after the Vancouver City Council discussed whether or not to award contracts to the Clark County company following two very public safety incidents on Rotschy jobsites. Rotschy isn’t a union shop, and Winkler’s union hasn’t worked with the business. But he’s concerned about the safety of the company’s employees. Unions conduct safety training for members and contract partners, among other functions, Winkler said. “We also monitor those types of things,” Winkler said. “I guarantee you: You won’t find a union signatory contractor that has similar safety records to Rotschy.”

► From the Seattle Times — Seattle-area costly child care strains family budgets during summer break — For Devon Whitlock, an Edmonds mom of a 10-year-old, summer break is a financial burden. Through the school year, Whitlock pays less than $400 a month for a before-school program and manages without child care in the afternoons. Come summer, she finds herself scrambling…Access to summer programs in King County is uneven across the county, said Elizabeth Whitford, chief executive officer of the school-aged program policy and advocacy nonprofit School’s Out Washington. And a similar trend exists across the state; Seattle-area families have more access and choices than other parts of the state.

► From My Northwest — Seattle Taiwanese restaurant to pay nearly $600K — Din Tai Fung, a series of Taiwanese restaurants with locations in the Puget Sound region, among other states, agreed to settle with the Seattle Office of Labor Standards over violations related to paid sick time and wage theft. The Seattle Office of Labor Standards (OLS) launched an investigation and found that the restaurant chain actively discouraged employees from using sick leave while also failing to provide required rest and meal breaks, which are required by law.

► From the NW Labor Press — Unions defend detained members as deportations escalate — On June 13, Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, joined with Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network and several other organizations to issue a statement condemning plans by ICE Special Response Teams to prepare for deployment to Seattle and calling for peaceful non-violent civil disobedience in response.

► From KUOW — A ‘perfect’ season for Washington’s sweet cherries turns sour because of deportation fears — Cherry growers say the threat of deportations under President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown is keeping the migrant workforce they rely on this time of year from showing up to work. They describe an increasingly urgent labor crisis that could leave cherries rotting in the field, and farmers holding the bill.

► From Jade Monroe — OPINION: Beekeeping: A Reflection on Community and Hope — Last Saturday, over 4,000 people gathered in People’s Park, and more than 10,000 mobilized across Pierce County…When I reached out to Indivisible Tacoma and the Pierce County Central Labor Council, we tried something different: leading with what we’re for, not just what we’re against. We built a coalition of 20+ groups—labor, activists, faith leaders, racial justice orgs, immigrants’ rights advocates—united by shared purpose. We didn’t just fill a stage—we centered the people already doing the work. From the Black Panther Party igniting the crowd in the very park where their local movement began, to Tanggol Migrante and Tacoma For All showing us real ways we can “Trump-proof” and protect our communities, this event was rooted in action.

CONTRACT FIGHTS

► From the Government Executive — Another postal union approves its collective bargaining agreement — The U.S. Postal Service has officially notched another labor contract, this time with the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association. On Monday, the union announced that members had ratified a collective bargaining agreement that will last through May 20, 2027. In total, 67% of NRLCA postal workers voted to approve the contract with a final tally of 9,730 to 4,880.

NATIONAL

► From the Seattle Times — America’s home health workers at risk from Trump immigration crackdown –Foreign-born people comprise roughly one in five U.S. workers, yet they account for more than 40% of home health aides and nearly 30% of personal care employment, according to U.S. government data. Trump’s push to strip hundreds of thousands of foreign workers of work authorizations, ramp up deportations and curb immigration has providers and industry experts worried about their ability to hire and retain workers. “The sector has been struggling to retain the workforce outside of immigration,” said Jeanne Batalova, a senior policy analyst at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. “The impact will be felt in some cities and states very quickly with people losing their status.”

► From the NW Labor Press — Support for unions at all-time high — The 2024 results also show that all political groups — liberals, moderates, conservatives, and “don’t knows” — are more pro-union than ever. Self-described conservatives are the only group to view business more positively than unions, but that gap is narrowing.

POLITICS & POLICY

Federal updates here, local news and deeper dives below:

► From Bloomberg Law — Trump’s Bid to End Union Contracts Is Unprecedented, Judge Says — President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end collective bargaining agreements between federal agencies and employee unions appears to be far too sweeping in its scale, a San Francisco federal judge said at a hearing Wednesday. “The executive order seems unprecedented to me in its scope and breath by taking hundreds of thousands of employees outside the purview of” the federal statue establishing collective bargaining rights for federal workers, Judge James Donato said. He said that he wasn’t issuing a ruling from the bench. The group of federal unions led by the American Federation of Government Employees are asking Donato, a Barack Obama appointee, to enter a preliminary injunction halting the Trump administration to implementing the executive order.

► From the New York Times — ICE Imposes New Rules on Congressional Visits — Under federal law, members of Congress can make unannounced oversight visits to immigration facilities that “detain or otherwise house aliens.” Lawmakers are not required to provide “prior notice of the intent to enter a facility” to conduct oversight, though members of their staff must request a visit at least 24 hours in advance. But in guidance released this month, Immigration and Customs Enforcement asks members of Congress to give at least 72 hours notice for a visit to its facilities. Asked about the policy, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, went even further, suggesting that federal officials would not be allowed entry unless they provided a week’s notice.

► From the Punchbowl — Unions, Dems oppose GOP AI regulation freeze — The AFL-CIO is leading more than 25 unions in opposing a provision in the Republican reconciliation bill that would withhold broadband funds from states unless they agree not to regulate artificial intelligence. Labor’s now weighing in alongside Democrats, consumer groups and state officials, who are all pushing back against the idea. Businesses big and small want the freeze to deal with contradictory rules. Republicans are split on the issue.

► From Forbes — Study Projects Medicaid Cuts Would Lead To Major Insurance Loss, Increase In Deaths — A new study published Tuesday by researchers from Harvard Medical School and Hunter College projects that the proposed House budget bill would increase the number of U.S. uninsured by 7.6 million due to Medicaid cuts included in it. The additional number of deaths annually was set at 16,642 by a middle estimate from the study. This would be caused by people forgoing medical care because of its particularly high cost to the uninsured. According to the researchers, limiting or eliminating Medicaid provider taxes as well as Medicaid per capita caps and work requirements for Medicaid enrollment would have the worst effects on both factors. Rolling back Medicaid expansion, which 41 states opted into, comes a close fourth.

► From the New York Times — Will Trump End OSHA’s Federal Heat Protections for Workers? — Last August, nine workers across the United States, ages 19 to 71, died of heat-related causes while working jobs that involved things like cutting the grass, unloading trucks, repairing farm equipment or doing construction, according to federal workplace data. Because heat-related deaths are difficult to track, that number is likely an undercount. Starting Monday, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is holding public hearings on a proposed rule to prevent heat-related illnesses and deaths at work, which is the first federal rule of its kind. Put forward last summer by the Biden administration, the regulation would require employers to provide water and rest breaks when temperatures surpass certain levels.

► From the Washington State Standard — WA looks to strengthen safety net for children whose parents are deported — For years, Washington law has barred local police from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. The state has created guidance on how school officials should comply with this. For example, schools can’t reach out to immigration agents to share information about students. And schools are required to implement policy on what to do if deportation authorities show up on campus. But the task force found such training is missing for extra-curricular activities, like parents supervising field trips and sporting events off campus. So the panel is working with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop such guidance. The report also flagged a gap in cases when authorities detain one parent but not another. It is difficult for the remaining parent to receive sole guardianship of their child without evidence of abuse or neglect.

► From the Yakima Herald-Republic — Sen. Patty Murray: GOP bill would put 5.4M acres of WA public land up for sale — The bill would mandate the sale of between 2 million and 3 million acres of Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands over the next five years across 11 western states, according to The Wilderness Society. Aside from Washington, those states are: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming. Public lands exposed to possible sale would include local recreation and wilderness-study areas, as well as critical wildlife habitat. Here in Washington, that means national parks and forests would be eligible for sale, said Michael Kelly, spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources.

► From Cascade PBS — WA abortion access at critical risk after state cuts, advocates say — Reproductive health care advocates say abortion access in Washington is newly at risk after Governor Bob Ferguson signed a budget cutting funding for the state’s Abortion Access Project by over 50 percent…“Health care access is definitely tied to the need for sustainable revenue in the state,” [Representative Nicole] Macri said. “We’re going to continue to need to talk about sustainable revenue in order to make sure that we can provide full access to the health care services that Washingtonians need.”

► From the NW Labor Press — Landmark law extends jobless benefits to strikers — Heralding the passage of Senate Bill 916, the Oregon AFL-CIO called it landmark legislation and a major victory for workers. “Extending unemployment to striking Oregonians is a necessary step towards leveling the playing field just a notch between workers and employers,” said Oregon AFL-CIO President Graham Trainor in a statement immediately after the bill’s passage. Oregon is the fourth state to allow strikers to receive unemployment benefits, following New York, New Jersey, and Washington.

INTERNATIONAL

► From TechSpot — Pope Leo XIV warns of AI risks, urges action to protect human dignity — Two days after his election, Pope Leo XIV addressed a gathering of cardinals in Rome and made it clear that artificial intelligence would be at the center of his papacy. The new pontiff, who hails from Chicago and holds a mathematics degree, invoked the legacy of his namesake, Leo XIII, who had defended workers’ rights during the upheaval of the industrial revolution.