SEA authorizes strike | Boeing seeks scabs | Nippon violations

Thursday, August 27, 2026

LOCAL

► From OPB — Washington Department of Ecology issues environmental violations after Longview paper mill chemical spill –Environmental regulators issued violation notices on Wednesday to the paper mill in Longview, Washington, that was the site of a fatal chemical tank failure on May 26. The Department of Ecology issued notices of 35 violations against the Nippon Dynawave Packaging company…“Ecology’s findings document serious environmental impacts following the tank failure, and those impacts must be addressed through the established regulatory process,” said Josh Estes, a spokesperson for the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers, a union representing employees at the mill.

► From the Seattle Times — WA ICE arrests reach new high, just-released data shows — While ICE has refrained from more Minneapolis-style surges, the agency began ramping up activity again in the spring and in recent months has arrested more people in Washington and nationwide than at any point in the last three years, according to figures released this week by the Deportation Data Project.

CONTRACT FIGHTS

► From the Seattle Times — Seattle teachers authorize strike; school year start date in question — The bargaining team — representatives from the union and SPS — will keep negotiating “around the clock” until the contract ends Aug. 31, union representatives said. Bargaining can continue even on Sept. 1 — and if an agreement is reached that day, the strike will be called off, union spokesperson Julie Popper said. The 91.2% vote in favor came after a four-hour member meeting at the Seattle Convention Center, where the bargaining team gave an update on their negotiations with the district and members shared their opinions on next steps the union should take.

► From Reuters — Boeing posts contract jobs in labor dispute’s latest escalation — SPEEA is “hopeful” that the planemaker and its members can agree to a new four-year contract while avoiding a strike, union spokesman Bryan Corliss said. “It appears, however, that both sides are preparing for the possibility of a strike,” he said. “In our case, that includes preparing information for our members on what they could expect should there be a work stoppage. For its part, Boeing seems to be looking for 17,000 individuals who don’t care if they undercut worker solidarity.”

► From the Seattle Times — Starbucks union calls for boycott as contract negotiations drag — “After the conclusion of the biggest strike in Starbucks history earlier this year, our union of over 12,000 baristas got the company to meet us at the bargaining table again,” the union wrote. “Unfortunately, Starbucks has only dragged their feet instead of making real movement toward finalizing union contracts.”…In the meantime, the union is pushing customers to support other unionized coffee shops, including Seattle’s General Porpoise.

Editor’s note: Broadcast Coffee in Seattle’s Central District also recently organized with UFCW Local 3000.

NATIONAL

► From the New York Times’ Athletic — NFL, NFLPA to expand mental health benefits for players and dependents — Beginning Sept. 1, active and former players and their family members will have access to a large group of providers jointly selected by the NFL and the NFLPA. The goal is to provide more accessible, affordable mental health care tailored to an individual’s specific needs…Health care plans have also expanded mental health coverage, and players have begun to use those offerings more readily. However, league and union officials believe more can be done, and increasing accessibility and affordability ranks among them.

► From Democracy Now — “They Threw Me to the Wolves”: Karen Attiah on Censorship Under Trump, Winning Her WaPo Job Back — “I’m sitting here, and I’m wearing red in honor of the Washington Post Guild. I’m a proud union member. And my ability to even challenge my firing, to file a grievance, and then to go to arbitration was all thanks to the fact that the Washington Post Guild and the Washington-Baltimore News Guild had in their contract for binding arbitration. So, as much as this is a victory for me, this is a victory for guilds, for unions…”

POLITICS & POLICY

► From the AP — Judge removes one hurdle for Trump mail voting order as states file new challenge before midterms — U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston agreed to lift an order prohibiting the U.S. Postal Service from carrying out Trump’s order for November’s elections. She wrote that she was “compelled” to do so after the Supreme Court’s conservative majority ruled that a similar injunction she granted in a separate case was premature. Talwani nevertheless said the executive order could unleash “chaos” and referred to it as “likely unconstitutional.”

► From Bloomberg — Top NLRB Lawyer Names Cases Seeking Pro-Employer Legal Redux — The National Labor Relations Board’s top lawyer has revealed the cases in which she’s asking the board to overturn Biden-era precedent, including decisions governing mandatory anti-union meetings, severance agreements, and work rules. The NLRB’s legal arm has called on the board to strike down precedential rulings in seven pending cases, according to agency General Counsel Crystal Carey’s memo Wednesday.

► From the Burner — Defunded Labor Watchdog Just Won $4 Million For Seattle Workers, Now Activist Mayor Must Protect The Department In Her Budget — The settlement highlights the vital role OLS plays in protecting vulnerable workers, but it’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the tens of millions OLS has recouped for Seattle workers in its decade of existence. And as City Hall stares down a difficult budgeting process, the level to which activist-turned-Mayor Katie Wilson funds OLS will demonstrate — better than any viral goof or gaffe — the strength of her commitment to Seattle’s working class.

► From KNKX — Whatcom County dedicates $7 million to childcare subsidies — The county’s subsidy program will support child care providers that take care of kids who qualify for the state’s Working Connections Child Care subsidy program. Through that, the state provides financial aid to households that make less than 60% of the state median income when they apply. For a family of four that comes to about $83,580 annually.

► From People’s World — Phoenix judge knocks anti-union referendum off Arizona ballots — A Maricopa County Superior Court judge has knocked an anti-union referendum, which if passed would have virtually put public sector unions out of business, off Arizona ballots this fall…The Arizona “Red for Ed” drive threatened to shut most if not all of Arizona’s public schools before the governor and legislature yielded and raised the money. And in West Virginia, where “Red for Ed” began, the GOP-run state government also wanted to force teachers to pay more into their pension plans, while not raising benefits. Led by the West Virginia Education Association and the state’s Teachers/AFT affiliate, the whole state responded in outrage Every single public school in West Virginia shut for more than a week until lawmakers caved.

JOLT OF JOY

Today’s bright spot is the world-wide celebration of working class hero Dolly Parton. It might seem a little odd to file her passing under a ‘joy’ heading but Dolly could find the humor and happiness in any situation — a superpower matched by her relentless dedication to lending a voice to the voiceless.

And she’s not the only Appalachian hero worth celebrating today. This week marks the 105th anniversary of the Battle of Blair Mountain. Check out the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum to learn more about the largest armed labor uprising in American history and the continuing fight for dignity for coalminers and all our working class siblings in the often-forgotten region of the U.S. that birthed one of the most internationally beloved musicians to ever live. RIP to the patron saint of Appalachia.

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