Why Dems lose | Local elections | Private prison stock

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

TODAY’S MUST-READS

► From the Nation — Democrats “Lose When They Fail to Prioritize a Strong, Working-Class Message” — “Rather than offer a positive agenda on what immigrant workers bring to our country, they bought into the punitive, ‘tough,’ anti-worker messaging that is championed by Trump, even though we know it’s the bosses’ fault.” And [IUPAT President Jimmy Williams Jr.] added, “They failed to address inflation, saying that it wasn’t a big issue or that the pain that working people feel right now isn’t real. So while we were able to get many of our members out to vote for Vice President Harris, many other workers went with Trump. Trump was able to build a stronger coalition of voters and may very well wind up with a Republican trifecta [controlling not just the White House but the US Senate and House]. This will be disastrous for my members.”

► From the Boston Globe — OPINION | Democrats must choose: The elites or the working class — The American working class is angry — and for good reason. Donald Trump won this election because he tapped into that anger. Did he address any of these serious issues in a thoughtful or meaningful way? Absolutely not. What he did do was divert the festering anger in our country at a greedy and out-of-touch corporate elite into a politics that served his political goals and will end up further enriching his fellow billionaires. Trump’s “genius” is his ability to divide the working class so that tens of millions of Americans will reject solidarity with their fellow workers and pave the way for huge tax breaks for the very rich and large corporations.

STRIKES

► From the Washington Post — New York Times tech workers end strike without contract deal — The union said that the strike limited the company’s ability to expand its forecasting models and troubleshoot other issues. In a statement, the Tech Guild noted that the Times had no state-level, non-presidential election forecast needles, that certain browsers were not consistently displaying ads, that the apps and websites were slow to load, and that subscribers were receiving emailed updates with broken links.

A WARNING TO THE TIMES: Tuesday, we will be returning to work, after a successful Election Week ULP Strike. We clearly demonstrated how valuable our work is to @nytimes. And now we’ll move our fight inside. pic.twitter.com/PI551454f5

— New York Times Tech Guild (@NYTGuildTech) November 11, 2024

► From the AP — Teachers in 3 Massachusetts communities continue strike over pay, paid parental leave — Strikes by teachers are rare in Massachusetts, partly because state law bans public sector employees from striking. The last time teachers went on strike was earlier this year in Newton, a Boston suburb where an 11-day strike ended after the two sides reached an agreement. The Newton strike was the sixth teachers strike in the state since 2022 and the longest.

► From — Culinary Union announces Virgin Hotels strike ahead of Las Vegas Grand Prix — In a press release Friday, union leaders stated that the strike will begin on Friday, Nov. 15 at 5 a.m. and include 700 hospitality workers. The strike is the latest union effort to push for a new 5-year union contract. This will be the union’s first open-ended strike in 22 years.

LOCAL

► From the Seattle Times — What Trump’s reelection means for immigrants in WA — One-quarter of King County’s population was born outside the U.S., and here, like elsewhere, political views vary. As commentators have noted, Trump made huge gains among Latino voters, some of whom are immigrants. They may or may not agree with the Republican standard-bearer’s dark view of migration and border security. “I was shocked to see so many immigrants from my country supporting Trump,” said Ghaddra González Castillo, who came to the U.S. from Venezuela 30 years ago. A consultant for Entre Hermanos, an organization serving LGBTQ+ Latinos, she said the revelation made her unsure of whom she could talk to about her distress at Trump’s win. She notes the fear many local immigrants feel, especially among an estimated 246,000 Washingtonians who don’t have legal status in the U.S., as of a 2019 report from the Migration Policy Institute.

► From the Seattle Times — WA businesses brace for curbs on immigration, trade under Trump 2.0 — Across rural Washington, many farmers wonder whether Trump’s vow to raise tariffs on imports from China and elsewhere will reprise the trade war that started after Trump imposed tariffs in his first term. In the Seattle-area tech industry, meanwhile, enthusiasm over Trump’s promises to cut taxes and regulations is tempered by worries that his anti-immigrant stance could chill an industry that relies heavily on foreign-born talent.

► From the Washington State Standard — Washington’s rural maternity wards are struggling to stay afloat — In Washington, there are still 19 rural hospitals with birthing units. While that’s much better than some states, Washington’s geography means it’s more difficult for a person in labor to travel further distances than in other areas of the country. As many Washington residents know, depending on where you’re going in the state, an hour-long drive can become much longer due to bridge closures, stormy weather and windy backroads. Areas like Chelan, Omak and Snoqualmie Pass are particularly difficult for neonatal transport.

► From the union-busting Columbian — Census data: Washington has sixth-highest rents in nation — The bureau released 2023 American Community Survey data in October that puts median rent in the state — as well as in Clark County — at $1,731. Only California, Hawaii, Washington, D.C., Colorado and Massachusetts had higher rents. “Washington continues to have housing costs that are getting further out of reach for the many people in communities across the state that need stable, affordable housing,” said Michele Thomas, director of policy and advocacy for the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance.

AEROSPACE

► From KOMO — Uncertainty looms as Boeing prepares to issue layoff notices to 17K workers this week — Circulating reports suggested the layoff notices could go out as early as this week. “Most affected U.S. employees will be notified mid-November and leave the company on Jan. 17,” said a Boeing spokesperson. So far, Boeing officials have declined to say which job titles will be impacted during the layoffs.

► From the AP — Boeing says it will take several weeks to resume production of planes after the strike — A Boeing spokesperson said Tuesday that the delay in restarting plants in Washington state and Oregon is due to multiple steps needed to resume production. Boeing said Tuesday that it delivered 14 planes in October including planes that were finished before the strike began. Boeing said it took orders for 63 planes, including 40 737 Max jets by leasing company Avia Solutions Group.

CONTRACT FIGHTS

► From the SeaTac Blog — SeaTac’s Doubletree and Hilton workers ratify landmark union contract — The contracts affect 400 workers and include housekeepers, front desk agents, cooks, dishwashers, servers, bartenders, and drivers. Workers, represented by the union UNITE HERE Local 8, secured raises over the life of the contract and gained workload protections for housekeepers.

ORGANIZING

► From the Orlando Weekly — Disney union files labor complaint against Disney Springs contractor for firing union activist who spoke up about sexual harassment — A labor union that represents thousands of hotel and food service workers at Disney World in Orlando has filed an official complaint against a Disney Springs contractor, alleging the Patina Restaurant Group illegally fired a young cashier. he union argues that Ruiz was fired because she had become a leader in a fight to organize a union at Pizza Ponte, along with employees at other Patina-owned establishments, like Maria & Enzo’s and the Edison. Ruiz had also spoken up about alleged sexual harassment by a supervisor at Pizza Ponte, whom the company allowed to work alongside her for at least six more months, per Ruiz.

READY FOR A VOICE AT WORK? Get more information about how you can join together with co-workers and negotiate for better wages and working conditions. Or go ahead and contact a union organizer today!

NATIONAL

► From Bloomberg — NLRB Tosses 40-Year Stance on Manager Unionization Threats — Employers are no longer categorically allowed to tell workers that unionization will negatively impact their relationship with management, a split National Labor Relations Board ruled, overturning a nearly 40-year-old precedent in a case against Starbucks Corp. The coffee giant made a series of illegal threats to its workers during a union election drive at its Seattle Roastery, the board ruled Friday. It’s the latest in a series of board decisions against the company as it hashes out with Starbucks Workers United a framework for bargaining at over 500 cafes nationwide.

► From the Huffington Post — Private Prison Companies Call Trump’s Deportation Plans ‘Unprecedented Opportunity’ — On earnings calls Thursday, private prison groups expressed a nearly unrestrained glee over what one called the “unprecedented opportunity” that a second Trump administration brings. While Democratic presidents have also massively expanded the immigration incarceration and deportation system in recent years, Trump is proposing his own generational escalation. That sort of thing is music to the ears of private prison operators ― whose stock prices soared upon the projections of Trump’s second term in the White House. (On Wednesday, GEO Group was “the single biggest winner in the U.S. stock market — among companies of any size,” according to the investment news site Sherwood News, which is owned by Robinhood.)

Editor’s note: GEO group runs the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, the subject of many allegations of human rights abuses. 

POLITICS & POLICY

► From the New York Times — The White House Will Be Shedding Its Union Label — As Donald J. Trump prepares to retake the White House, labor experts expect the legal landscape for labor to turn sharply in another direction. Based on Mr. Trump’s first term and his comments during the campaign — including his praise for Tesla’s chief executive, Elon Musk, for what he said was Mr. Musk’s willingness to fire striking workers — these experts say the new administration is likely to bring fewer challenges to employers who fight unions.

► From the Seattle Times — Balance of power in WA Legislature still in question — A few contests were nail-bitingly close as of Monday evening. In the 18th legislative district in Southwest Washington, one of more than a dozen districts affected by the redistricting court decision, Democrat Adrian Cortes was leading Republican Brad Benton in the race for state Senate by just 232 votes with 96% of votes counted. The seat is currently held by Republican Ann Rivers, who did not seek reelection. In the 10th district, incumbent Republican Sen. Ron Muzzall was fending off a close challenge from Democrat Janet St. Clair. Muzzall was leading 51% to 49% and the two candidates were separated by about 1,500 votes, with 84% of votes counted.

► From the Washington State Standard — Seattle senator Pedersen to become new WA Senate majority leader –Pedersen has served as the majority floor leader in the Senate since 2022. In his new role, he will lead a caucus of potentially 30 senators, a one-seat increase in the party’s majority. That’s because Democrat Adrian Cortes is beating Republican Brad Benton by 232 votes in the 18th Legislative District where Republican Sen. Ann Rivers is retiring. A recount may be required to settle the outcome. The caucus will also see three new arrivals. Reps. Marcus Riccelli, of Spokane, Jessica Bateman, of Olympia, and Mike Chapman, of Port Angeles, all won seats previously held by Democrats.

► From the Tri-City Herald — Dan Newhouse declares victory in 4th Congressional District — Incumbent Dan Newhouse declared victory in his re-election campaign against Trump-backed challenger Jerrod Sessler on Monday morning. Newhouse led with 127,559 votes, or 51.7%, to Sessler’s 115,050 votes, or 46.6%, as of Monday morning. Newhouse’s lead has increased to more than 12,000 votes since election night, when he led by around 3,800.

► From the Tri-City Herald — WA natural gas measure I-2066 set to pass. With legal challenge ahead, here’s what to know — The sponsors of Initiative-2066, the Washington ballot measure that aims to expand access to natural gas in the state, have declared victory as votes have continued to trickle in from last week’s election. Early results showed the ballot measure holding a slim lead, which has slowly grown in the days since the election. As of Monday, Nov. 11, there are 51.64% of votes counted in favor of the measure, compared to 48.36% against it, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

► From the Seattle Times — Under Trump, WA can serve as a beacon of climate policy, Inslee says — Despite Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’ decisive loss in the general election, people still voted in favor of climate initiatives in states like Louisiana, Hawaii, South Dakota, North Carolina and Texas. Individual states maintain the power to cut greenhouse gas emissions and build renewable energy projects on their own, Inslee said. Two dozen states already belong to the U.S. Climate Alliance, which seeks to reach a future without emissions.

► From CNN — ‘Feeling of dread’ spreads across federal workforce as second Trump term looms — “The objective is to create space to put loyalists in what were, what are still, career civil service positions,” former Trump appointee Ronald Sanders – who resigned over Trump’s politicization of the federal workforce – told CNN. Sanders added it is “problematic” if schedule F is being used to reinforce and maintain political loyalty. Trump’s loyalist vision is already having a profound chilling effect on career employees, some of whom told CNN they plan to stay into the new year – but don’t know what’s next beyond that.

► From Cascade PBS — Seattle City Council to consider a city-level capital gains tax  — Seattle City Councilmember Cathy Moore announced Friday that she will propose a new city-level capital gains tax to protect housing and food assistance programs as City Hall grapples with a budget deficit of more than $260 million. Moore’s proposal would implement a 2% tax on capital gains in excess of $250,000. The tax is modeled after the new state-level capital gains tax, which was deemed constitutional by the Washington Supreme Court in 2023 and reaffirmed by 63% of Washington voters who rejected a ballot initiative to repeal it this election. The capital gains tax was even more popular in King County, where 72% of voters rejected the repeal.

INTERNATIONAL

► From the AP — Canada moves to end port lockouts and orders binding arbitration — Labor Minister Steven Mackinnon said the negotiations have reached an impasse and he is directing the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order the resumption of all operations at the ports of Vancouver and Montreal and move the talks to binding arbitration. Port of Montreal’s workers were locked out Sunday and workers in Vancouver on the Pacific Coast have been locked out since Nov. 4. The Maritime Employers Association locked out 1,200 longshore workers at the Port of Montreal on Sunday after workers voted to reject what employers called a final contract offer. The workers were seeking raises of 20% over four years.

► From the New York Times — Han Dongfang, Once China’s ‘Worst Nightmare,’ Refuses to Back Down — Today, Mr. Han is one of China’s last remaining labor rights activists not in hiding. Stripped of his Chinese passport and kicked out of mainland China in 1993, he does his work from Hong Kong. On paper, China has one of the strictest sets of labor protections in the world. Every worker has the right to join or start a trade union. In practice, every union must be associated with what is effectively a state-sponsored union: the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, a government body that typically works with companies when setting up unions.

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