The Stand

Rise of Medicare Advantage: The creation of a myth

By RICK TIMMONS (April 13, 2023) — John Ehrlichman, an advisor to President Richard Nixon, had an interesting discussion with him about changes being considered for Medicare. Ehrlichman described the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) business model to Nixon: “All the incentives are toward less medical care, because… the less care they give them the more […]

Among goals of AFT actions on April 11: cost-free college

CTC faculty, staff support the Communities for Our Colleges coalition’s efforts for cost-free college   By ERIC HAMAKO (April 6, 2023) —  As faculty and staff at Washington’s community and technical colleges (CTCs), our goal is to educate students so they can lead their best possible lives. The 34 colleges across the state where we […]

Traditional Medicare: The promise is in peril

By LISA DEKKER (April 5, 2023) — At its beginning, Traditional Medicare was a promise made to the American people that when they turned 65 they would get health care when they most needed it. With almost 60 million enrollees, and administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), it is financed through […]

Sims: United, there’s nothing we cannot do

The new leaders of your Washington State Labor Council are excited to strive for ‘Better Jobs, Stronger Communities’   By APRIL SIMS (Jan. 30, 2023) — Earlier this month I had the extraordinary honor of being sworn in as President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, the largest union organization in the state and […]

COSHCON builds a movement for workplace safety and health

By LIN NELSON (Jan. 17, 2023) — For many years now, the National Council on Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) has organized an annual conference on the daily struggles of workers facing threats to life and limb. COSH is a network that brings together the labor movement, health providers, researchers, environmental advocates, and social justice […]

Everett mayor’s veto of PLA ordinance harms workers, city

By MARK RIKER (Jan. 11, 2023) — The Everett City Council passed an ordinance on Dec. 7 to require Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on all city construction projects valued at $5 million or more. PLAs establish the terms of employment for all workers on a project, help control construction costs, ensure efficient completion of projects, […]

‘This has been the honor of my lifetime’

Retiring WSLC President Larry Brown: Thank you to all who have supported our efforts to build power for Washington’s working people   By LARRY BROWN (Jan. 4, 2023) — This is my final week as President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. As our state’s labor movement begins what I expect will be another […]

Vote NOW in your family’s best interests

Care about crime and inflation? Support the candidates who are doing something about it — not just stoking fear and anger   By LARRY BROWN (Nov. 7, 2022) — Tomorrow’s the big day. Tuesday is Election Day. That means this week we’ll find out if our government is going to be run by people who […]

Empowering the women who build nations

At NABTU’s Tradeswomen Build Nations conference, women like me learn how to support each other   By HEATHER KURTENBACH (Nov. 3, 2022) — Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the largest gathering of tradeswomen in the world. At this year’s Tradeswomen Build Nations conference, organized by the North American Building Trades Unions (NABTU), […]

Celebrating Latinx, Filipino, and all immigrant workers

This past month, WSLC Immigrant and Refugee Workers Rising summit and multiple other celebrations have strengthened our solidarity   By KASI MARITA PERREIRA As Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month and Filipino American History Month come to a close, we have the opportunity to reflect on the contributions and rich histories of Latinx and Filipino workers […]

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