NEXT UPDATE -- Monday, Jan. 26 by 9 a.m. (Pacific)

Links to commercial press stories are functional at the date of posting. In some cases, links "expire" when the source would like to begin charging you for old news. WSLC Reports Today  links to all stories of interest to organized labor; some positive, some negative. The intention is to inform.  The creation of a link does not constitute an endorsement of that story's content.

Reports for January 20-22, 2004

Previous weeks' news: Jan. 12-16 -- Jan. 5-9 -- Dec. 15-19

THURSDAY, January 22 -- Union membership in U.S. still dropping, but not in Washington
...plus -- WSLC Legislative Update: We're No. 1! (which doesn't "suck")
— In today's Yakima H-R -- Boise Cascade cuts loose its Yakima mill -- Oregon buyer agrees to honor union contract for 330 hourly workers (WCIW 2739), but it expires on May 31.
— In today's Seattle Times -- Top unions in state left in a bind by Gephardt's departure
...plus -- No "rubber stamp" for Boeing, say legislators -- But... "If they'd wanted a stadium (in 2003), we would have built them a stadium," said Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish. "If they'd wanted us to bulldoze Mount Rainier so their planes would take off easier, we'd have done it."
— In today's Bellingham Herald -- 7E7 deal came at too high a price, some critics say (AP)
— In today's King County Journal -- Sweet Boeing deal leaves a sour taste (editorial)
— In today's News Tribune -- Keep Boeing concessions in perspective (editorial)
...plus -- Innovative, irreplaceable Fircrest School must stay open (Rep. Maralyn Chase op-ed)
— In yesterday's Tri-City Herald -- State Senate expected to extend R&D tax breaks
— In today's Bremerton Sun -- Charters schools debate is back in session (AP)
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Seattle Times pursues JOA appeal against Seattle P-I
— In yesterday's Daily News -- Longview firefighters' contract in an arbitrator's hands
— In today's L.A. Times -- Low-pay sectors dominate U.S. and state job growth -- An economy increasingly dependent on lower-wage jobs will have a smaller tax base and see less consumer spending, checking economic growth and reducing the quality of public services and infrastructure.
...plus -- Lengthy strike shows evolution of union hasn't kept up with rise of grocery giants (column)
— In today's Washington Post -- Two senators propose bipartisan alternative to Bush on immigration
— In today's N.Y. Times -- Bush, on campaignlike swing, promotes job-training initiative
...plus -- Bush's health proposals -- Editorial: The skimpy health care proposals the president offered on Tuesday, aimed mainly at swing voters, would be unlikely to reduce the numbers of uninsured.

WEDNESDAY, January 21 -- Union members: Attend party caucuses on Feb. 7, March 9
— In today's Oregonian -- Washington caucuses grow in importance
Legislative news:
— In today's Olympian -- R&D tax break fight turns into class warfare
...plus -- Business lobbyists wary of House health insurance measure -- Business wants legislators, not insurance commissioner, to decide what's required in pared-down benefits for small employers.
— In today's Seattle Times -- What the state promised Boeing to land the 7E7
— In today's Bremerton Sun -- Let voters decide on 60 percent school levy law (editorial)
— In yesterday's Seattle P-I -- Ending supermajority school-levy votes is right thing to do (editorial)
— In today's Bellingham Herald -- Bill considers state purchases of Canadian drugs
— In today's King County Journal -- Jay Rodne replaces Cheryl Pflug in State House
In other labor news:
— In yesterday's Daily News -- Longview Aluminum smelter's final hope melts
...plus -- Workers: "We were sold down the river"
— In today's King County Journal -- Jobless rate's drop in state doesn't mean good news
— In today's Bremerton Sun -- Kitsap Transit board: Full speed ahead on private foot ferries
At AFLCIO.org -- Sweeney: Senate action a denunciation of Bush's overtime pay takeaway
— In today's Seattle P-I -- U.S. Senate Dems block spending bill over OT takeaway, other add-ons
— In today's N.Y. Times -- State of the Union at home -- Editorial: Bush's domestic policy comes down to one disastrous fact: his insistence on huge tax cuts for the wealthy has robbed the country of the money it needs to address its problems and has threatened its long-term economic security.
...plus -- For labor, a day to ask what went wrong in Iowa
— In today's Washington Post -- Labor's Iowa implosion -- Meyerson column: The lesson of the past half-decade is that the more adept union political programs can still move votes when they have an attractive candidate. When saddled with a Gray Davis or the Gephardt and Dean who assailed Iowan ears and sensibilities for the past month, there isn't a lot they can do.
...plus -- Labor Secretary Chao refuses to delay new overtime rule
— In The Onion -- Labor Secretary has her hours cut -- Chao's relegation to part-time status means she'll no longer be eligible for health-insurance coverage, matching 401K contributions, or parking validation... "The bigwigs see 'labor' in my job title, and they think, 'Hey, we can push her around'."

TUESDAY, January 20 -- Home care workers join others attacking R&D tax loophole
— In yesterday's Columbian -- R&D tax breaks needed, but recipients must report benefits (editorial)
— In today's Spokesman-Review -- Lawmakers should improve business incentives -- Op-ed by chairman of the Washington Economic Development Association: Part of the policy discussion surrounding the extension of these tax credits needs to address accountability concerns.
— In today's Seattle Times -- The shame of Kaiser -- Editorial: What is happening here is more than a sorry thing; it is a shameful thing. Under cover of bankruptcy law, (Kaiser) is taking away benefits from its retired workers who already have earned them and who have no chance to earn them again.
— In yesterday's Seattle P-I -- "Off-shoring" of jobs rises, but how high?
...plus -- Prevent strikes at public schools -- Editorial: Legislators have an obligation now to search for an alternative "exit strategy" from collective bargaining stalemates, removing the possibility of strikes.
— In today's Bremerton Sun -- Lawmakers grapple with teacher strikes (AP)
— In yesterday's Longview Daily News -- Washington cities' health costs up 24%
...plus -- Workers, clients worry about new tool for setting home care hours
— In today's King County Journal -- PSE says maintenance outsourcing working; union disagrees
— In the P.S. Business Journal -- Seized by initiatives -- Editorial: What makes budget-writing by initiative appealing is precisely what makes it a poor practice -- those crafting the proposal don't have to weigh competing demands for the money, and they don't have to take responsibility for anything that gets axed because of their choices.
— In today's Everett Herald -- WTO rules U.S. duties on lumber are legal (AP)
— In today's Oregonian -- G-P plans $25 million in upgrades, signaling commitment to Camas mill
At AFLCIO.org -- The real State of the Union: Middle class under assault
— In today's L.A. Times -- AFL-CIO to intervene, ratchet up market strike -- The AFL-CIO is taking control of national strategy for the California supermarket strike and lockout, assigning two veterans of labor wars to turn around a battle in which employers seem to have gained the upper hand: Richard Trumka, who played a pivotal role in resolving the West Coast port lockout, and Ron Judd, who orchestrated AFL-CIO protests at the turbulent World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle.
— In today's Washington Post -- No end in sight for California grocery workers' strike
...plus -- Senate panel to examine Bush overtime plan, determine number of workers affected
...plus -- Bush administration considers new kinds of drug tests for civilian federal workers
— In today's N.Y. Times -- Gaming overtime -- Editorial: Some ominous fine print has turned up in Bush's promise to help low-wage workers get the overtime pay they have long been denied.
...plus -- Going for broke -- Krugman: Bush will use tonight's State of the Union speech to portray himself as a visionary leader who stands above the political fray. That act is losing its effectiveness.
...plus on Sunday -- Workers assail night lock-ins by Wal-Mart

Previous weeks' news: Jan. 12-16 -- Jan. 5-9 -- Dec. 15-19

THURSDAY,  JANUARY 22
Union membership in U.S. still dropping, but not in Washington

The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics released its annual report on union membership Wednesday and although overall unionization rates continue to drop at an alarming rate nationally, Washington state is bucking that trend.

Washington now ranks 5th in nation with a 19.7% union membership rate in 2003, up from 18.5% in 2002.  Some 502,000 Washington workers were union members in 2003, representing a 30,000 increase from 2002.  Washington was one of only 15 states (along with the District of Columbia) that posted membership gains in 2003.

The nationwide unionization rate in 2003 was 12.9%, down from 13.3% in 2002.  That national rate has steadily declined from a high of 20.1 percent in 1983, the first year for which comparable union data are available.

Note: The DOL news release on union membership statistics is posted in HTML at http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm and in printable PDF format at http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/union2.pdf

"Although we're disappointed with the national trend, we think Washington state's numbers demonstrate the commitment organized labor has made here to recruiting new members," said Rick Bender, President of the Washington State Labor Council.  "In these troubled economic times more and more workers are being asked to sacrifice wage increases, and losing health and retirement benefits. Now more than ever, workers need to join together and fight to protect their standards of living. And that means organizing a union."

Bender pointed out that the 30,000 new union members in Washington was especially encouraging given the tens of thousands of layoffs in the past year among unionized workers at Boeing, aluminum smelters and other plants that have shut down.

But Bender added that the national trend is another sign that the laws ensuring Americans' right to organize unions free from intimidation, harassment and coercion by their employers aren't being enforced. Recent surveys have indicated that about half of all American workers say they would join a union today if they could. But unscrupulous employers and a multi-billion dollar union-avoidance consulting industry routinely fire, harass and intimidate workers who express interest in joining unions -- even though that's illegal.

That's why the national AFL-CIO has undertaken the Voice@Work, a multi-year campaign to restore the freedom of U.S. workers to join unions.  The AFL-CIO, its affiliated international unions, and its state and local federations -- including the Washington State Labor Council -- have made growing unions their No. 1 priority and are committed to the success of Voice@Work.

As part of that campaign, historic legislation called the Employee Free Choice Act was introduced in Congress on Nov. 13.  This bill is intended to articulate the kind of labor law reform that will ultimately be necessary level the playing field for American workers.  All of Washington's Democratic representatives in Congress have signed on as co-sponsors.

On Tuesday of next week in Olympia, the House Commerce and Labor Committee will hear HJM 4037, which would petition Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, and HB 2926 which would allow the state Human Rights Commission to investigate employers accused of denying workers the basic human right to join a union.

WEDNESDAY,  JANUARY 21
Union members: Attend party caucuses on Feb. 7, March 9

Now is the time for union members and activists to get involved in the upcoming party precinct caucuses. While the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO is a non-partisan organization and does not officially endorse either party, union members as individuals can and must involve themselves in the candidate selection process and promote platform discussions that shape the direction of the major political parties.

The WSLC encourages union members to:

• Mark your calendars to attend your precinct caucus
  -- Democratic Precinct Caucuses are scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 7 at 10 a.m.  Visit www.wa-democrats.org for details.
  -- Republican Precinct Caucuses are Tuesday, March 9.  Visit www.wsrp.org for details.

• Encourage fellow members, friends and family to attend

• Consider running for county, state or national party delegate

In 2000, the labor community was well-represented at the local, state and national level. In fact, almost 50% of the delegates to the national Democratic Convention came from labor's ranks. The only way we change the direction of the political parties is by involving ourselves in their internal discussions and elections. So get involved!

TUESDAY,  JANUARY 20
Home care workers join others attacking R&D tax loophole

Reminder: The Senate Ways and Means Committee will have a hearing on R&D tax breaks TODAY at 3:30 p.m. Please come and show your support for accountability and tax fairness. For more information, check out Friday's WSLC Legislative Update: R&D needs Reporting & Disclosure. 

The following news release was distributed Monday by the Service Employees International Union Local 775 in advance of last night's House hearing on the R&D tax breaks:

Home Care Workers To Attack R&D Tax Loophole

 

What Are Legislators’ Priorities –
Health Care For Working Families Or Tax Loopholes For Wealthy Companies?

 

SEATTLE -- Home care workers will be joining religious, community and labor leaders at the State Capitol today (Monday) testifying against renewing $74 million in tax loopholes for Microsoft and other wealthy companies.

“People like me – barely making ends meet – pay 17% of our income on state and local taxes. The richest people in our state pay only 3% of their income, and now we want to give them another tax loophole?” asked Olympia home care worker Bill Milton, who cares for an 88-year old Marine Corps veteran with dementia. “We need to make corporations start paying their fair share, so we can ensure quality care for the elderly and disabled and invest in our schools.”

The state has more than 400 tax loopholes, and gives away through tax loopholes and subsidies 128% of what it actually spends on education, health care, social services, the environment, and public safety combined.

Recent reports by the Department of Revenue suggest that the tax loopholes have limited benefit on the economy. A September 2003 report showed that:

• A majority of firms taking the tax credit failed to expand by creating new products or services;

• “Very few” of the companies that are new to Washington and received the tax credit moved here because of the subsidy.

“We just cut 52,000 people off their health care, wouldn’t give teachers a raise that the public had voted for, and left tens of thousands of home care workers in dire poverty, but someone thinks it’s a good idea to take more of our tax dollars and give it to Microsoft?” said SEIU Local 775 President David Rolf .  “Last year the corporations came to Olympia and took every dollar they could away from working families, and now they’re back for the loose change.”