UPDATED DAILY -- M-F 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.   Disclaimer: WSLC Reports Today  links to all stories of interest to organized labor;  some positive and some negative.  The intention is to inform.  The creation of a link on this page does not constitute an endorsement of that story's content.

Reports for March 18-22, 2002

Previous weeks' news:  Mar. 11-15 -- Mar. 4-8 -- Feb. 26-Mar. 1

FRIDAY, March 22 -- Celebrate Passover with the Seahawks stadium board March 28
...plus at AFLCIO.org -- Senate committee takes first step on pension reform
— In today's SCJ -- More aid OK'd for laid-off Boeing workers; IAM 751 president applauds measure
— In today's Seattle P-I -- $30 million more for Boeing jobless as job cuts continue
...plus -- Locke splits regional road plan from state gas-tax referendum
...plus -- Seattle City Light plans to cut back on overtime for repair crews
— In yesterday's PSBJ -- SPEEA unhappy with Boeing's Spokane plan
— In today's Seattle Times -- United labor dispute reveals a flawed settlement process -- Op-ed by former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton: It was easy to take sides and blame either labor or management. In truth, the real villain is the Railway Labor Act, an antiquated law that has repeatedly failed to meet its goal of resolving airline labor negotiations.
— In today's Bellingham Herald -- BTC staff pushes for pay hikes
— In today's N.Y. Times -- Soft-money record: Democrats take in $12 million (2 gifts)
— In today's Wall Street Journal -- European Union to target GOP over steel tariffs -- The EU is preparing a list of U.S. imported products that could be hit with heavy tariffs, including Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Tropicana orange juice, and textiles and steel products.

THURSDAY, March 21 -- IAM's Blondin: Buyer beware, Machinists in Spokane to stay
...plus -- SPEEA vows to protect Spokane plant employees
— In today's Spokesman-Review -- Boeing plans to sell Spokane plant; workers relieved
— In today's SCJ -- Boeing chief chides critics -- Mulally: "We're going to be negotiating with the IAM and SPEEA this year. Everybody says, 'Gosh. They've got a lot of leverage.' Well. We're going to talk about realities. And it will come out the way it comes out.''  Also see Everett Herald story.
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Boeing will study moving workers' jobs closer to their homes
— In today's Seattle Times -- Action is delayed on Seattle school-bus contract -- P-I report indicates School Board received "literally thousands" of messages. Thank you!  And keep it up!
...plus -- Talks to start for shippers, Longshoremen -- The current contract expires July 1.
...plus -- Retiring Rep. Fisher rips "dictator" Chopp -- Did he lobby against gas-tax vote or not?
...plus -- Legislators may regret taking the easy way out on gas tax -- Balter column: As mixed messages of fixed car tabs, state spending caps, monorails and higher gas taxes collide over the airwaves, legislators may finally realize how much sense it made to do the work in Olympia.
— In today's Olympian -- Push on to spare state employee health benefits
— In today's Bremerton Sun -- Gas tax would bump up transit plans
— In the new Seattle Weekly -- Immunex gets what it wants, but what about taxpayers?
...plus -- Snatched -- One day, the INS is handing out student visas to terrorists. Another, its agents are picking up men like Fuad Hassan Ismail. He had lived quietly in the U.S. nearly half his life; worked a steady job at the Seattle Yacht Club, and fell in love with a local woman. But, with no time for a hearing, the INS dropped him off in dangerous Mogadishu, Somalia. He has no hope of return.
— In today's Denver Post -- United Airlines contract talks with IAM break down
— In today's N.Y. Times -- Campaign finance bill wins final approval -- Murray, Cantwell vote "yes."
— In today's topsy-turvy Washington Post -- Senate Democrats tap Social Security in budget plan
...plus -- Another Bush tax hike -- Editorial re: Bush asking Canada to impose a 37% tax on lumber exports to the United States.

WEDNESDAY, March 20 -- Over 400 protesters ask Seattle board to delay school-bus vote
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Vote today on switching to non-union school bus service -- See also, today's excellent Letter to the Editor: Ending Laidlaw contract a risky choice for kids.
...plus -- Hard to swallow why state's prescription drug bill failed -- A must-read Connelly column.
— In today's Seattle Times -- Initiative aims to restore I-601 spending limits -- Business supports it.
— In today's Everett Herald -- Boeing layoffs still being felt
— In today's News-Tribune -- Plan to close state parks put on hold
...plus -- Washington expected to hit jobless peak in six months
— In today's Eastside Journal -- Weyerhaeuser welcomes former Willamette workers (GCIU)
— In today's Olympian -- Several state senators livid about losing lunchroom -- Temporary move to share lunchroom with House members fires indignation. "Everybody must make sacrifices," indeed.
— In yesterday's PSBJ -- Labor Ready considers dumping Anderson after AFL-CIO request
— In today's Spokesman-Review -- Kaiser receives OK on financing
— In today's Vancouver (B.C.) Sun -- Health unions sue B.C. government
— In today's L.A. Times -- U.S. workers feel like suckers -- Life Savers factory moving from Michigan to Canada where sugar and non-union workers are cheaper.  600 lose their jobs.
— Today from MSNBC -- More countries join WTO complaint against U.S. over steel tariffs
— In today's Washington Post -- Thousands of workers protest in Chinese city
...plus -- Stop the party sniping -- Broder column: By insisting on flexing their muscles on clearly debatable issues, both parties and both branches are deliberately antagonizing their opponents. Their actions invite retaliation, and as the sorry spectacle grows, public cynicism will increase.

TUESDAY, March 19 -- UW sponsors "Office Ergonomics" program May 22 in Seattle
— And a related story in yesterday's Tri-City Herald -- Locke vetoes "enforcement" of produce bill -- Angry Republican Sen. Honeyford says: "Without penalties, (the businesses affected) don't have to do anything. They can do what they please."  Hmmm.
— In today's Seattle Times -- Legislative retirement roundup -- Out are Rep. Ida Ballasiotes (R-41st), Rep. Ruth Fisher (D-27th), Sen. Harold Hochstatter (R-13th), Sen. Dan McDonald (R-48th), Rep. Maryann Mitchell (R-30th), Rep. Val Ogden (D-49th), Rep. Kip Tokuda (D-37th).
...plus -- Seattle school-bus decision involves more than just money -- Column from a parent: Instead of looking at these highly experienced drivers as a financial detriment, the school board should see them as an invaluable asset and view their salaries as a high-yield investment. This money buys experience that provides parents with peace of mind.
— In today's SCJ -- Welch's globalization talk gets Boeing engineers' attention
— In today's Bellingham Herald -- G-P tissue mill will stay in operation
— In today's Yakima Herald -- Protesters demand return of Braceros' pay
— In today's N.Y. Times -- Bush revives small business tax-cut plan
...plus -- Bad medicine -- Krugman column: Recent stories of doctors refusing Medicaid patients are just the beginning of a struggle that will soon dominate American politics. Think of it as the collision between an irresistible force (the growing cost of health care) and an immovable object (the determination of America's conservative movement to downsize government).
— In today's Washington Post -- Sen. Lott's retribution -- Editorial: Judging from the way Sen. Trent Lott (R) lashed out after his friend Charles Pickering was rejected as a federal court judge, it may be, as they say in the helping professions, that the senator has some anger issues to address.

MONDAY, March 18 -- Legislative Update:  IT'S NOT OVER... CALL LOCKE!
...plus -- Seattle housing funds boost AFL-CIO mortgage program
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Schools reeling after state budget cuts
...plus -- For social services, budget cuts weren't all that bad (Tell that to those who provide them.)
...plus -- Port workers, employers head into contract talks
— In Sunday's News-Tribune -- Reaction to gas tax still being assessed
...plus -- State's new law on nurses' overtime is among nation's strictest
...plus -- Taxpayers' dot-com gamble -- Cautionary tale of troubled "public-private partnership."
— In Saturday's Olympian -- Questions, outrage churn in wake of 2002 session
...plus on Sunday -- Lawmakers laud House Speaker Chopp's leadership, resolve
— In Saturday's Ellensburg Daily Record -- State Library saved from termination
— In Sunday's Aberdeen Daily World -- Municipal layoffs have a city-wide effect
— In Sunday's Columbian -- Winco Foods to build third store in Clark County
— This weekend from AP -- Wal-Mart wins ruling to keep UFCW organizers out of its stores
— In today's Everett Herald -- ILWU pitches in to help send stranded sailors home
— In Sunday's Seattle Times -- Students campaign for "fair-trade" coffee
— In today's Bellingham Herald -- NAFTA hearings must be open (editorial)
...plus -- Part-time, new workers fall through the jobless benefits gap
— In today's L.A. Times -- Defined-benefit pensions are losing popularity
...plus -- Making builders do more -- Developers that get public dollars are being called on to deliver fixes for civic problems, and pay living wages, as part of their deals.
— In today's Washington Post -- House Republicans seeking to make tax cuts permanent
— In today's WSJ -- States flinch at business tax breaks in federal stimulus bill
— In Sunday's N.Y. Times -- The calculus of campaign finance -- As the bill stands on the threshold of final passage in the Senate this week, one of the most interesting things about it is that no one is sure what effect it will have on Republicans, Democrats or American politics.

Previous weeks' news:  Mar. 11-15 -- Mar. 4-8 -- Feb. 26-Mar. 1

FRIDAY, MARCH 22
Celebrate Passover Mar. 28 with the Seahawks stadium board

March 28 is the first day of Passover, and the story of the Seattle Seahawks stadium workers, like the Passover story itself, is one of struggle and liberation.  The Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees union is working to ensure livable wages for the new publicly funded stadium's concession workers, and despite the urging of many area lawmakers and elected officials to do so, billionaire Seahawks owner Paul Allen and his concession contractor, Aramark, have resisted efforts to ensure "card-check" neutrality for a union election.

You are invited to join stadium workers, the Living Wage Movement, Washington Association of Churches, the Jewish Labor Committee, and other leaders from faith communities for an ecumenical Passover service/action Thursday, March 28 from noon to 1 p.m. outside the Stadium Authority Board meeting at the Port of Seattle headquarters, 2711 Alaskan Way, Pier 69.

Plan to sing along, or bring your best ideas on pyramids and stadiums.  Click HERE (get it?) for more information on the union campaign, and click here for more on the March 28 Passover service/action.

THURSDAY, MARCH 21
IAM's Blondin: Buyer beware, Machinists in Spokane to stay

"In meetings this morning with top Company officials, the Union was told Boeing is continuing their feasibility study on the future of Spokane. Boeing was emphatic that all options are still on the table and NO decision has been made; HOWEVER, they are looking at potential buyers.

The fact is our members in Spokane have improved productivity and efficiency and made this a very profitable plant. Boeing has even proclaimed them the "leaders of lean." Yet Boeing shows no loyalty to these workers and instead disrupts their life with stress and uncertainty. The reward for becoming a skilled, flexible workforce capable of taking on new work is the possibility of being sold to a different company. It doesn't send a very good message to the employees of Boeing.

The Union will continue to press Boeing to do the right thing and preserve this plant and our members' jobs.

One thing is sure - the buyer should beware: if the Spokane plant is sold, the buyer will have to deal with the Machinists Union, and we will be there every step of the way to protect the interests of our members and the high-skilled work performed in this facility."

THURSDAY, MARCH 21
SPEEA vows to protect Spokane plant employees

SPOKANE -- The Boeing Company’s decision to sell its parts manufacturing plant here is one more sign the world’s largest aerospace firm is focusing on short-term profits and not the long-term viability of its core business – designing and building the world’s finest aerospace products.

More than 500 people work at the plant. The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA, IFPTE Local 2001) mounted a two-month lobbying effort to save the jobs of the 59 workers represented by the union in Spokane.

Craig Buckham, SPEEA President, said the union will do everything in its power to ensure the workers are not pushed to the side because of the sale.

“We will stand with these employees and fiercely protect them,” Buckham said. “If the employees choose to be represented by SPEEA after a new owner is found, we will continue to represent them.”

Charles Bofferding, the union’s executive director, said the lobbying effort succeeded in achieving a promise from Boeing that the plant would only be sold to an owner who agrees to keep the work in Spokane.

 “This is a profitable and efficient plant, with some of the best employees at The Boeing Company,” said Bofferding. “Keeping the work in Spokane is critical to the employees and to the Spokane community.”

Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, along with Representative George Nethercutt, voiced strong support for the plant and its workers when Boeing announced it was evaluating the future of the Spokane plant.

Boeing’s review of the Spokane plant was one of several reasons that prompted SPEEA officials to picket Boeing’s Chicago headquarters in February. The union has criticized Boeing leaders for sending work outside the company, including sending engineering work to Moscow, Russia and manufacturing to the People’s Republic of China.

Boeing and SPEEA negotiate new contracts for more than 20,000 employees this year. Two of those bargaining units struck the company two years ago in what was the largest white-collar strike against a corporation in U.S. history. Today marks the two-year anniversary of the end of the strike.

SPEEA represents 24,000 engineers, technical workers and other professionals at Boeing. Members are located in Washington, Kansas, Oregon, California, Texas, Utah and Florida.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20
Over 400 protesters ask Seattle board to delay school-bus vote

More than 400 parents and union school-bus drivers, mechanics and other labor supporters rallied Tuesday night at the Seattle School District with a forceful message to the Seattle School Board: “Delay the vote on the bus contract for 30 days.”

The Seattle School Board is poised to vote today on awarding a five-year $80 million dollar school-bus contract. The community is calling for a 30-day delay in order to assure the safety of school children. (See Seattle school-bus decision involves more than just money, the Seattle Times op-ed published Tuesday on this matter, and today's excellent Letter to the Editor: Ending Laidlaw contract a risky choice for kids.)

“30 days is not too much to ask, given all that is at stake,” said Dave Reynolds, the principal officer of Teamsters 763, who represents about 350 school-bus drivers at Laidlaw and its minority-owned subcontractor, 3A-EDJ. “The safety of our children is paramount. The non-union bids, for example, call for only one mechanic per 42 buses, when the national average is one mechanic per 20 buses. Laidlaw employs one mechanic per 17 buses.”

Former King County Council member Brian Derdowski, consultant for the Community Coalition for Fair Contracting, says the 30-day delay is needed to address the technical defects in the bid process, the apparent violations of the federal civil rights law, and the need to measure service-delivery quality.

“The District is poised to buy a ‘pig in a poke.’ The Board is being asked to compare apples to oranges. It’s not fair to the bidders, the workers, or the public,” said Derdowski.

“The link between experienced drivers to children’s safety cannot be underestimated,” said union organizer Sarah Luthens. “The top 200 drivers for Laidlaw average over 13 years of experience. The non-union companies rely mostly on novice drivers. Those school board members own a $30,000 SUV wouldn’t loaned it to inexperienced drivers, but they would entrust our school children to them?”

CALL TO ACTION: If you haven’t already called the Seattle School Board, please do so at 206-298-7040 or:

Mary Bass, mabass@seattleschools.org,   (206) 720-3303;
Steve Brown, sbrown@seattleschools.org, (206) 985-3723;
Jan Kumasaka, jkumasaka@seattleschools.org, (206) 760-4747;
Dick Lilly, dililly@seattleschools.org, (206) 297-4533;
Barbara Peterson, bpeterson@seattleschools.org, (206) 366-2652
Barbara Schaad-Lamphere, bschaadl@seattleschools.org, (206) 933-5327;
Nancy Waldman, nwaldman@seattleschools.org, (206) 729-3340

TUESDAY, MARCH 19
UW sponsors "Office Ergonomics" program May 22 in Seattle

Employer associations have vowed to use the governor's two-year delay in enforcement of the state ergonomics rule to try to kill it, instead of educating their members how to comply.  Although organized labor will fight to defend the critically important workplace safety standard and ensure its full implementation at the earliest possible date, we will also continue to promote and publicize educational opportunities on the issue.

One such opportunity will be Wednesday, May 22 when the University of Washington's Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety presents "Office Ergonomics," a one-day seminar featuring regional and national experts on the issue, at The Mountaineers at 330 Third Ave. West in Seattle (two blocks from the WSLC's office.) The program is designed for health and safety professionals, nurses, physicians, industrial hygienists, ergonomic and safety committee members, managers and supervisors.

Here's more information from the UW:

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) account for a quarter of the worker’s compensation claims in Washington State with a direct cost to Washington employers of over $410 million. Indirect costs bring the total cost to over $1 billion. Appropriately identifying the risk factors for WMSDs is key for their prevention. Biomechanical, organizational, and personal factors all play a role in the onset and development of these disorders. In this course, local, regional, and national experts will address the identification, understanding, and prevention of WMSDs in the office environment. Participants will learn about the practical application of ergonomic concepts and how to prepare for the implementation of Washington State’s ergonomic rule, which will start to be phased in on July 1, 2002.

At the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Understand the important concepts behind the latest research on musculoskeletal disorders in the office environment.
  
• Characterize injury prevention and the role of physical therapy in rehabilitating and returning employees to work.
  
• Demonstrate the cost benefit of ergonomics in the office environment.
  
• Examine office ergonomics programs and how they have been administered and implemented in other companies and municipalities.
  
• Identify various methods to improve the office work environment.
  
• Develop an understanding of the personal and workplace factors that can contribute to musculoskeletal disorders in the office environment.
  
• Understand the Washington State ergonomics rule and how it applies to your work environment.

MONDAY, MARCH 18
Seattle housing funds boost AFL-CIO mortgage program

If you have news items regarding unions or workplace issues in Washington state that you would like to see posted here, please submit them via e-mail to David Groves or via fax to 206-285-5805.

Copyright © 2002  Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO