MONDAY, April 9 -- "Violence at Work" conference May 5 in Tacoma
In today's Olympian -- State employees consider proper message
...and also -- House in last dash to complete budget
In today's Bellingham Herald -- 1,200 Intalco workers worry and wait
In the Seattle Press -- Council orders new election at Teamsters 763
In today's Seattle Times -- Drug-cost issue falls off legislative radar
In today's Seattle P-I -- A shipshape labor force in Port Angeles
In yesterday's Longview Daily News -- Laid-off workers call on Rep. Baird
In today's News-Tribune -- Locke's workable bridge solution (editorial)
In today's Tri-City Herald -- Ag workers housing plan forum set
In today's N.Y. Times -- Northwest Airlines, mechanics avert strike
...and also -- L.A. warms to unions as immigrants seek to escape poverty
In today's Washington Post -- Univ. of Maryland to allow college staffs to unionize (Memo to OUR state legislators: Please note the quote from the Md. governor's office, "This was the final element of the governor's justice, fairness and inclusion initiative.  It will enable the hardworking men and women of the university system to participate in Maryland's prosperity."  Asks one U.Md. graduate: Why isn't this a priority issue in Washington state?)

News from previous weeks:  March 26-30 -- March 19-23 -- March 12-16

The first group of state employees to announce the results of their strike authorization vote is District 1199NW of the Service Employees International Union, AFL-CIO, representing more than 800 registered nurses at the Department of Social and Health Services and the Department of Health.  Fully 82 percent have voted to authorize a strike.  The 1199NW could strike as early as next Thursday, April 19.

As of this posting, the Washington Federation of State Employees was expected to announce later this afternoon the results of its statewide strike authorization vote.  For results, visit the WFSE website at www.wfse.org.  Regardless of the outcome of that vote, next Friday and Saturday, there will be a number of opportunities to show your support for all state workers:

FRIDAY, APRIL 20 — Coordinated lobbying of state legislators begins at 2 p.m., a barbecue will be held at 5 p.m., and a candlelight vigil at dusk.
SATURDAY, APRIL 21 — Lobbying begins at 10 a.m., a picket line will be set up at 11 a.m., lunch will be available at 11:30 a.m., a major rally begins at 12:30 p.m. with a march at about 2 p.m., other activities will follow.

"The easiest and most cynical advice that anyone can give state workers and nurses dissatisfied with wages and working conditions is to quit their jobs," said Rick Bender, President of the Washington State Labor Council.  "If all of us took that advice, we'd still be working 12-hour days, six days a week.  Decent wages and working conditions have been won by people who refuse to quit their jobs."

"We should all thank those state employees who choose to strike in their fight for fair treatment because they are leading the fight for quality, effective public services," he added.

The salaries of registered nurses employed by the state lag as much as 27.5 percent behind nurses in the community, according to the Department of Personnel.  In fact, the DOP found registered nurses to be among the furthest behind of all state workers.  This pay disparity combined with an overall nursing shortage has created a crisis in the recruitment and retention of nurses within the DSHS and DOH.

Exacerbating the problem, registered nurses are being offered $10,000 signing bonuses in private hospitals while vacancies at state institutions and for nurse consultants remain unfilled.  Federal funds that the state receives from the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) are in jeopardy because of the inability of nurses to perform timely oversight and investigation of complaints in nursing homes and other long term care facilities due to the nursing shortage.

One RN responsible for oversight, regulation and complaint investigation of nursing homes, boarding homes and other adult residential care facilities, is Nurse Consultant Shirley Kurz whos says the need for improved recruitment and retention is absolutely critical.

"We haven't had a base wage increase in 9 years," said Kurz.  "Yet, we need to recruit nurses that have 10 years experience, will complete a 7 month training at a cost of $20,000 to the state to train, and remain long enough in their job to perform at a high level.  It's impossible under these circumstances and we must do better."

SEIU District 1199NW represents more than 800 DSHS and DOH nurses who work at the two state psychiatric hospitals -- Western and Eastern State Hospitals, the Schools for the Developmentally Disabled, Juvenile Rehabilitation, administrators for nursing homes, assisted living and boarding homes, and nurse surveyors and community nurses.

The latest international trade agreement that ignores labor and environmental standards is the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), and being negotiated in secret right now.  So it's time to remind the global corporations and government trade negotiators that the people don't want agreements that ignore the impact of global trade on human rights, working conditions and our environment.

In what promises to be the biggest international trade rally since the Seattle WTO protests in 1999, a March at the Arch will be held Saturday, April 21 at the Canada-U.S. border in Blaine, Wash., to Stop FTAA, "NAFTA for the Americas."  The rally at Peace Arch Park also will express opposition to granting President George W. Bush "Fast Track" trade negotiating authority (which he prefers to call "Trade Promotion Authority").  The event is co-sponsored by the Vancouver and District Labour Council, CLC and the Whatcom County Labor Council, AFL-CIO, in association with the Peace Arch Coalition, a coalition of Canadian and American labor, environmental, human rights, religious and student groups.

There will be music and other entertainment starting at around 10 a.m. and lasting until 4 p.m., with the rally program from Noon to 2 p.m.  Many precautions are being made to ensure that this event will be peaceful and safe (see Bellingham Herald article), so make plans to bring your family and spend the day in Blaine and participate in this important protest.  And help spread the word by downloading this rally flier.  (It is a 194 KB PDF file requiring free Acrobat Reader to view and print.)

For its part, the AFL-CIO launched an ambitious Campaign for Global Fairness following the 1999 WTO demonstrations.  This ongoing effort to build international solidarity is designed to educate our members and the public on the importance of incorporating workers’ rights into international trade and investment agreements, and to hold corporations accountable for their actions globally and locally.  The April 21 March at the Arch is part of that effort.

The following opinion column, co-written by WSLC President Rick S. Bender and Washington State BCTC Executive Secretary Roger Boatwright, has been offered to newspapers across the state:

Whenever governments consider Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) for major public works projects, those who would like to diminish union representation in the building and construction trades unleash their public relations hounds.  Having repeatedly failed to convince judges that PLAs are unfair or illegal, they have shifted their battle in recent years to the court of public opinion.

And now they have a friend in the White House.

President George W. Bush’s executive order banning the adoption of PLAs by state and local governments accepting federal funds -- and that order’s impact on the Capitol Building PLA here in Washington -- puts organized labor in the familiar position of defending sound public policy and responding to the half-truths and misrepresentations of anti-union politicians and business organizations.  So here we go again…

PLAs are agreements negotiated for complex public works projects that guarantee that all the work will be performed using one set of wage, benefit and hiring standards responsible to the local community.  PLAs ensure quality work by skilled craftspeople, they guarantee no work stoppages will occur due to labor disputes and they create family-wage job opportunities.

PLAs, which are common in both the public and private sectors, have been utilized at least as far back as the construction of Grand Coulee Dam.  They have proven successful in complex multi-billion dollar projects like the Boston Harbor cleanup, the Eastside Reservoir in California, and the San Francisco Airport renovation.  Closer to home, they have been (or are being) used at Safeco Field, the Port of Seattle, the Central Waterfront Project and the new Seahawks stadium.

The U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously affirmed the right of governments to adopt PLAs.  And contrary to the claims of anti-PLA forces, multiple court rulings have found PLAs to be non-discriminatory in their treatment of women and minorities, and of non-union contractors in general.

This, in fact, is the most popular misrepresentation of PLAs, that they somehow exclude non-union contractors from bidding on the work.  That is simply not true.  In fact, more than one-third of the registered contractors awarded work under the Safeco Field PLA were non-union.  PLAs simply draw upon the most skilled labor force available to ensure taxpayers get quality work for their investment.

The truth is that, because of the PLA, many non-union workers receive health-and-welfare and pension benefits for the very first time.  And naturally, non-union contractors are afraid they might grow to like this.

The more complex a construction project becomes, the more likely it will be to have union signatory contractors.  This reflects the tremendous commitment that unions have made to fund and support apprenticeship and journey-level upgrade training.  Skilled workers are needed to build the high quality projects the public deserves for its tax dollars.  State-approved apprenticeship programs can and do lead to family-wage jobs, and PLAs often include apprenticeship utilization requirements that help to create those career opportunities, especially for women and minorities.

President Bush’s order prohibiting PLAs is a political act which contradicts his campaign rhetoric about state government rights.  It ties the hands of state and local agencies that choose to protect their interests through a PLA.

After quick and vocal objection to the order from representatives of both parties, Bush has already backpedaled and "amended" certain elements of his order.  Meanwhile, the order in its entirety will be challenged in federal court in Massachusetts, and possibly ruled illegal.

The bottom line: PLAs for the construction of complex public work are lawful, exclude no one, and offer important benefits to the government and to taxpayers.  Public works projects should sustain and promote opportunities for family wage jobs and take advantage of the on-time performance, cost containment, local hiring, diversity and apprenticeship opportunities only afforded through a PLA.

Rick S. Bender is President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. Roger Boatwright is Executive Secretary of the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council.

"Working Out West," scheduled for May 3-6 at Portland State University, is a conference for labor communicators, historians and activists that offers a unique opportunity to examine the rich heritage of working class solidarity in the Western region, and to discuss the challenges labor faces in the 21st century.  A truly remarkable collection of labor and academic leaders are scheduled to make presentations (see program schedule below).

Co-sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association, the Southwest Labor Studies Association and the Western Labor Communications Association, the registration fee is $50 U.S./$75 Canadian, and $10/$15 for seniors, students and the unemployed.  Make checks payable to LERC/PNLHA Conference.  Mail to PNLHA Conference, c/o LERC, 1289 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR  97404.  Registration deadline is April 23.  For more info, call 503-725-3295.

Registrants are responsible for making their own hotel reservations.  A block of rooms is being held at the Paramount Hotel (Portland's newest union facility), 808 SW Taylor St. in Portland, 503-223-9900;  $89 per night, single or double, plus tax, and including continental breakfast.  Rooms are available on a first come, first served basis, so make your reservation early.  There will also be some low-cost dormitory rooms available at PSU ($28-$46/night) -- call 503-725-4336 for information.

Here is the tentative program schedule:

THURSDAY, May 3
1-4 p.m. -- WLCA Executive Board meeting, Paramount Hotel
3-5 p.m. -- Registration, Paramount Hotel
3-5 p.m. -- Labor History Bus Tour
5:30-7:30 p.m. -- Welcome Reception, Oregon Historical Society; featuring "General Strike"

FRIDAY, May 4
8 a.m. -- Registration, Smith Memorial Center, PSU
9 a.m. -- Welcome and Opening Plenary; from PNLHA, SWLSA and WLCA;
Keynote Speaker - James Green, Professor of History, University of
Massachusetts, Boston, "The Power of the Past in Building the Movement"
10:45 a.m. -- 12:15 pm - Workshops

"Poverty and Welfare Reform in the New Economy"
Chair:  Margaret Hallock, LERC/UO
Participants:  Frank Stricker, CSU Dominguez Hills, "Staying Poor in the Clinton Boom: Welfare Reform and the Hidden Labor Force"; and Tim Sampson, SFSU, "Fighting Poverty: Community Organizing in the 1990's"

"The Western Working Class: Comparative Case Studies of Life and Work"
Chair:  Ed Beechert, Labor History Professor (retired), University of Hawaii
Participants:  D'mitri Palmateer, SUNY, "Itinerant Portland: A Brief Demographic Portrait of its Working Class, 1990-1910"; David Bright, University of Calgary, "Class and the Canadian West"; and Heather Fryer, Boston College "Of Boats and Bombs: A Comparative Study of Life and Work in Vanport, Oregon, and Los Alamos, New Mexico, 1943-1950"

"Working for the Union: Building Careers with Class and Commitment"
Chair: Gene Vrana, ILWU
Participants:  Teresa Bill, CLEAR/University of Hawaii; Harvey Schwartz, ILWU & SFSU Labor Archives; and Mike Sullivan, USWA #8378

"Broadening Your Audience: Effective Communications for Unionists and Labor Educators"
Chair:  Fred Glass, California Federation of Teachers
Participants:  Denise Mitchell, Assistant to the President for Public
Affairs, AFL-CIO; and Emmett R. Murray, Seattle Newspaper Guild

12:15 -1:15 p.m. -- Lunch break
1:15-2:45 p.m. -- Workshops

"Race, Gender, and Ideology: Historical Case Studies"
Chair & Respondent: Myrna Donohoe, President, SWLSA
Participants:  Rebecca Ann Montes, University of Texas, "Degrees of 'American-ness:' The Marginalization of Mexican-Americans in the International Longshoreman's Association in Texas, 1930-1945"; Laurie Mercier, WSU Vancouver, "Challenging the Cold War 'Consensus' in the West: Community Unionism in Montana, 1946-1980"; and Dana Frank, University of California at Santa Cruz, "GIRL STRIKERS OCCUPY CHAIN STORE, WIN BIG: The 1937 Detroit Woolworth's Sit-Down Strike"

"Students' Organizing in High Schools"
Alex Diamond, Eric Anholt, Andrea Townsend, Rachel Townsend and Leela Yellesetty, Franklin High School, Portland, Oregon

"The Life of the Strawberry: Activism and Academics in the Labor Relations of Food"
Chair: Matt Garcia, University of Oregon
Participants:  Lynn Stephen, University of Oregon; Rosa Lopez, Jill Nicola, Jamie Nichols, Kristina Tiedje, Maria de la Torre, University of Oregon; Erik Nicholson and Leonides Avila, PCUN

"Organizing around Workers' Rights Issues on College Campuses"
Chair: Charles Spencer, Ecosystem Workforce Program, University of Oregon
Participants:  Charles Kernaghan; Chad Sullivan, University of Oregon Students for Unity, Portland State University

"Using Graphics and Humor to Tell Workers' Stories"
Labor cartoonist Mike Konopacki and Jos Sances, Alliance Graphics

3-4:30 p.m. -- Plenary Session: Charles Kernaghan, Executive Director, National Labor Committee, "Building the Anti-Sweatshop Movement"
5-7 p.m. -- Dinner break
7- 9 p.m. -- "Memory, Community and Activism: Mexican Labor in the Columbia Basin" -- Slide/Lecture by Jerry Garcia, Director of Latino/a Studies, Iowa State University, and a panel of activist/organizers (including Dora Sanchez Trevino); Latino Music; Co-sponsored by the Center for Columbia River History

SATURDAY, May 5
8 a.m. -- Registration continues
9 a.m. -- Plenary Keynote: Kent Wong, Director, Center for Labor Education and Research, UCLA, "The Changing Terrain for New Immigrant Organizing in the West"
10:45-12:30 -- Workshops

"Making Something of History: A Guide to Archives for Western Workers and Labor Activists"
Chair:  Gordon Lafer, University of Oregon Labor Education and Research Center
Participants:  Sue Englander, Labor Archives & Research Center, San Francisco State University; Karyl Winn, Manuscripts and Special Collections, University of Washington; James Fox, Special Collections and Archives, University of Oregon; Robert Marshall, Urban Archives Center, California State University at Northridge
Comments: Lynn Bonfield, Labor Archives and Research Center, San Francisco State University

"Labor and the Environment: Learning from the Past, Building for the Future"
Chair:  Steve Hecker, LERC/UO
Participants:  John-Henry Harter, Simon Fraser University, "New Social Movements, Labour and the Environment: Greenpeace Canada, 1971-2000"

"Building International Solidarity"
Chair and Respondent:  Fred Lonidier, UC San Diego
Gavin Hainsworth, British Columbia Teachers Federation

"New Approaches to Young Workers' Organizing on the West Coast"
Chair:  Nato Green, ILWU
Participants: Union members from newly organized workplaces.

"John Reed and Labor: A Cultural History in Performance"
Chair: David Milholland, Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission
Participants:  Johnny Stallings, Actor; Michael Munk, Historian; John Reed, Nephew of John Reed

12:30-2 p.m. -- Lunch and Business Meetings of PNLHA and SWLSA; WLCA Awards Lunch at the Paramount
2 p.m. -- Plenary Session:  Deborah Bourque, National Vice President, Canadian Union of Postal Workers, "The Canadian Labour Movement: Challenges and Prospects"
3:30-5 p.m. -- Workshops

"Labor Councils and Community Coalitions Meet the Challenge of the 21st Century"
Chair:  Marcus Widenor, LERC, University of Oregon
Participants:  Marty Bennett, Santa Rosa Junior College, "The Transformation of the Santa Rosa Labor Council"; Jenifer Vernon, UC San Diego, "Building Solidarity: Justice for Janitors in San Diego"; Albert Lannon, Laney College, "The Militant Independence of the Central Labor Council of Alameda County"; Verlene Wilder, King County Labor Council; Mike Phillips, Clark/Skamania/West Klickitat Central Labor Council
Respondent:  Jean Eilers, AFL-CIO

"New Strategies for Labor-in-the-Schools Programs"
Chair:  Wythe Holt, University of Alabama Law School
Participants:  Gavin Hainsworth, British Columbia Teachers Federation; Norm Diamond; Linda Tubach and Patty Litwin

"Labor and the Left in Film and Oral History"
Chair: Jim Strassmaier, Oregon Historical Society
Participants:  Teresa Bill, CLEAR, University of Hawaii, "The Making of 'The Great Hawaii Dock Strike' and '1946: The Great Hawaii Sugar Strike'; and Judy Branfman, UCLA, "The Land of Orange Groves and Jails"

6-8 p.m. -- PNLHA/SWLSA Banquet, Hoffmann Hall, PSU
8:30-10 p.m. -- Performance by Charlie King, co-sponsored by the Portland Chapter of Jobs with Justice; Hoffmann Hall, PSU

SUNDAY, May 6
10 a.m. -- Wrap-up discussion:  What We Have to Offer One Another -- A Roundtable with WLCA, PNLHA and SWLSA members, Paramount Hotel
Noon -- Dedication of John Reed bench in Washington Park, Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission

For an up-to-date program agenda with session times, names of presenters and presentation titles, call 1-503-725-3295, check the web at http://www.uoregon.edu/~lerc/PNLHA_agenda.html or send an e-mail to Barbara Byrd at bbyrd@oregon.uoregon.edu.

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1105 President Sharon McCann announced late Monday that the local unions representing grocery workers across the Pacific Northwest have reached a tentative agreement.  Union members will vote on their proposal later this month.  McCann described the agreement as a "win-win."

UFCW locals in King County (Locals 1105 and 81) send their thanks to everyone for their solidarity and willingness to support these workers.  Also participating in the settlement were UFCW Locals 44, 367, 381 and Teamsters Local 38.