UPDATED DAILY -- M-F by 9 a.m. (Pacific)

Links to press stories are functional at the date of posting.  In some cases, free registration is required at newspapers' sites.  Links sometimes "expire" when the source would like to begin charging 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 April 12-16, 2004

Previous weeks' news: April 5-9 -- March 29-April 2 -- March 22-26

FRIDAY, April 16 -- Skagit Harley owner greets union rally with obscenities, sprinklers
— In today's Spokesman-Review -- State's fruit growers may face overlapping harvests -- Weather could cause labor shortage if crops are simultaneously ready to pick. Says the manager of the Washington Growers Clearing House Association: "Hopefully having the highest minimum wage in the nation will draw more workers."
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Washington board backs ouster of Safeway chiefs
...plus, visit the new AFL-CIO Executive Paywatch where we learn Safeway CEO Steven Burd cashed out $13 million in stock options in 2003 even as Safeway lost $169.8 million in net income.
— In today's Seattle Times -- New Boeing modeled on Wal-Mart? -- Westneat column: Inventing new machines that fly faster, higher and farther is out. Building cheaper versions of the old machines is in.
...plus -- State to cite Seattle Fire Department for "serious" safety violations
— In today's Everett Herald -- Marysville teachers approve contract with 79% "yes" vote
— In today's Tri-City Herald -- VA's shameful duplicity at Walla Walla hospital (editorial)
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Sides gear up for U.S. Senate fight -- New ads for George Nethercutt, Karl Rove's personal pick to oust Sen. Patty Murray, will feature the Spokane attorney jogging in Seattle.
— In today's King County Journal -- Developer Kemper Freeman puts cash behind his road initiative
— In today's Bremerton Sun -- Jobless rate doesn't scare analysts (and others with jobs)
— In today's News Tribune -- Paid well in Iraq, but paying the ultimate price -- Laid off after 34 years, Al Cayton found himself at retirement age without the means to support himself in his golden years. So at 60, the Pensacola, Fla., man went off to drive trucks in Iraq for the Halliburton Co. -- lured by the promise of up to $120,000 in cash, tax-free. A roadside bomb put an end to his plan.
At AFLCIO.org -- Local tech worker Myra Bronstein featured in new ad on outsourcing
— In today's L.A. Times -- HMO model to be tried for worker injuries -- Legislative deal on workers' compensation reform would largely allow a company to limit a hurt worker to a network of physicians.
...plus -- Overhaul has injured workers nervous -- It may shift the balance of power toward employers, a situation like in the 1940s and 1950s when employees were often stuck with company doctors.
...plus in the S.F. Chronicle -- Insurers unscathed: Reforms ask little of campaign-generous industry
— In today's L.A. Times -- L.A. contract talks may get contentious as hotel workers seek more clout 
— In today's Oregonian -- Unions ask United Nations for sanctions against Nike
— In today's Washington Post -- Pentagon audit criticizes another Boeing deal -- But new (old) CEO Stonecipher keeps making D.C. rounds with Nixonesque message: We're not "a bunch of crooks."
...plus -- Hollywood in Canada splits unions -- A group of Capitol Hill and California lawmakers have urged the movie industry to curb filming in foreign countries, portraying the next Russell Crowe movie, set to start shooting in Canada, as the latest example of foreign outsourcing to affect U.S. workers.

THURSDAY, April 15 -- UW Medical Center technical workers form union with SEIU 925
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Progress in WestFarm-Darigold talks -- With a proposal on the table, negotiators stumble over WestFarm's demand that Teamsters 66 withdraw its unfair labor charges as a condition of the offer. Union refuses, unwilling to sacrifice potential for back pay in 7-month lockout.
...plus -- Engineers, professionals at Hanford vote 105-29 to join AFGE union (AP)
— In today's Seattle Times -- Health costs key as UFCW begins contract talks with local grocers -- Click here to show your support -- and your organization's support -- of the grocery workers.
— In today's Tri-City Herald -- As Wal-Mart warehouse celebrates opening, a nearby neighborhood grocery store quietly closed its doors: "We're not the first and we won't be the last (to close)."
— In today's Olympian -- Providence St. Peter-USNU 141 talks resume today on nurses contract
— In today's King County Journal -- Boeing, SPEEA resume talks today in Wichita
...plus -- Construction boom forcing Kent to stem staff crisis with temp help -- After laying off 32 people in permit center last year, city will hire temps, paying only for hours worked and no benefits.
— In today's Everett Herald -- Marysville teachers vote today on contract offer
— In today's Yakima H-R -- Contract talks for Yakima County deputies go to arbitration
— In today's News Tribune -- Initiatives have early momentum -- Four initiative committees reported raising more than $130,000 each, a sign they have a good shot at making the November ballot.
...plus -- A talk about taxes just wouldn't be the same without conflicting numbers -- EFF and BIAW work that statistics to convince the choir they pay disproportionately high taxes in Washington state.
— In today's Seattle Times -- GOP: Donors broke campaign law -- Bush-RNC efforts to silence critics continues. Complaint names 5 locals: Costco co-founders Jeff Brotman and James Sinegal, software entrepreneur Paul Brainerd, investor James Roush and RealNetworks founder Rob Glaser. Also in today's Washington Post, RNC chided by FEC for failing to show up at their own hearing in D.C.
...plus -- Charter schools to be explored in Federal Way -- Yesterday also marked the official kickoff of the WEA's effort to repeal this state's new charter-school law just passed by the Legislature.
...plus -- ACLU sues Seattle over enforcement of rally rules
...plus -- Eyman's new tax-cut scheme is too much of a gamble (Balter column)
— In yesterday's Columbian -- Rep. Mark Boldt to give up seat, run for county commissioner

WEDNESDAY, April 14 -- Help us find state government contracts moving offshore
— In today's Tri-City Herald -- Tri-City DOE professionals unionize -- Professionals include mostly engineers, but also attorneys, accountants and others. "Over the last 60 years, the pros never felt the need to unionize and join the non-pros. The fact that they decided to do it now is a clear indicator on how management is treating its employees," said AFGE 788 President Guy Schein.
— In the Walla Walla U-B -- Sen. Murray's VA hearing on hospital closure draws sharp words
...plus -- VA needs OK from Congress to downgrade local hospital (editorial) 
— In today's News Tribune -- Good news, bad news on Boeing plane orders
— In today's Seattle Times -- Expected guilty plea is a new slap to Boeing tanker deal
...plus -- Gov. Schwarzenegger, Costco join forces to push for California workers' comp changes
— In today's Bellingham Herald -- WTO OKs U.S. tariffs of Canadian softwood lumber (AP)
— In today's Everett Herald -- Mayor makes case for layoffs -- Says that if Eyman's latest initiative passes, Everett will have to cut 10% of its general budget: "The effect would be very dramatic."
— In today's News Tribune -- Tacoma to enact tough new domestic violence policy for employees
...plus -- Eyman bashers tacitly concede his ideas are popular -- Davis column: Washington voters find him more credible than his opponents. When he's the target, he wins. By attacking him, rather than the initiatives, his critics concede the popularity of his ideas and their lack of a better alternative.
— In today's Yakima H-R -- Anti-Eyman tactics must follow letter of the law (editorial)
...plus -- Workers, give me a... Wal-Mart squiggly -- Employees at the new distribution center in Grandview start each day with a corporate cheer led by the company's People Coach: "Gimme a 'W'!" "Gimme an 'A'!" and so on, including a lasso gesture for the squiggly. And finally the cheer ends, "Whose Wal-Mart is it?" "It's my Wal-Mart." (Harmless? Demeaning? Fun? Creepy? You decide.)
At FirePaige.com -- 240,000 have signed petition urging Bush to fire Rod Paige, won't you? (Bush's Education Secretary called America's largest teachers' union "a terrorist organization.")
At AFLCIO.org -- Los Angeles schools take a stand against sweatshop labor
— Today from AP -- Unions urge Kerry to warm up -- An internal AFL-CIO memo offers fresh evidence that Kerry's aloofness is a hurdle he must overcome, even among his party's core constituencies.
— In today's N.Y. Times -- Mr. Bush's press conference -- Editorial: The U.S. has experienced so many crises since Bush took office that it sometimes feels as if the nation has embarked on one very long and painful learning curve in which every accepted truism becomes a doubt, every expectation a question mark. Only Mr. Bush somehow seems to have avoided any doubt, any change.
...plus -- Latest big-money fight, over fund-raising groups, will be heard by FEC -- Having received more than 100,000 e-mail messages (SEND YOURS!) on the subject in recent weeks, the FEC will now dig into the campaign finance law. The commission's ruling, expected as soon as May, could have major consequences for American elections, though maybe not in time to affect the 2004 races.
— In today's L.A. Times -- Ruling aids illegal workers -- In precedent-setting opinion, federal appeals court says employers facing claims can't ask about immigration status in an effort to block damages.
— In today's Washington Post -- Kerry says Bush policies drove college tuitions up
...plus -- GOP-led Virginia House approves tax increase of $750 million over two years
...plus -- Taxes and "terror" -- Editorial: The IRS's oversight board says Bush has repeatedly called for IRS staff increases but then refused to pay for them. The result: the budget deficit is twice what it would be if tax collection were watertight, and that the strain on honest taxpayers increases unfairly.
— In today's Olympian -- By 2-to-1 margin, Americans prefer balanced budget to lower taxes (AP)

TUESDAY, April 13 -- Call to Action: Support Puget Sound grocery workers... electronically
— In the P.S. Business Journal -- Signatures to be sought for I-895, the Health Care Lite™ initiative
— In today's Seattle P-I -- PDC will investigate initiative tactics -- Police Chiefs & Sheriffs and the County & City Employees say they will expand campaign urging public to be wary of identity theft.
...plus editorials in the Seattle P-I, the Seattle Times and the News Tribune critical of the campaign.
— In today's Olympian -- Six-term Rep. Sandra Romero, champion of state employees, to retire
— In today's Tri-City Herald -- Sen. Patty Murray vows to fight for Walla Walla VA hospital
— In today's Seattle Times -- 1,052 jobs escape City of Seattle's hiring "freeze"
— In today's News Tribune -- Weyerhaeuser turnaround could be near
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Issue of CEO pay gets closer attention -- Virgin column: The issue of fat CEO paychecks has enjoyed a revival as those execs endorse especially sizable checks in the midst of economic stagnation, wage and benefit cutbacks, layoffs, offshoring and outsourcing and scandals.
— In yesterday's Daily News -- Congress knows how to cut Medicare drug costs, but won't (editorial)
— In today's King County Journal -- Boeing's St. Louis defense workers OK strike if takes fail (AP)
At AFLCIO.org -- Donate to put TV ads on air opposing Bush's overtime pay takeaway
— In today's N.Y. Times -- Corporate tax holidays -- Editorial: Corporate tax avoiders are a major problem that needs immediate action. (The federal government should) reduce corporate tax rates modestly while simplifying the system to ensure compliance, as John Kerry is proposing.
— In today's Washington Post -- A strategy for Iraq -- Sen. John Kerry op-ed: To be successful in Iraq, and in any war for that matter, our use of force must be tied to a political objective more complete than the ouster of a regime. To date, that has not happened in Iraq. It is time it did.
...plus -- Plea bargain takes shape in Boeing tanker case; former official agrees to conspiracy count
...plus -- Putting a human face on outsourcing -- There's little point in hand-wringing over whether it should or shouldn't take place. Equally useless, and disingenuous, are the marginally empathetic statements of business leaders about "short-term pain" as if it were a stubbed toe or a shaving nick.

MONDAY, April 12
— In today's Olympian -- Tax breaks don't guarantee job growth, critics say -- "Politicians who voted to gut unemployment benefits in the middle of a recession and to kick 52,000 people off health care eight months before approving these tax breaks need to do some soul-searching," says SEIU 775 President David Rolf. "Voters need to do some soul-searching also."
— And a related story in the PSBJ -- Boeing reduced Wash. employment by nearly 200 in March
— In Saturday's Tri-City Herald -- Tyson workers at Wallula plant vote to keep Teamsters union
...plus today -- Hanford morale critical -- Editorial: Hanford workers must deal with some of the most dangerous materials on the planet. That requires the best workers, not the cheapest.
— In today's News Tribune -- Calls traced to Eyman foes -- Police groups' calls warn of identity theft risk when signing initiatives; campaign was paid for by State Council of County and City Employees.
...plus -- Low-wage workers denied their pay (editorial re: electronic payroll falsification)
— In Saturday's Bellingham Herald -- State governments join in shipping work offshore
...plus -- 29 of 41 Washington state agencies outsource work offshore 
— In today's Oregonian -- As U.S. loses jobs overseas, some fear loss of taxes, too -- Analysts say outsourcing could cost federal, state and local governments billions in tax revenue in coming years.
— In Sunday's Seattle Times -- More workers are filing (and winning) overtime pay lawsuits
— In today's Oregonian -- PGE workers (IBEW) ratify contract
— In Sunday's Seattle P-I -- Union pension funds probe corporate political donations (AP)
— In today's L.A. Times -- Bucking up Boeing, with very frank talk -- After taking over the helm of Boeing Co., Harry Stonecipher began making weekly trips to Washington. His goal: to convince lawmakers and defense officials that the company, in his words, isn't run by a "bunch of crooks."
— In today's N.Y. Times -- Corporate risk of tax audit still dropping -- Despite corporate scandals and Bush's promises to "get tough," corporate tax enforcement has fallen steadily under Bush, with fewer audits, fewer penalties, fewer prosecutions and virtually no effort to prosecute corporate tax crimes.
...plus -- For Nader, but not for President -- Howard Dean op-ed: Many Democrats admire Mader, as I do. But if they truly want Bush out of the White House, they won't vote for Ralph Nader in November.
...plus on Sunday -- In California, Wal-Mart hits a wall -- Editorial: The world's largest retailer spent $1 million on a ballot initiative and a charm offensive, but residents weren't buying.

Previous weeks' news: April 5-9 -- March 29-April 2 -- March 22-26

FRIDAY,  APRIL 16
Skagit Harley owner greets rally with obscenities, sprinklers

Last Saturday, an estimated 100 union supporters rallied outside the Skagit Harley in Burlington to express their displeasure at the dealership's aggressive anti-union tactics in response to their employees' attempt to organize a union with the International Association of Machinists.  Those in attendance learned first hand what kind of person they were dealing with in owner Fred Smith.

Smith blocked off the parking lots with cones and trash cans affixed with signs reading "union trash." He repeatedly screamed obscenities at the crowd gathered outside, including when union representatives attempted to present him with several hundred signed cards protesting his interference with his employees' right to freely choose whether they want union representation. Several times during the rally he turned on the sprinkler system, but failed to dampen protesters' spirits.

"When our speakers brought out the truth, a couple of his cronies revved their hogs to the hilt to attempt to cover the loud speaker," said IAM organizer Jesse Cote, Jr.  "All we had to say after that -- which drew loud applause from the crowd -- was, 'They sound like great Union Labor manufactured them!' "

According to the IAM, shortly after hearing last year about their employees' interest in forming a union, Skagit Harley management hired a “union avoidance” consulting firm to coerce and intimidate their employees from supporting unionization. Despite this, the employees voted Oct. 7, 2003, in favor of IAM representation for the purpose of collective bargaining. The union says management responded by immediately cutting in half the work hours of one union supporter, eliminated another employee's job later that week, and fired another for not being ready to work... she had wet hair.

The IAM says that of the eight positions that have been eliminated at Skagit Valley since the employees voted for union representation, all eight happened to be union supporters. The union has filed unfair labor practice charges against Skagit Harley on behalf of the wronged employees; those charges are still pending.

Owner Fred Smith sent WSLC Reports Today an e-mail shortly after the rally claiming that Saturday had been a "record setting day" for the dealership (perhaps his profanity-laced tirades during the rally were merely celebratory) and that the union's claim that an employee was fired for "wet hair" was a lie; he says that firing was upheld on appeal by a judge.

"Her offenses were so numerous and egregious that she would not have lasted even in a union job," wrote Smith.

The IAM responds that they continue to be shocked at Smith's openly hostile disdain for unions given that Harley-Davidsons are the bike of choice for union members across the United States who want quality American-made, union-made motorcycles.

"The labor community makes up more than 50 percent of this dealership’s business," said IAM's Cote. "Our members build the bikes, we buy ‘em, and ride ‘em. Who are these guys to say we shouldn’t service ‘em?"

Good question.  Why not ask Skagit Harley owner Fred Smith yourself?  His email address is freds@skagitharley.com.

THURSDAY,  APRIL 15
UW Medical Center technical workers form union with SEIU 925

The following press release was distributed Wednesday by Service Employees International Union Local 925:

UW MEDICAL TECHNICAL WORKERS WIN UNION
Majority Choose SEIU 925 as 'Voice for Our Patients, Our Professions, Our Future' 
 
SEATTLE, April 14 -- By a 70% vote, medical technical employees at the University of Washington Medical Center, Haborview Medical Center, and UW's Roosevelt Clinics voted to form a union with Service Employees International Union Local 925.

"It's been a long time coming", said Lena Murillo, Clinical Technologist in Genetics at the UWMC. "This is a great victory for us.  Now we can join with the other 5,000 other SEIU members at the UW in standing up for quality patient care. That means bargaining the kind of fair wages, affordable health care, and protection from subcontracting that guarantees recruitment and retention of quality medical staff."

University of Washington-employed medical techs working at Children's Hospital Medical Center and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center also participated in the election. The mail ballots were counted Wednesday, April 14 at the offices of the Public Employee Relations Commission in Olympia, Washington.

The vote was 396 for union representation with 168 voting no, out of a unit of approximately 756 techs. Turnout was 75%. Among those voting were Clinical Technologists, Respiratory Care Practitioners, ECG Technologists, Pharmacy Technicians, Surgical Technologists and Dental Lab Technologists.

With the expansion of state employee collective bargaining enacted by the 2003 state legislature, University of Washington employees are bargaining for the first time with UW for wages and with the state for health insurance. Collective bargaining in the past was limited to hours and working conditions.

An additional 1,200 University of Washington part-time and temporary workers are expected to win union rights with SEIU Local 925 later this month.

SEIU Local 925, the education and public services local, unites 6,000 administrative, clerical and technical staff at the University of Washington and its affiliated institutions, as well as 5,000 school district and other public service employees in Western Washington.

SEIU represents 66,000 workers in Washington State, including health care workers (Local 1199NW), long-term care workers (Local 775), education workers (Local 925), and janitors (Local 6).

The 11,000 SEIU Local 925 members work in university, public school and preschool education, state and local government, and non-profit organizations throughout Washington. They include university program coordinators, research technologists, child care teachers, paraeducators, custodians, social workers, attorneys and other public service workers.

SEIU Local 925 is proud to be a part of the largest and fastest growing union in the United States, the Service Employees International Union, with over 1.7 million members nationwide.

For more information, contact Gretchen Donart, SEIU 925 Communications Organizer, at (206) 322-3010 or visit www.seiu925.org .

WEDNESDAY,  APRIL 14
Help us find state government contracts moving offshore

The following announcement was distributed Tuesday by WashTech, the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers/CWA:

The Corporate Research Project of Good Jobs First has been asked by WashTech to research the offshore outsourcing of state government functions, especially information technology and telecommunications. We know about the food stamp call centers that have been moved to India. We're looking for other examples.

If you have information about offshoring in your state's government (whether detailed data or just a lead), please contact:

Phil Mattera
Director, Corporate Research Project of Good Jobs First
pmattera@goodjobsfirst.org
(202) 626-3780 ext. 32

The identity of respondents will be kept confidential.

This information is critical in helping pass state level legislation banning state tax dollars moving overseas.

Also see our April 9 posting -- Donate now to help send Congress a message on outsourcing

TUESDAY,  APRIL 13
Call to Action: Support grocery workers... electronically

Negotiations have begun for new contracts covering some 27,000 grocery workers represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers union in the Puget Sound area. The first set of contracts covering employees at local grocery store chains such as Safeway, Fred Meyer, QFC and Albertsons expires on May 2.

Given the experience of grocery workers in other parts of the nation, local workers will likely face tough bargaining. Led by Safeway CEO Steve Burd, grocers have sought dramatic takeaways of health care benefits. The hard-line bargaining led to a 5-month strike in Southern California.

The UFCW Puget Sound Coalition for Affordable Health Care, which includes UFCW Locals 44, 81, 367, 381 and 1105, has established a website at www.ProtectHealthBenefits.org to keep members and the public informed about the issues, the press coverage and the progress of negotiations. In addition, the UFCW coalition is rallying community support for their struggle to maintain good jobs with affordable health benefits. And that's where you can help.

CALL TO ACTION -- The WSLC has already distributed a resolution supporting local grocery stores (download this PDF file and fax to the UFCW at 253-735-2679), but WE NEED MORE COMMUNITY LEADERS and UNION & OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO ENDORSE THIS RESOLUTION. So we are posting the resolution in electronic form, and urging all elected officials, community leaders and officers of union and other organizations can endorse with the click of a button (or a few buttons).

Please take one minute to follow this link -- www.wslc.org/UFCW-res.htm -- and submit the form. Your demonstration of support for grocery workers in their fight to protect affordable health care benefits is very important -- and much appreciated.  Thank you in advance.