WSLC Reports Today -- April 16-20, 2001

STRIKE! Read all about it in the
latest edition of the WSLC Legislative Update.

for April 16-20, 2001

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.

FRIDAY, April 20 -- On Saturday, choose Olympia (strike) or Blaine (FTAA)
Strike news: See www.wfse.org for the latest from WFSE, AFSCME Council 28
In today's Olympian -- Pickets likely in Olympia today
...and also -- Locke won't turn to courts to end strike
In today's News-Tribune -- Strike hits Western State Hospital
...and also -- Questions and answers about the state employee strike
In today's Seattle P-I -- Higher ed is next target for striking workers
In today's UW Daily -- UW labor action planned for today
In today's Seattle Times -- State workers at Fircrest join walkout
...and also -- Could state afford those pay raises?
At KING5.com -- Nurses join state workers on strike line
In today's Everett Herald -- State worker strike hits Everett
In today's Bellingham Herald -- State workers to picket here today
In today's Bremerton Sun -- Strike hits area (Veterans Home in Retsil)
In today's Centralia Chronicle -- Local agencies not stressed by strike
In today's Yakima Herald -- Poorly timed strike should end by Sunday (editorial)
In yesterday's Vancouver Columbian -- 1-day work stoppages in Vancouver end
FTAA news:
In today's Bellingham Herald -- Plans point to peaceful FTAA march Saturday
In today's Seattle Times -- Trade protests planned here
In today's Olympian -- Olympia "teach-in" raises questions about FTAA
In today's Washington Post -- Bush to talk trade at Canada summit
...and also -- For activists today, it's marks, not Marx
...and finally -- The Summit of the Americas (editorial)
At AFLCIO.com -- After NAFTA, FTAA could bring more disaster
Energy news:
In today's Everett Herald -- The "immoral" cost of energy
In today's Bellingham Herald -- DeFazio: No deals to aid aluminum plants
...and also -- Displaced G-P workers begin job search, find low pay
In today's Tri-City Herald -- House GOP seeks better deal for smelters
Other news:
In yesterday's Aberdeen Daily World -- Weyerhaeuser workers authorize strike
In the Seattle Weekly -- Attention Wal-Mart workers: Please do not report injuries
In the Seattle Press -- Grocery workers will vote on pact April 24
...and also -- "Old Guard" tries to derail Teamster reformers
In today's News-Tribune -- Collect a state pension -- return to work
In today's Seattle Times -- Transportation inaction frustrates state commission
In today's Seattle P-I -- Ferry rate increase stymied by Joe Marine politics
In today's Washington Post -- Stocks matter, but jobs matter more (Dionne column: "With all those cable stations running the market ticker at the bottom of their screens all day long, it's hard to remember that in the economic lives of most people, stocks play a limited role... It's an antique notion, I know, but jobs really matter.")

THURSDAY, April 19 -- Help spread the word: Decline to Sign I-747
Strike news: (See www.wfse.org for the latest from WFSE, AFSCME Council 28)
In today's Seattle P-I -- Second day of strike targets care facilities
In today's News-Tribune -- Western State workers hit streets this morning
...and also -- Union, Locke on opposite sides now -- but still friendly
...and finally -- A strike will not help state workers (editorial)
In today's Olympian -- Local workers ready to walk
In today's Bellingham Herald -- WWU workers plot course as state strike hits
In today's Tri-City Herald -- Yakima, Tri-City state workers offer solidarity to strike
In today's UW Daily -- Campus remains quite, UW prepares for labor action
Other news:
In today's Everett Herald -- Boeing workers who refuse to pay union dues to lose jobs
In today's Seattle Times -- Program to pay sick nuclear workers to be delayed
In today's P.S. Business Journal -- Labor Ready strains under tightening economy
In today's Washington Post -- Railroad agrees to stop gene-testing workers
Today at AFLCIO.org -- Working families, global union rally for fair trade (Don't forget Saturday's FTAA rally in Blaine!)

WEDNESDAY, April 18 -- Strike actions in Seattle, Tacoma, Kalama, Vancouver
In today's Seattle Times -- State workers declare a strike (Ousted GOP Party Chair and Olympia real estate mogul Sen. Don Benton on the strike: "It would be the stupidest thing in the world the public employees could do right now. They better be careful. We might find out we can get by without a lot of them.")
In today's News-Tribune -- State workers walk out
In today's Spokesman-Review -- Unpredictable strike looms for state
...and yesterday -- How one thing leads to another (strike editorial)
In today's UW Daily -- UW threatens discipline if workers walk
In today's Eastside Journal -- Swift action needed if state workers strike (editorial)
In today's Olympian -- Lawmakers rally behind caregiver raises
...and also -- Board review timber quotas on state lands
...and finally -- Teamsters and city manager get raises
In today's Tri-City Herald -- Murray, Cantwell, Hastings focus on Hanford funds
In today's Statesman-Journal -- Union activists target Pictsweet Mushrooms
In today's Oregonian -- More unions join suits against pension trustees
In today's L.A. Times -- High court makes it easier for states to enforce wage laws
In today's N.Y. Times -- Bush says he'll press effort for FTAA pact
In today's Washington Post -- Bush: "Fast Track" trade power is a priority
At AFLCIO.org -- AFL-CIO joins ACLU statewide voting rights lawsuit

TUESDAY, April 17 -- The latest strike news from WFSE
In today's Olympian -- Gregoire seeks to block state employee strike
...and also -- Union, agencies want essential needs to be met
In today's Seattle Times -- Court action vowed of state workers walk
...and also -- State workers' threatened strike a clunker (editorial)
...and finally -- Boeing wants to broaden work of St. Louis Machinists
In today's Seattle P-I -- Boeing Machinists to start paying medical premiums
In today's Bellingham Herald -- Ex-G-P workers appeal for city's support
In today's Tri-City Herald -- Backers battling for Fast Flux Test Facility
Today at MSNBC.com -- Bottom line on corporate loyalty (column)
In today's N.Y. Times -- Bush promises fight for FTAA
In today's Washington Post -- Bush's Latin America trade mirage (re: FTAA. "A hemispheric free trade agreement of the kind Bush wants would simply perpetuate a strategy that encourages the net export of high-paying U.S. jobs while assuming that a lower and lower-wage U.S. work force can keep importing and consuming at record levels." Don't forget Saturday's FTAA rally in Blaine!)

MONDAY, April 16 -- 80 percent! WFSE members OK strike!
In Saturday's Olympian -- State workers approve strike, "job actions"
...and Sunday -- Budget writers fight against time, money
In Saturday's Seattle Times -- State workers OK strike
...and Sunday -- Pulp, paper and profit (column re: Port Townsend mill)
In Sunday's Everett Herald -- Legislators: Toughen up, make transportation calls
In today's Longview Daily News -- Plants would bring new jobs, economic impact unclear
In today's News-Tribune -- U.S. workers supporting union organizers in Mexico
In today's L.A. Times -- Trade pact for Americas tops agenda at Canada summit
...and also -- Deregulation also taking toll on workers' compensation
In today's N.Y. Times -- The trouble with airlines (column re: labor unrest)

News from previous weeks: April 9-13 -- March 26-30 -- March 19-23

THURSDAY, APRIL 19
Help spread the word: Decline to Sign I-747

Tim Eyman has now abandoned life as a watch salesman and opened a for-profit initiative sponsoring corporation. And this year's effort is another bad idea for our families: Initiative 747 limiting property tax increases to 1% per year. Unlike past initiatives which targeted state government, I-747 hits hard in local communities, impacting essential services like fire, hospital and emergency medical services. Libraries, parks, and even county road budgets would lose the ability to keep pace with growth and inflation.

While services would suffer, I-747 would impact thousands of union jobs in the public sector -- among them road crews, firefighters, nurses and librarians. Secondary impacts to transit workers, building trades, and others are easy to anticipate as revenues for road improvements are tapped for costly special elections, or simply lost all together.

When I-695 passed, Eyman claimed opponents sounded like Chicken Little: "The sky didn�t fall," he bragged on his web site. But a look at this year�s state budget crisis shows that the impacts of his misdirected efforts are clear: cuts in state employee benefits, skyrocketing ferry prices, worsening highway gridlock with no solution in sight, and cuts to human services to maintain basic spending commitments to education and other priorities.

Simply put, I-747 is the wrong place to cut taxes�local governments, fire districts and emergency medical boards all provide services that we take for granted, and serve our communities well. So we need to spread the word among union members, friends, family and anyone else who'll listen that we can keep our communities -- and our jobs -- safe if we Decline to Sign I-747.

Please download (77 KB PDF file, free Acrobat Reader required), print, post and circulate this Decline to Sign I-747 flier. The text of the flier is as follows:

When you see the paid signature gatherers for Tim Eyman's latest tax initiative, I-747... DECLINE TO SIGN!

Why? This latest initiative from Eyman�s new for-profit corporation, "Permanent Offense," would cap property tax increases at 1% a year. According to the State Department of Revenue, I-747 would cost our city and local governments more than $1.4 billion, directly impacting special taxing districts such as libraries, fire districts, ports and even emergency medical services. In addition, the state would lose more than $400 million.

The budget crisis our state and local governments already face (because of Eyman�s previous efforts) have frozen the wages of many state and local government workers, required major cuts in public transit and other important services that the poor and disabled depend on, and increased fees for everything from park use to ferry service.

Let�s stop "sending messages" to elected officials that are making our lives worse, not better. Instead, let�s send a message to Eyman: Stop seeking personal profit from simplistic, harmful ideas.

When they ask you to sign Initiative 747... Just Say No.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18
Strike actions in Seattle, Tacoma, Kalama, Vancouver

Following are some excerpts from the latest Strike / Job Action Update at www.wfse.org: (Feel free to show solidarity and support for state workers by joining them on the picket line!)

Here are the rolling strikes scheduled for Wednesday. Members in other locations plan to walk off the job and join the picketing at these sites.

Wednesday:

Seattle: DSHS, Lanes Building, 2809 26th Ave. S., 7 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Tacoma: Port of Tacoma, Department of Agriculture Grain Inspectors, TEMCO Grain Co., Schuster Parkway, Noon - 8 p.m.

Kalama: Port of Kalama, Department of Agriculture Grain Inspectors, Peavy Grain Co., 6:30 a.m. - 12 midnight; Port of Kalama, Department of Agriculture Grain Inspectors, United Harvest Coop, 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Vancouver: Port of Vancouver, 1926 Elevator Way, 7 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Vancouver: DSHS CSO (Harney Street), 7 a.m. - 5 p.m.

If you show up at your office and find a picket line, we would ask that you to join it and not cross it.

Today, there will be no work stoppages in Eastern Washington or state institutions.

If no resolution comes from the Legislature on Wednesday, work stoppages will take place at other locations on Thursday, and so on through Sunday when the Legislature is set to adjourn.

If lawmakers have not approved a budget and need to come back into special session, we will reassess our position on Monday and determine what Phase 2 will be. A lot depends on how long legislators take before coming back to Olympia and how long any special session would be.

TUESDAY, APRIL 17
The latest strike news from WFSE

Following are some excerpts from the latest Strike / Job Action Update at www.wfse.org:

Some of you will hear TV and radio reports that make it sound as if the state has gone to court already. That's not true. The governor and attorney general simply reiterated their position. AG Christine Gregoire said if there was any disruption of state services, she would be prepared to go to court if her clients requested it. That's nothing new. We have said all along the legal question has never been tested in court.

Tuesday (today) will be a crucial day. We understand the House may release its budget Friday. That means it has to starting printing it Wednesday. That means they'll have a pretty good idea of what's in it Tuesday.

We are waiting for some word from legislative leaders if there is going to be the equivalent of a counter offer to your demands.

What happens if the cooling off period ends and no word on progress comes from the Legislature? As we said earlier, your Strike Action Committee has drawn up a list of possible locations where work stoppages and/or other actions may take place between Wednesday and Sunday when the Legislature is due to adjourn. Activists in the affected areas will be contacted starting Tuesday about where those targets are.

Remember, we hope the cooling off period works. We're appreciative of the efforts of the attorney general, secretary of state and even the governor, who now appears to be asserting himself to work with legislative leaders to try to avoid a work stoppage.

Now, we're also hearing that the Legislature may give up any hope of approving a budget in special session and simply go home two days early on Friday -- before thousands of state employees are expected for Friday's vigil and Saturday's rally. (See yesterday's WSLC Legislative Update for rally/vigil information.)

Some have told us they would explain their early departure as simply allowing time for the earthquake-damaged Capitol Building to be fixed up enough so lawmakers can move out of their temporary cramped quarters. That would mean they would leave town for up to a month then come back in special session to finish business. That of course would give the appearance that lawmakers are skipping town to avoid dealing with this crisis. Again, that's speculation and nothing has been said officially.

MONDAY, APRIL 16
80 percent! WFSE members OK strike!

Late Friday, the Washington Federation of State Employees, AFSCME Council 28 announced that its membership voted by nearly an 80 percent margin to authorize job actions up to and including a strike. The final tally was 7,277 or 79.6 percent "Yes" to 1,865 or 20.4 percent "No." A two-thirds majority was required to authorize a strike.

The totals from 37 of WFSE's 52 locals exceeded the two-thirds requirement, nine locals exceeded 50 percent, and six locals voted less than 50 percent for the job action/strike issue.

Meanwhile, the WFSE has agreed to Attorney General Christine Gregoire's request for a "cooling-off" period.

"She is interested in helping in any way to avoid work stoppages and to resolve this dispute amicably without going to court," WFSE/AFSCME Executive Director Greg Devereux said at Friday's press conference. The Federation agreed to her request and set a four-day cooling off period ending at 12:01 a.m., Wednesday, April 18.

What this means is there will be no job actions or strikes until after the cooling off period ends Wednesday. At that time, the WFSE will reassess the budget response from the Legislature.

The WFSE has sent letters to all Central Labor Councils around the state asking for other unions to honor the WFSE picket lines should they be set up.

The union's three demands are:

-- Pay raises equal to the cost of living and to those granted to teachers -- 3.7 percent this year and 3.1 percent next year.
-- A cap on members' health insurance costs.
-- Adequate funding to maintain quality state services.

The WFSE Executive Committee, Strike Action Committee, attorney and other staff met Saturday to discuss what actions might be taken and where if there is no significant movement on the budget by the time the cooling-off period ends on Wednesday.

That meeting included a representative from District 1199 Northwest/SEIU, the 800-member union of state registered nurses that also voted this week to authorize job actions up to and including a strike. Those discussions included possible coordination of job actions.

The WFSE has also had discussions with Teamsters Local 313, which represents correctional officers and other employees in state prisons. They have indicated they might conduct a quick strike vote if the Federation went on strike.

WFSE members are reminded that it is important to report to work as usual. While members have voted by a wide margin to authorize a strike if necessary, no strike or other job actions will take place during the cooling off period that ends on Wednesday. Members will be notified of any actions by your district and/or local strike coordinators or committees, other volunteers and staff, who will be in close contact with the Strike Action Committee in Olympia.

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.