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Reports for June 9-13, 2003

Previous weeks' news: June 2-6 -- May 27-30 --  May 19-23

FRIDAY, June 13 -- WSLC urges Locke to restore UI system's integrity with vetoes
...plus -- UI and budget roll calls: Who voted against working families' interests?
— In today's Seattle Times -- Labor vows political backlash -- "There's no question in my mind, some people are going to pay a price in 2004," said WSLC President Rick Bender. He said the best labor can hope for next session is to protect the workers-compensation system from corporate lobbyists' planned attack. "If the House Democrats and governor buckle on that one, there will be no mending."
...plus -- Machinists chief Blondin in Boeing's corner: Union splits from labor
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Boeing to outsource up to 266 more jobs
...plus -- Workers deserve state subsidy, too -- Editorial: Part of the ostensible cost of trying to retain Boeing will be borne by some of the state's lowest-paid working folks. It shouldn't have been that way.
...plus -- GOP drove agenda in Olympia -- led by Governor Locke
— In today's Spokesman-Review -- Republicans exult as session ends (AP) -- "We have to have more. We have to go farther," said Sen. Dino "Rising Star" Rossi (R-Sammamish).
Also today -- Poulsbo mounts campaign against proposed Wal-Mart
...plus -- Film on child-care unionization to be screened June 18 in Seattle
...plus DON'T FORGET Justice for Janitors rally TODAY (Friday) in downtown Seattle
— In the P.S. Business Journal -- Labor Ready pledges compliance with fair-labor laws -- Tacoma-based firm signs first-of-its-kind deal with Bush's Department of Labor giving the company "opportunities to resolve fair-labor complaints against it, without launching an investigation, provided that the company pledges to comply with the regulations."
— In today's N.Y. Times -- House expands child tax credit as part of larger tax cut
— In today's L.A. Times -- Halliburton's no-bid contract exceeding estimated costs, duration

THURSDAY, June 12 -- Roll call on decimating Unemployment Insurance system
— In today's Seattle Times -- Boeing gets double win as Legislature finishes work -- The win had business lobbyists yesterday hoping they had created a template that could be used for future efforts, perhaps major changes to workers' compensation or liability and insurance law... IAM 751 political director Linda Lanham said the machinists have no hard feelings over their split with the WSLC.
— In today's News Tribune -- Boeing gets its 7E7 deal -- "It's a tough defeat for labor, and they won't forget," said Rick Bender, president of the Washington State Labor Council.
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Boeing gets its way in Olympia -- A Boeing spokesman declined to discuss whether the measures would help Washington's chances of landing the 7E7 project.
— In today's Spokesman-Review -- Locke: UI bill "absolutely historic" (Sure that wasn't "hysteric"?)
— In today's Olympian -- Boeing tax break OK's; session ends
— In today's Everett Herald -- Bounty goes to Boeing (AP)
Also -- Justice for Janitors rally Friday (tomorrow) in downtown Seattle
— In today's Spokesman-Review -- For this guy, freedom is a battle worth fighting -- Caldwell column: (WFSE member) Morton Alexander speaks softly. A program manager with the Washington Department of Social and Health Services, he handles activities that support child social work. He's taking on John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor organization.
— In today's Olympian -- State prescription drug plan is a good start (editorial)
— In today's Everett Herald -- Latest Eyman initiative isn't hauling in the cash
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Public employees union has kingmaker -- George Will column: Blunt-speaking AFSCME President Gerald McEntee, more perhaps than any other person, will pick the candidate for expelling the Bush Administration.
— In today's News Tribune -- Labor Ready expects rise in profits
At AFLCIO.org -- Many seniors would pay more, get less under Senate drug plan
— In today's N.Y. Times -- Workers paying a larger share for drug plans
...plus -- Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association sees opening in United's turmoil
— In today's S.F. Chronicle -- Fear of losing health insurance keeps workers from moving on
— In today's L.A. Times -- SAG infighting gets louder ahead of vote on merger plan

WEDNESDAY, June 11 -- Senate GOP holds 7E7 incentive hostage over radical UI plan
— In today's News Tribune -- Boeing gets a big break, but Senate holds out for UI reform
— In today's Seattle Times -- Legislature: Bogged down on Boeing
...plus -- Locke gives Boeing the state's best shot -- Editorial re: tax breaks being held hostage.
— In today's Bremerton Sun -- Boeing package fails; Locke calls new special session (AP)
— In today's Bellingham Herald -- Remember, there's still no promise to build 7E7 (AP)
Also today -- Urge Governor Locke to sign ENTIRE prescription drug bill
...plus -- Location change for WSLC's June 18 PAC/SSF training session
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Cooperation produces prescription drug reform (editorial)
— In today's News Tribune -- Eyman admits funds lag, says I-807 "not there yet"
...plus -- 3 strong candidates give GOP shot at governor's mansion (Richard Davis op-ed)
— In yesterday's Columbian -- Migrant farmworker housing scrutinized by state officials
— In today's N.Y. Times -- GOP boss Delay brushes off White House pressure on child tax credit
...plus -- HMOs, drug companies skeptical of Medicare drug benefit for elderly
— In today's Washington Post -- GOP whip quietly tried to aid big donor Philip Morris
— In today's Detroit News -- Boeing 7E7 deal would be feather in UAW's cap, Michigan's too

TUESDAY, June 10 --  Business could ram through UI cuts today; tell legislators "No!"
— In today's Bellingham Herald -- State Senate delays unemployment vote (AP)
— In today's Seattle Times -- Tax breaks could save Boeing $3 billion -- "Now it's a business feeding frenzy, it's extortion by the big B, as in business, not just Boeing," said Jeff Johnson, a lobbyist for the Washington State Labor Council. "They want to pile on. It's beyond economics. It's immoral."
— In today's News Tribune -- Locke: Approve Boeing tax break today (w/ comment by Rick Bender)
— In today's Tri-City Herald -- Lawmakers woo Boeing as farm workers, others rally at Capitol
— In today's Everett Herald -- Making the pitch for the 7E7; deep water port may give Everett edge
— In today's N.Y. Times -- Amid air slump, Washington fights to keep Boeing
In other news:
— In today's Spokesman-Review -- Deaconess case (SEIU 1199-filed ULP) goes to NLRB
— In today's Washington Post -- Cuts sap morale of federal parks employees (Seattle dateline)
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Home care union plays costly game -- Shapley column: Home care workers deserve much. But their union leaders asked for too much too soon. And now their union leaders may keep them from getting anything.
...plus -- King County Council grimaces, appoints minister Hammond to vacant seat
— In today's Seattle Times -- Lawmakers: Not enough votes for charter schools measure
— In today's Olympian -- Leader of State Human Rights Commission quits amid criticism
— In today's Salem (Ore.) S-J -- Poll: Should school bus service be privatized?
— In today's L.A. Times -- Workers trying to prove job bias win more leeway from justices
...plus -- California becomes latest state to probe Wal-Mart wage-and-hour practices
— In today's N.Y. Times -- Bush will accept identical benefits on Medicare drugs
...plus -- What would Jesus do? Sock it to Alabama's corporate landowners -- Column: Alabama's conservative Republican governor has proposed raising $1.2 billion in revenue by taxing the wealthy and corporations. But win or lose, Alabama's tax-reform crusade is posing a pointed question to the Christian Coalition, Focus on the Family and other groups that seek to import Christian values into national policy: If Jesus were active in politics today, wouldn't he be lobbying for the poor?
— In the Arizona Republic -- Freedom buses to roll again -- Column about the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride scheduled for this September, where buses will leave nine cities -- including Seattle and Portland -- and make frequent stops throughout the nation on their way to Washington, D.C. to press the need for immigration reform. Learn more at www.iwfr.org.

MONDAY, June 9 -- Hunger strikers protest UI eligibility cuts outside Locke's office
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Boeing tax breaks in works -- Today may be the day politicians finally intervene in earnest (on changes to the state's unemployment insurance system).
— In today's Seattle Times -- Locke's responsible for state's woes -- Op-ed by business lobbyists blaming Locke for the state's economic woes even as they woo his support for their radical UI plan.
— In today's News Tribune -- Are "right-to-work" states right for Boeing?
— In today's P.S. Business Journal -- 7E7 outcome will ripple regionally
— In today's Everett Herald -- The supply side is open; suppliers lobby Boeing to stay
— In today's Seattle Times -- Millions allocated for college construction some call unnecessary
— In today's Spokesman-Review -- Eyman targets schools; aims to cut property taxes in 2004
— In Sunday's Washington Post -- Overhaul of federal workforce sought -- The Bush administration, citing national security concerns, is pressing Congress to enact the biggest overhaul of the federal civil service system in a quarter-century.

Previous weeks' news: June 2-6 -- May 27-30 --  May 19-23

FRIDAY, JUNE 13
WSLC urges Locke to restore UI system's integrity with vetoes

Rick Bender, President of the Washington State Labor Council, has sent the following letter to Governor Gary Locke requesting his veto of certain sections of the measure rammed through the legislature this week that would decimate our state unemployment insurance system. Other unions are encouraged to send their own letters to Gov. Locke requesting his veto:

The Honorable Gary Locke
Governor, State of Washington
P.O. Box 40002
Olympia, WA 98504-0002

Dear Governor Locke:

This is a very sad day, not only for unions, but for all working families in Washington State. Our unemployment insurance system has been gutted. Whether Boeing builds the 7E7 or not and, if they do, whether they locate the assembly work here or not, all unemployed workers, from minimum wage to skilled building tradesmen, will suffer between a $40 and $100 reduction in their weekly unemployment benefit checks. Furthermore, 70 years of statute, case law, and precedent-setting decisions governing a law meant to protect working families have been sacrificed to the avarice of the business community.

As you are well aware, the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, representing the entire labor movement in Washington State, put significant and dramatic proposals on the table regarding workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance. Our proposals were designed to help make our businesses more competitive while minimizing the pain and suffering to working families through benefit cuts.

With regard to unemployment insurance, we put forth a proposal that provided equity as well as competitiveness in both the short and long run. Our proposal provided, on average, between $5 and $7 million a year in savings to the Boeing Corporation. This was actually more to Boeing through 2007 than the business proposal offered. And we accomplished this within a tax structure where solvency is not an issue and volatility of tax rates is constrained.

Throughout the legislative session we asked for your leadership and the leadership of the Speaker of the House for our proposal. That leadership was not forthcoming. With the passage of Second Engrossed Senate Bill 6097 the business community has been allowed to put into place a U.I. financing structure where solvency issues remain and severe tax rate volatility for businesses is guaranteed. These features are detrimental to both business and labor.

In addition, the business community has been allowed to structure the benefit cuts that working families will have to suffer, and they (business) were given carte blanche to change the structure of our unemployment insurance system.

I am both shocked and appalled at how the democratic process has been subverted and corrupted to achieve this end. Once again, workers have been victimized to feed corporate greed and arrogance.

So now we have one last chance to set some things right. One last chance to respect our democratic process and the working people who it is supposed to protect. I am asking you to take the leadership that, thus far, no one has been willing to take, and veto those sections of the law that rip asunder the basic integrity of our unemployment insurance system:

Section 1 – Intent

Section 4 – Voluntary Quits

Section 6 – Misconduct

Section 9 – Misconduct

Finally, given the severe and dramatic impact that four-quarter averaging of benefits has on working families, I am also requesting that you veto Section 11 of the bill.

How, during a recession, could we treat workers and their families so disrespectfully? This, I cannot fathom.

Sincerely,

Rick S. Bender
President, Washington State Labor Council

FRIDAY, JUNE 13
UI, budget roll calls: Who voted against workers' interests?

Following are the roll calls for final passage of SB 6097, the business-backed measure decimating our state unemployment insurance system, and SB 5404, the labor-opposed business-backed budget. (Democrats are listed in Bold, and legislators who voted against working families' interests on both bills are listed in red.)

U.I. BILL -- SENATE (passed 33-12 on June 10)

VOTING YES: Sens. Benton, Brandland, Carlson, Doumit, Eide, Esser, Finkbeiner, Hale, Hargrove, Haugen, Hewitt, Honeyford, Horn, Johnson, Kastama, McAuliffe, Morton, Mulliken, Oke, Parlette, Poulsen, Prentice, Rasmussen, Reardon, Roach, Rossi, Schmidt, Sheahan,  Sheldon, T., Swecker, Winsley and Zarelli.

VOTING NO: Sens. Brown, Fairley, Franklin, Fraser, Jacobsen, Keiser, Kline, Kohl-Welles, Regala, Sheldon, B., Spanel and Thibaudeau.

EXCUSED: Sens. Deccio, McCaslin, Shin and West.

U.I. BILL -- HOUSE (passed 57-33 on June 11)

VOTING YES: Reps. Ahern, Alexander, Anderson, Armstrong, Bailey, Benson, Berkey, Boldt, Buck, Bush, Cairnes, Campbell, Carrell, Chandler, Clements, Clibborn, Condotta, Cox, Crouse, DeBolt, Delvin, Eickmeyer, Ericksen, Grant, Hankins, Hatfield, Hinkle, Holmquist, Hunter, Jarrett, Kessler, Kristiansen, Linville, McDonald, McMahan, McMorris, Mielke, Morris, Newhouse, Nixon, O'Brien, Orcutt, Pearson, Pflug, Priest, Quall, Rockefeller, Ruderman, Schindler, Shabro, Skinner, Sommers, Sullivan, Sump, Talcott, Tom and Woods.

VOTING NO: Reps. Blake, Chase, Chopp, Cody, Conway, Cooper, Darneille, Dickerson, Dunshee, Flannigan, Fromhold, Haigh, Hudgins, Hunt, Kagi, Kenney, Lantz, Lovick, McCoy, McDermott, McIntire, Miloscia, Morrell, Murray, Pettigrew, Romero, Santos, Schual-Berke, Simpson, Upthegrove, Veloria, Wallace and Wood.

EXCUSED: Reps. Edwards, Gombosky, Kirby, Mastin, Moeller, Roach, Schoesler and Sehlin.

BUDGET -- SENATE (passed 28-19 on June 4)

VOTING YES: Sens. Benton, Brandland, Carlson, Deccio, Doumit, Esser, Finkbeiner, Hale, Hargrove, Haugen, Hewitt, Honeyford, Horn, Johnson, Morton, Mulliken, Oke, Parlette, Rasmussen, Roach, Rossi, Schmidt, Sheahan, Sheldon, T., Stevens, Swecker, Winsley and Zarelli.

VOTING NAY: Sens. Brown, Eide, Fairley, Franklin, Fraser, Jacobsen, Kastama, Keiser, Kline, Kohl-Welles, McAuliffe, Poulsen, Prentice, Reardon, Regala, Sheldon, B., Shin, Spanel and Thibaudeau.

EXCUSED: Sens. McCaslin and West

BUDGET -- HOUSE (passed 67-30 on June 5)

VOTING YES: Reps. Ahern, Alexander, Anderson, Armstrong, Bailey, Benson, Berkey, Blake, Boldt, Buck, Bush, Campbell, Chandler, Chopp, Clements, Clibborn, Condotta, Cox, DeBolt, Delvin, Dunshee, Edwards, Eickmeyer, Ericksen, Flannigan, Fromhold, Gombosky, Grant, Hankins, Hatfield, Hinkle, Holmquist, Hunter, Jarrett, Kagi, Kenney, Kessler, Kristiansen, Lantz, Linville, Lovick, Mastin, McDonald, McIntire, McMorris, Mielke, Morris, Murray, Newhouse, O'Brien, Orcutt, Pearson, Pflug, Priest, Quall, Rockefeller, Santos, Schoesler, Sehlin, Shabro, Skinner, Sommers, Sump, Talcott, Tom, Wallace and Woods.

VOTING NAY: Reps. Cairnes, Carrell, Chase, Cody, Conway, Cooper, Crouse, Darneille, Dickerson, Haigh, Hudgins, Hunt, Kirby, McCoy, McDermott, McMahan, Miloscia, Moeller, Morrell, Nixon, Pettigrew, Romero, Ruderman, Schindler, Schual-Berke, Simpson, Sullivan, Upthegrove, Veloria and Wood.

EXCUSED: Rep. Roach

FRIDAY, JUNE 13
Poulsbo mounts campaign against proposed Wal-Mart

The community of Poulsbo in North Kitsap County has formed an organization in opposition to a proposed Wal-Mart there, predicting that if the anti-small business, anti-labor retail behemoth comes to town "local businesses will suffer, local jobs will be lost, gridlock will increase, and urban sprawl will blight our beautiful and quiet little community."

"Our quality of life is more important than a cheap pair of underwear," reads the website of Citizens to Stop Wal-Mart. They are currently organizing community members to pack a June 24 meeting of the Poulsbo City Council at 6:30 p.m. to show their collective disdain for the proposed Wal-Mart. If you live or work in the area, you are invited to attend and show your support.

In addition, the group is seeking financial support to help cover the mounting legal costs of their campaign. For more information, please visit the website or call (360) 621-0418.

FRIDAY, JUNE 13
Film on child-care unionization to be screened June 18

Following is an event announcement from Service Employees International Union Local 925:

"This Cup Is Half Full" is Melissa Parson's 24-minute documentary film about the crisis in child care and what Seattle preschool teachers have done to improve quality and compensation by unionizing with SEIU Local 925.

You are invited to a special screening of the film at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 18 in Hall 8 of the King County Labor Temple, 2800 First Ave., Seattle.

In addition to the film (and hors d'oeurves by Zoey's Blue Plate Bistro), there will be a short program explaining what can be done to pass Seattle Initiative 77, the early learning and care initiative.

The event is sponsored by SEIU Local 925, the Public Service & Education Workers. If you plan to attend, please let SEIU 925's Tania Rosario know.

Learn more: 

• More information about I-77 http://www.yes77.org/

• See who's funding the opposition:  http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/ethics/el03a/report/lists/bi_jlt.htm

THURSDAY, JUNE 12
Justice for Janitors rally Friday in downtown Seattle

Within the next month, the Service Employees International Union Local 6 will enter contract negotiations on behalf of nearly 2,500 janitors who live and work in the Puget Sound area, with the goals of maintaining family health insurance and providing a living wage. Please join Rep. Jim McDermott and other community leaders in a show of support for these workers at a rally to demand Justice for Janitors this Friday beginning at 5 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Building (2nd Ave. between Marion & Madison) in downtown Seattle.

Even unionized janitors are still struggling on the edge of poverty. Non-union janitors are even worse off.  Union members and supporters, and political and community leaders can support the janitors and their campaign for a fair contract by calling on the commercial real estate industry to do its part to meet the basic human needs of these crucial workers.

For more information, call SEIU Local 6 at (206) 448-7348 or 1-800-238-7348 or visit www.seiu6.org. Child care and transportation are available; call to make reservations.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11
Senate GOP holds 7E7 incentive hostage over radical UI plan

After all-night negotiations for a compromise on unemployment insurance reform, lawmakers gave up at about 5:30 a.m. today following a day in which Senate Republicans held hostage a massive 7E7-contingent tax break for Boeing over sweeping business-demanded benefit cuts in the UI system.  Gov. Gary Locke has called for an extended special session; lawmakers will reconvene this afternoon to resolve the dispute.

Holding out for a "carefully crafted bill" of dramatic UI benefit cuts -- one publicly revealed only yesterday for the first time -- Senate Republicans refused to vote upon the Locke-proposed $3 billion tax break for Boeing after it passed the House by a 79-13 vote. They insisted that the House must first pass the Senate-approved UI proposal that they admit is not so much about Boeing as it is about increasing "competitiveness" for all Washington businesses. (Locke said Monday that the competing business and labor UI proposals save Boeing the same amount of money.)

But even as Senate Republicans say their UI proposal is not simply about Boeing, they say House Democrats and Speaker Frank Chopp will be to blame for Washington not winning the 7E7 assembly work if they refuse to back down and pass the Senate UI bill in its entirety. By wrapping the sweeping UI proposal in pro-Boeing rhetoric, Senate Republicans succeeded in convincing a substantial number of Senate Democrats to vote "yes" on the UI bill, which passed 33-12.

"The Senate Republicans' strategy is irresponsible and dangerous, but it has proven effective with some Senate Democrats and the governor. House Democrats are now boxed in," said WSLC President Rick Bender. "I had hoped that the 7E7 competition was too important to be cynically used as a political bargaining chip by the business community. I guess I was wrong."

Time and again in floor action yesterday, Sen. Jim Honeyford (R-Sunnyside) referred to the business UI proposal as a "carefully crafted bill," but it had been hastily assembled only the night before. It cherrypicks benefits cuts from several previous business proposals: phased-in across-the-board benefit cuts (four-quarter averaging), phased-in seasonal worker eligibility cuts (reliable estimates on the number of workers affected don't even exist yet for this new language), reducing the maximum term of benefits from 30 to 26 weeks and freezing the maximum benefit. Plus, it installs the radical new 40-rate tax system that the foremost national expert on UI, Wayne Vroman of the non-partisan Urban Institute, recommended against because it would make employer tax rates more volatile and the entire system unstable.

Republicans have attempted to portray the measure as a compromise with concessions from the business community, but the only apparent concessions are to phase in the benefit cuts they have insisted upon all along.

"In many ways, it is the worst of all the proposals we've seen so far," Bender said.

The governor will hold a press conference this morning at 10:30 a.m. to discuss the latest developments in Olympia and the legislature will reconvene this afternoon to continue action.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11
Urge Governor Locke to sign ENTIRE prescription drug bill

The following Call to Action comes from Washington Citizen Action:

We had a huge victory by passing good prescription drug legislation -- SB 6088 -- by overwhelming margins through the legislature.

Governor Locke is considering vetoing the Dispense as Written portion of the Prescription Drug Bill (SB 6088).

The Dispense as Written provision ensures that the doctor patient relationship is honored, and a patient will get the medication they need when they need it.

Please call Governor Locke and tell him to sign the entire Prescription Drug Bill.  Vetoing any part of the legislation will hurt consumers.

Contact Governor Locke’s office by calling (360) 902-4111, or the legislative hotline at (800) 562-6000

What the Prescription Bill does:

1. Coordinates all state prescription drug purchasing.  This means that all government programs will pay a cheaper price for prescriptions;

2. It allows people who are over 50, and the disabled, with incomes below 300% of the federal poverty level to buy into the program;

3. It creates a preferred drug list that will give the state a guide as to which medicines to purchase; and

4. It allows doctors to choose the best medicines for their patients are by writing dispense as written.

SB 6088 gives the people of Washington the Best Medicine at the Best Price, but we need to have important patient protections!

TUESDAY, JUNE 10
Business could ram through UI cuts today; tell legislators "No!"

A group of workers and workers' advocates continue their hunger strike outside Governor Locke's office today in protest of radical business-proposed efforts to dramatically cut eligibility and benefits in the state's unemployment insurance system.

On Monday, in addition to announcing a new tax incentive package for Boeing contingent upon it building the 7E7 in state, Gov. Locke urged legislators to act on the UI issue before the legislature adjourns tonight at midnight. The governor also pointed out to lawmakers that the labor and business proposals would save Boeing an identical amount of money.

That means it's the Association of Washington Business and the rest of the business lobbyists who are obstacles to substantive UI reform that will assist in the bid to attract the 7E7. The business community has decided to play hardball, using Boeing's political momentum to force through dramatic changes in the UI system with almost no public debate or scrutiny.

And to date, Boeing lobbyists have chosen to back the AWB in this aggressive strategy.

The Senate's Republican leaders promise to act today -- perhaps as soon as they convene at 9 a.m. -- to move a business-backed UI proposal. The problem is, as of 8:30 a.m. this morning, labor lobbyists at the Capitol have no idea what bill will be voted upon! The original plan with tens of thousands of people cut from eligibility? The plan that emerged for the first time Monday for four-quarter averaging of benefits (which would cut benefits across the board)? The governor's "compromise" bill, the details of which have not been revealed?

"It's a business feeding frenzy. It's extortion by the big B, as in business, not just Boeing," said WSLC lobbyist Jeff Johnson in a Seattle Times report today. "They want to pile on. It's beyond economics. It's immoral."

CALL TO ACTION:  Please continue calling the Governor's office at (360) 902-4111 and the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000, and leave the message: "Let's win the Boeing 7E7 competition THE RIGHT WAY, with labor's package of UI reforms that saves businesses hundreds of millions of dollars, and avoids across-the-board benefit cuts and cutting thousands of people from eligibility.  Be fair and reasonable; don't unnecessarily -- and unconscionably -- harm struggling working families with a frantic attempt to appease business lobbyists in session's final hours."

On Monday, hundreds of workers came to the steps of the Capitol campus' Insurance Building (where Gov. Locke's temporary offices are located) to show solidarity and support for the hunger strikers. If you are in the Olympia area, please make an effort to do the same today. 

Learn more for more information about the business and labor proposals.

MONDAY, JUNE 9
Hunger strikers protest UI eligibility cuts outside Locke's office

Since noon on Sunday, a group of workers and workers' advocates have staged a 24-hour hunger strike on the steps of the Insurance Building outside Governor Locke's office in Olympia. They are protesting the unemployment insurance proposal Boeing and other business lobbyists are demanding that would cut tens of thousands of people from benefit eligibility.

As of last Friday, the business community had rejected a compromise posed by Gov. Locke that was somewhere between the labor proposal and business proposal. (Learn more about those proposals.)  That means lobbyists for Boeing and the Association of Washington Business have decided to play hardball and insist on their radical plan that completely revamps the UI tax structure in such a way that it requires cutting of tens of thousands of Washington workers in the middle of a recession.

Today's news reports indicate that the State Senate could vote TODAY on some UI proposal.

CALL TO ACTION: Please support the hunger strikers -- and all Washington workers. Call the Legislative Hotline RIGHT NOW at 1-800-562-6000 and leaving a message for your elected representatives to OPPOSE ELIGIBILITY CUTS IN THE U.I. SYSTEM. Let's improve our state's competitiveness and win the critically important 7E7 assembly work the right way, without cutting thousands of people from the U.I. safety net during a recession.

If you are near Olympia, please stop by and show your solidarity with the hunger strikers as they try to draw some public attention to the unconscionable cuts that may be rammed through the legislature today.

For more background information on the Boeing-business demands, see:

1.    A weekend Associated Press story on Boeing demands that includes a status report on UI proposals: http://news.bellinghamherald.com/stories/20030607/Business/143721.shtml

2.    A detailed explanation of the Boeing-business UI proposal vs. the Labor UI proposal: http://www.wslc.org/legis/lulatest.htm

3.    Last week's Seattle P-I editorial, "State gives too much to unemployment," which begins: "Labor has given a lot of ground to help bail business out of the jam it got itself into over unemployment insurance. It should give no more:" http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/124853_unemployed.html