The state House of Representatives is expected to vote today (Friday) on the Senate-approved budget, but a number of amendments -- good and bad -- are expected to be considered as well, so take a moment to read this message and weigh in with your legislators one last time on budget-related issues.  (See below for phone numbers.)

As of this writing, early Friday morning, it is not clear whether the House will be voting on the Senate budget and separately on amendments, or whether a single vote will occur on the entire budget package which would include most of the Senate's elements but also a few of the changes described below.

The bad stuff: Republicans are expected to revive attempts to repeal or delay the state ergonomics standard through a budget amendment.  And obviously, other opportunities for anti-worker mischief may present themselves.

The good stuff: Top-ranking members of the House Democratic Caucus have indicated they will introduce language to maintain prescription drug benefits at the same level they are now and also to mandate a legislative probe of the mushrooming Washington Management Service.  Both changes are strongly supported by the Washington Federation of State Employees, AFSCME Council 28, and by the Service Employees International Union.

If passed, this improvement would be the second of the week for state employees, whose rolling strikes resulted in positive movement on wages, including a 3.7 percent pay raise in 2001 (matching those of public school teachers) and a "reopener clause" that will allow legislators next year to achieve pay equity with the 2002 raises.

"Chalk those and other improvements to previous budget proposals up to your strikes and direct action -- and the public pressure on the Legislature that they generated," said the WFSE in a statement.

The budget also caps state employees' office visit co-pays at the current $10 per visit, reduces layoffs compared to what the governor had proposed (for instance, the number of ward closures in mental health goes from at least 11 to four), and funds the top eight "6767" recruitment and retention wage issues, a priority issue for the nurses at public facilities represented by SEIU District 1199NW.

While the WFSE and SEIU (and the Washington State Labor Council) are still disappointed in several aspects of the overall budget, such as higher state employee health insurance premium shares, union members and other supporters of state employees are asked to call their legislators and tell them:

— SUPPORT maintaining prescription drug benefits for state employees.
— OPPOSE attempts to delay or repeal the state ergonomic standard.

Again, Republicans may offer amendments to try to cut into the gains listed above so please call your State Representatives, especially Republicans.  You can use the toll-free Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000, but at this point it would probably be more effective to call your State Representatives' office directly:  House members by name -- House members by district.

The following news release is from GSEAC/UAW regarding today's final day of the teaching assistants' strike at the University of Washington:

IMPACT HUGE AS TA STRIKE ENDS

As the 15-day long strike for recognition as the exclusive bargaining representative and a fully enforceable contract by University of Washington Teaching Assistants, Readers, Graders, and Tutors concludes this Friday, the impact is very disruptive.

"This strike has fundamentally shaken the University," says Andrew Boudreaux, Lead Teaching Assistant in the Physics Department.  "Final classes went untaught, exams went unproctored, final exams and papers went ungraded, and final grades have not been submitted.  TAs, Readers, Graders, Tutors are committed to fighting for exclusive recognition and a fully enforceable contract.  We have created a huge disruption at UW."

Although the strike will end on Friday, June 15th, Teaching Assistants, Readers, Graders, and Tutors will not do any struck work unless an agreement is reached over a contract.

Steve Schillinger, Teaching Assistant in the English Department says "The University has chosen to allow this disruption to continue rather than working out a resolution.  We will not do struck work."

Faculty members and undergraduates have also experienced the strike's impact.

"The impact of this strike can be seen in the ways that the University has compromised the quality of undergraduate education, mislead students and their families by sending them misinformation, and made faculty feel intimidated into doing the work of their teaching assistants," says Jim Gregory, Professor in the History Department.  "Instead of working with the Union to reach an agreement, the administration has created an atmosphere of controversy and tension."

Jasmin Weaver, President of the Associated Student of the University of Washington agrees.  "It is a shame that the University has chosen to respond to this labor crisis by undermining its own educational mission by canceling finals, giving credit/no credit grades and grades that do not reflect what students have learned throughout the quarter."

The 15-day strike is one of the longest strikes by academic student employees in this country.  The Union has received tremendous support from State and Federal Legislators, City Council members, religious leaders, and labor leaders, who have all criticized the way that the University has handled the strike.  They have also criticized the University for hiding behind a recent Attorney General Opinion (AGO) not recognizing GSEAC/UAW as the exclusive bargaining representative.

As Senator Adam Kline wrote: "The AGO is only an opinion.  The Attorney General is correct in concluding that there is now law specifically allowing or requiring that the University recognize the union as the exclusive bargaining representative. But that narrow statement misses the point.  There is no law that precludes the University from recognizing the union as the exclusive bargaining representative.  In the absence of any restriction there is no barrier whatsoever to recognition."

There are TA Unions at the University of Massachusetts and the University of Wisconsin that have been recognized as the exclusive bargaining representatives without legislation.  State employee unions have also been recognized without legislation in Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, and New Mexico.

Teaching Assistants with summer appointments will begin teaching again on June 18th.  Fall Quarter appointments begin September 16th.  Future terms will be disruptive if no agreement is reached.

"This is not a student movement that will dissipate when people graduate.  This is a labor movement that will only become more disruptive to the University until they work with us to reach an agreement," says Justin Campbell, Teaching Assistant in Computer Science and Engineering.  "We will continue to fight for recognition of GSEAC/UAW as the exclusive bargaining representative and a contract that is fully enforceable by neutral third party arbitration."

U.S. Congressman Jay Inslee will speak in support of GSEAC/UAW strikers at approximately 12:30pm on Friday, June 15th at the 40th and 15th Ave. entrance to the University of Washington.  Congressman Inslee will announce an innovative idea aimed at averting further labor disruption at UW through attempting to resolve the critical dispute over recognition of the Union as the exclusive bargaining agent for TAs, Readers, Graders, and Tutors.  Congressman Inslee will join UAW Vice President Elizabeth Bunn, King County Labor Council Executive Secretary Steve Williamson, and other Union leaders in speaking to picketers.

Members of Teamsters Local 117 who went on strike June 1 against Service Northwest Vending, which was recently purchased by Compass Vending, have settled their strike.

Details will follow, but in the meantime, the Teamsters thank you for your support during the strike and ask that anyone who had Service NW/Compass machines removed from their workplaces have them returned.

Since its inception in September 1997, WSLC Online has made a commitment to reporting labor news as it happens -- updating this site daily with new information and links to commercial media news of interest to union members.

The reward has been steadily increasing traffic from an embarrassingly low level to today's average of 30,000 hits a week.  Many visitors report that they check the site daily, often it's the first thing they do in the morning after checking their e-mail.

Your union organization needs to take advantage of this and get the word out on your organizing efforts, contract negotiations, strikes, legislative and political action, community service and whatever information you'd like to share with the labor community in the Northwest.

All you have to do is email (dgroves@wslc.org) or fax (206-285-5805) the information to the webmaster and we'll post it.  Depending on the issue, we may also be able to distribute it via email to our growing list of union members, activists and other interested folks who have signed up to join the WSLC E-List.

Labor editors should feel free to "copy and paste" any information from this website into their own publications or mailings.  All we ask is that you attribute it to the Washington State Labor Council and list the web address (www.wslc.org) when you do it.

"Si Se Puede—Yes, We Can!" is the theme of the 2001 Washington State Labor Council Convention on August 23-25 at the WestCoast Hotel and Convention Center in Wenatchee.  Speakers and panels will focus on organizing, transportation and energy, but there will be workshops, resolutions and debate on all sorts of issues of concern to working families and organized labor.

"Si Se Puede," which translates to "Yes, We Can" or "Yes, It Can Be Done," has increasingly become the rallying cry of workers attempting to organize unions, not only with the United Farmworkers of America, but also with the SEIU, Teamsters, OPEIU, various building trades and many other unions.  Organizing new workers into the New Labor Movement is a continuing priority at the AFL-CIO, and the WSLC wants to do everything it can to promote organizing -- through community coalition building, the sharing of strategies, improved communication between unions, or whatever it takes to help the labor movement grow.

Delegates to WSLC conventions debate and establish the organization's positions or policies on issues, candidates and programs by voting on motions and resolutions.  Any credentialed delegate may introduce motions to the convention, and any affiliate may submit resolutions to the convention.

WSLC-affiliated union locals and councils have already received their convention calls.  Contact your union for information about serving as a delegate or alternate to the WSLC Convention.  Make sure you pre-register and make your hotel reservations soon.  For more information, contact Karen White at karenwhite@wslc.org or 206-281-8901.

The Attorney General opinion in question -- which is not legally binding, just an "opinion" -- was in response to a specific question the UW administration asked (and already knew the answer to): Does the UW currently have specific legislative authority to negotiate with the union?  The AG's answer was "no."

But the question should have been: Is there anything legally preventing UW from voluntarily negotiating a contract with academic student employees?  The union is confident the answer to that question is also "no."

“For the administration to claim that they ‘would if they could’ is unacceptable,” said Justin Campbell, teaching assistant in Computer Science.  “What the administration is really saying is that they won’t unless they’re compelled to.  The UW could sit down with the union and negotiate the way to recognize GSEAC/UAW as the exclusive bargaining representative.”

These legal opinions are not without precedent.  Academic student employee unions in several states, including Massachusetts and Wisconsin, have been recognized as exclusive bargaining representatives without legislation.  Other public sector employee unions in New Mexico, Indiana, and Maryland have been recognized as exclusive bargaining representatives without legislation.

The letters from legislators represent a growing number of elected officials and community leaders across the state who have urged the UW administration to recognize GSEAC/UAW as the exclusive bargaining representative and agree to a contract that is fully enforceable through neutral arbitration.   Officials have also criticized the UW for sacrificing the quality of education to mitigate the effects of the strike, rather than reaching an agreement with the union and ending the strike.

Other Seattle leaders who have urged the UW administration to stop hiding behind the Attorney General’s opinion include city council members and former ASUW Presidents Judy Nicastro and Heidi Wills, city council member Nick Licata, the Rev. John Boonstra, Executive Minister of the Washington Association of Churches, Port Commissioner Jack Block, and WSLC President Rick Bender.  (These letters can be viewed at the GSEAC/UAW website.)

All of these leaders point out, as does Marv Schurke, Executive Director of the Public Employee Relations Commission, that there are no statutory restrictions prohibiting the UW administration from recognizing GSEAC/UAW as the exclusive bargaining representative.  GSEAC/UAW, the union for 1,400 teaching assistants, graders and tutors at the UW, began a quarter-ending strike last Friday, June 1.  If the union and UW administration do not reach an agreement by June 15, union members will not complete final grading for the spring term.

Strike Finale starts Friday at noon.  GSEAC/UAW is planning a Strike Finale this Friday, June 15, beginning at noon.  If you're on or near campus, come join us to send President Richard McCormick a message that the disruption will only increase until UW agrees to recognize GSEAC/UAW as the exclusive bargaining agent and agrees to a fully arbitrable contract.

According the the union: "Compass is trying to gut the good Union contract that we have worked so many years to build.  The company is demanding that we gut our health insurance and pension plans.  If the company attempts to service machines with managers or scabs, Teamster pickets will be there!"

For more information, contact Cecil Fouts of Teamsters Local 117 at 206-441-4860.