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. 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 June 16-20, 2003

Previous weeks' news: June 9-13 -- June 2-6 -- May 27-30

UPDATE: Locke signs "slap in the face" UI bill, refuses to veto sections

FRIDAY, June 20 -- WFSE urges Governor Locke to veto Fircrest School closure
...plus -- Join HERE's Wilhelm at Tuesday rally for SeaTac hotel workers
...plus -- Rally for union, workplace rights Wednesday at PSNS in Bremerton
— In today's Seattle Times -- Boeing layoffs may go higher -- Today is the last work day for 630 in area; 845 will get layoff notices today; and Boeing says it will raise its layoff forecast next month.
...plus -- 22 states bid for 7E7; some think they're just Boeing's bait
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Boeing to move 100 machining jobs from Auburn to Portland
...plus -- Large runway, cheap costs put Moses Lake in running for 7E7
— In today's Everett Herald -- Do or die for Everett as Governor presents Boeing 7E7 bid
— In today's News Tribune -- Dreamliner deja vu -- It was perhaps the biggest industrial recruitment prize of 1991: a $1.7 billion final assembly plant for a new-generation airliner called the MD-12X. But in 1991, various states' inducements weren't enough to overcome the basic economic facts of life: McDonnell Douglas' huge MD-12X would never be built because not enough airlines ordered it.
...plus -- Frederickson has good, not guaranteed, shot at 7E7 jetliner (editorial)
— In today's Olympian -- State revenue forecast slides $157 million
...plus -- Teachers' union (WEA) protests "cuts" in school spending
— In today's Columbia Basin Herald -- "Great news:" Unions reach agreement with Pacific Rim
— In yesterday's Columbian -- Rep. Baird steps up pressure on BPA over rate hike
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Stop U.S. House before it cuts taxes again (editorial)
...plus -- Republican free-for-all is brewing county council seat
— In today's Salem S-J -- 800 Oregon Fish and Wildlife workers to join union (SEIU 503)
— In today's Peninsula Daily News -- "Public hearing" on Wal-Mart will be limited to only a few
At AFLCIO.org -- Wal-Mart ordered to recognize and bargain with UFCW
...plus -- New poll finds seniors oppose Senate Medicare drug plan
— Today from Reuters -- Public cool to Congress' Medicare drug proposals
— In today's N.Y. Times -- Bush, Congress split on privatizing FAA -- Air traffic control has become a flashpoint of Bush's effort to contract out hundreds of thousands of federal jobs to the private sector.
— At BusinessWeek Online -- Free trade's perilous position -- The latest round of world trade talks is floundering, as rich countries insist on keeping farm subsidies high, at the expense of poor nations.

THURSDAY, June 19 -- Contact Gov. Locke TODAY: Veto anti-worker sections of UI bill!
— In the King County Journal -- Clearing up 7E7 misconceptions -- Some say winning final assembly of the Boeing 7E7 will create thousands of new jobs (or even tens of thousands of jobs, or even HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF JOBS!) Realistically, the 7E7 would save jobs rather than create jobs. It is important not so much for what we would gain but for what we would keep from losing.
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Boeing may cut more local jobs
...plus -- States expected to flood Boeing with 7E7 bids
— In today's Everett Herald -- State pins billions on Boeing 7E7 bid; proposal due Friday (AP)
...plus -- Boeing might get $47 million rebate it paid in fees during Everett expansion
— In today's Bellingham Herald -- Pleasing Boeing is worth the price (editorial)
— In today's Seattle Times -- How the state can -- and cannot -- aid Boeing 
...plus -- Boeing's Mulally praises state's work in 7E7 bid
— In today's News Tribune -- Boeing plants not yet told of 7E7 work
...plus -- Sen. McCain won't give up on opposition to Boeing 767-tanker deal
— In today's Spokesman-Review -- Fired workers accuse state official of misconduct
At AFLCIO.org -- 4.4 million retirees could lose coverage under Senate drug bill
— In today's Washington Post -- Medicare drug bill defended in Senate
...plus -- An excellent year for CEOs; compensation rose nearly 17%
— In today's N.Y. Times -- On health care, Maine leads (editorial)
...plus -- Judge rules against Wal-Mart for refusing to bargain with workers' union
— At BusinessWeek Online -- Sweatshops: Finally, airing the dirty laundry (commentary)

WEDNESDAY, June 18 -- Tell SeaTac Red Lion Hotel to stop stalling in contract talks
...plus something fun from WashTech/CWA -- Play the Tech Worker Challenge!
— In today's Olympian -- Locke amasses war chest for re-election bid
— In yesterday's Walla Walla U-B -- Locke invests political capital in state's future (editorial)
— In today's News Tribune -- Locke says times changed, he's the same -- "We'll see what happens next year," says GOP Sen. "Rising Star" Rossi, asserting the state must do more before it will emerge from its economic slump. "Is (Locke) going to buckle under the pressure of the labor unions?"
...plus -- Bon Marche union (UFCW 1001) sets June 29 deadline in contract talks
— In today's Seattle Times -- Boeing: Some 7E7 work to be done here at Frederickson plant
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Boeing gets 35 site proposals for 7E7
...plus -- Airbus sales chief scoffs at rival Boeing's 7E7 -- "I think it is quite similar to the threat posed by (the) sonic cruiser. It is more a PR threat. It is more a marketing tool than an engineering reality."
— In today's Everett Herald -- Everett planning commission OKs Boeing pier for 7E7 bid
— In the Seattle Weekly -- The House of Boeing -- For years, we've joked about having a "senator from Boeing." But now it takes a plantation to carry Boeing's water: an entire congressional delegation, both houses of the Legislature, and a governor eager to shred the safety net; screw the teachers; shaft farm workers, timber cutters, and fishermen by slashing their unemployment benefits; and give billions of dollars in tax breaks to a wealthy corporation that has only one demand: Feed me.
— In today's Bellingham Herald -- Health-care needs won't go away -- Editorial: The next state budget will require new revenue, not more cuts in services.
— In today's Salem S-J -- Negotiations pay off for Oregon home-care workers
— In today's N.Y. Times -- House committee approves drug benefits for Medicare
— In today's L.A. Times -- Right-wing laments Medicare drug plan
— In today's Washington Post -- Toll of U.S. health insurance gap: $65-130 billion a year
...plus -- Health care an increasing issue in labor talks (File under "Duh.")
...plus -- Estate tax compromise sought; House set to repeal, but Senate votes aren't there
...plus -- Tipping the Republicans' hand? -- Broder column: Grover "Paycheck Protection" Norquist has revealed the long-term Republican agenda: a massive rollback in federal revenue... the goal is a system of government wiped clean, on both the revenue and spending side, of almost a century's accumulation of social programs designed to provide a safety net beneath the private economy.
— In the new Onion -- GOP reports record second-quarter profits -- "Quarters like this don't come along very often," Republican Party CFO Dick Cheney said. "In a three-month span, we inked deals with more than 1,300 corporations, signing contracts to build everything from oil pipelines to surveillance equipment to aircraft carriers. We've also aggressively expanded into some lucrative new overseas markets. I honestly haven't seen a boom like this since the go-go early '90s."

TUESDAY, June 17 -- Author of drug industry expos้ to give Seattle book reading
...plus -- PacMed caregivers continue picket actions in Seattle for quality staffing
— In today's Spokesman-Review -- Labor initiative to end Idaho "right-to-work" gets legal OK
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Unions (UFCW) set June 29 deadline for Bon Marche contract
— In today's Bellingham Herald -- BPA plans 5% rate hike; impact on smelter uncertain
— In today's Seattle Times -- King County Council can't be cut by union initiative, judge rules
...plus -- Boeing 7E7 watch: familiar suppliers make short list -- Boeing outsources about 65% of the manufacturing of its current jets, but that percentage looks set to rise steeply to as much as 80%.
— In today's Olympian -- Immigrant workers will rally for civil rights protections (op-ed)
— In today's Salem (Ore.) S-J -- Farm workers push for change at public forum
— What's happening in other states -- Major UI bill passes granting benefits to Maine part-timers
From Rep. McDermott -- Cover the uninsured or occupy Iraq? They cost the same per year
At AFLCIO.org -- 250,000 million children worldwide work to survive
— Today from the Associated Press -- Unions in disarray on soft money for 2004
...plus -- Ex-Ullico chief Georgine won't testify to Congress
— From the Center for Public Integrity -- Bush kills safety regulation opposed by donors
— In today's Washington Post -- Senate begins debate on Medicare drug benefits
...plus -- The tax debate nobody hears about -- Dionne column: Democracies work because they use open debate to bring home to citizens the costs and benefits of what government does. Too bad that's not what Washington is doing these days.

MONDAY, June 16 -- "Let's Talk Taxes" workshops in Issaquah, Tacoma and Seattle
— In Sunday's News Tribune -- Labor groups vent anger at Democrats
— In Sunday's Spokesman-Review -- Session good to Boeing; GOP vows more pro-business reforms
— In Sunday's Daily News -- Employers hail jobless fix; labor not so confident
— In the Everett Herald last week -- Stand on UI benefits hurts solidarity -- Letter by former Sen. Larry Vognild: In my 50-plus years of either union membership or support of the labor movement, I cannot remember a union acting as shamelessly as the Boeing Machinists Union is right now.
— In Sunday's Olympian -- Lumps and laurels: grading the 2003 session (AP) -- Governor Gary Locke said the session ranks as one of the best, lauding legislators' "inspiring display of dedication, courage, resourcefulness and plain old hard work."
— In the P.S. Business Journal -- Competitiveness success -- Editorial advocating a new 4th branch of government (CEOs): We think he ought to keep the Competitiveness Council around for while as almost a "board of directors" whose counsel could be invaluable in helping ensure that future competitiveness issues are focused on by both the governor and the legislature in a similar fashion.
— In Sunday's Seattle P-I -- Legislature isn't really finished -- The governor should engage legislative leadership in an intense discussion now on the forgotten Competitiveness Council recommendation: state tax reform. The goal should be to draft a bill for full consideration in the 2004 session.
...and today -- Boeing brands the new 7E7 "Dreamliner"
— At BusinessWeek Online -- Will Boeing's new idea really fly? 7E7 faces major engineering hurdles
...plus -- Why Boeing is suddenly making so much noise -- Boeing's aggressive defense of its ethics in winning 1999 defense contract is all about the new dispute over its lucrative jetliner-leasing deal.
— In today's L.A. Times -- GOP's combative go-to guy (DeLay) could pose risks for president
— In today's N.Y. Times -- Fate of tax credits rests with houses divided
— Today at MSNBC.org -- GE, unions reach tentative pact
— At Teamster.org -- Coke fire Teamster for drinking a Pepsi

Previous weeks' news: June 9-13 -- June 2-6 -- May 27-30

FRIDAY, JUNE 20
Locke signs UI bill that's a "slap in the face" for unemployed

The WSLC learned this morning that Governor Gary Locke will sign SB 6097, the labor-opposed unemployment insurance reform bill, this afternoon without vetoing any of the sections that unions and workers sought to have removed. Following is a statement from WSLC President Rick Bender: 

Statement from Rick Bender,
President of the Washington State Labor Council
on Governor Locke’s signing of the Unemployment Insurance bill

Today is yet another sad day for the working people of Washington. Governor Gary Locke has once again chosen to ignore the victims of this weak national economy. Instead, he has sacrificed their best interests in a desperate, ill-advised attempt to appease corporate interests that have absolutely seized control of our state government.

Knowing Governor Locke supported the bill despite our objections, we urged him to mitigate the harm somewhat by vetoing a few of the little-known but very regressive clauses in the bill.  We know Locke’s office received hundreds of phone calls and faxes asking him to do the same.  But in the end, the governor ignored our pleas and has sacrificed real people on the altar of business competitiveness rhetoric.  His actions, and those of all other state lawmakers who supported this bill, are an affront to the unemployed victims of a weak national economy.

This measure had nothing to do with winning the Boeing 7E7 competition, as Governor Locke and other politicians suggest.  Dramatic benefit cuts could have been avoided while still addressing business tax fairness issues and saving employers hundreds of millions of dollars.  The governor himself conceded a reasonable, more humane alternative proposal would save Boeing the same amount of money.  But Boeing made a commitment to the rest of the business community that it would force our lawmakers into accepting this Draconian proposal.

Working people who can’t find jobs will pay the price.  Some 250,000 unemployed workers will see their weekly benefit checks cut by $50 to $150.  Plus, it will be easier for employers to exclude workers from UI eligibility.

Small businesses also are big losers today.  Not only because the communities hardest hit by job loss will have millions of benefit dollars removed from their local economies, but also because their UI taxes are going to be increased.  In the short term, all Washington employers — including Boeing — will get a $173 million UI tax increase next year.  When the new tax system takes effect in 2005, Boeing and other major employers may enjoy lower tax rates, but small businesses will get yet another tax increase.  That’s because more than 50% of Washington employers, mostly small businesses, currently pay at the lowest possible tax rate.  That lowest rate will go up when the new system takes effect, while tax rates drop for the employers whose lobbyists helped write this bill.

This bill is bad public policy and a shameful slap in the face of the unemployed.

Click here to download a one-page summary of the UI changes under SB 6097.

FRIDAY, JUNE 20
WFSE urges Governor Locke to veto Fircrest School closure

The following report was distributed today by the Washington Federation of State Employees, AFSCME Council 28:

A delegation of Federation members had a cordial meeting with Gov. Gary Locke Wednesday to urge him to veto the parts of the state budget that would close Fircrest School.

Federation President Duwane Huffaker, Fircrest Local 341 President Claude Burfect, Local 341 Vice President Adrienne Monillas, Federation Legislative and Political Action Director Dennis Eagle and Federation Lobbyist Bev Hermanson said the governor listened to their arguments against rushing into closing any residential habilitation center.

Locke told them he needed to review the issue further, especially to make sure that vetoing the Fircrest sections of the budget doesn’t trigger an unintended funding consequence that actually makes the situation worse.

The Federation team reminded the governor that DSHS already must submit a downsizing plan to the Legislature in December 2004 so any funding problems could be handled through a supplemental appropriation when lawmakers return to Olympia in January.

(They also urged the governor to let the DD Stakeholders’ process work. The Legislature in 1998 created the Stakeholders to bring all sides together to work out the best ways to serve all those in need of DD services. The Stakeholders in fact recommended a study by a neutral party on the RHC issue. Part of the frustration with the Fircrest issue is that the Legislature ignored the Stakeholders process that they created in the first place.)

But even though the governor seemed receptive to listening to the Federation plea, the Federation team says members still need to call and/or e-mail the governor.

So, here’s how you can back up their efforts. Call 1-800-562-6000 and urge Gov. Locke to veto Sections 136 and 211 of the final state budget. Ask him to “SAVE FIRCREST SCHOOL!” You can also e-mail him at governor.locke@governor.wa.gov.

FRIDAY, JUNE 20
Join HERE's Wilhelm at Tuesday rally for SeaTac workers

SeaTac hotel workers carry your bags, check you in, clean your rooms, cook your food and serve you food and drink. On Tuesday, June 24, they need your support.

Join John Wilhelm, International President of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union, at a solidarity rally in support of SeaTac hotel workers' fight to gain living wages and immigrant rights. Gather at 4:30 p.m. on June 24 on International Boulevard (Pacific Highway South across from the Doubletree Hotel near the airport (look for the banner).

Free parking and shuttle service is available at Tyee High School, 4424 S. 188th St.  Paid parking is available at the Doubletree Hotel, 18740 Pacific Highway S.  The following regular transit buses will drop you next to the rally: Bus Numbers 174, 194, 574. 

Other transportation may be provided. For more information, contact Cindy at HERE at (206) 728-2326 x17.

FRIDAY, JUNE 20
Rally for workplace rights Wednesday at PSNS in Bremerton

Thousands of civilian defense workers at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard are fighting for the fundamental right to have a union and need your support at a Wednesday, June 25 rally beginning at 11:15 a.m. outside the PSNS main gate, 1st and Pacific St. in Bremerton.

The workers are protesting a proposal by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that would create a new Department of Defense personnel system. The plan, which would eliminate many basic bargaining rights and certain pay raises already guaranteed to defense workers, was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last month as part of the $400 billion defense authorization bill. The act, not in the Senate's version of the defense authorization bill, will be discussed in committee negotiations between the House and Senate.

Under the proposal, the nation's more than 700,000 defense workers would lose mandatory annual pay raises -- or step increases -- the right to collectively bargain, appeal disciplinary actions or to dispute resolutions, and overtime pay for Sundays. If passed through Congress, the bill would affect 15,000 Navy civilian workers in Kitsap -- 20 percent of the county's work force.

Please attend the June 25 rally and help send a message to the Bush Administration that federal government employees deserve the same fundamental workplace rights enjoyed by other workers.

For more information, read a Bremerton Sun story about a similar rally held June 4.

THURSDAY, JUNE 19
Contact Gov. Locke TODAY: Veto anti-worker sections of UI bill

The Washington State Labor Council has learned that Governor Gary Locke may sign on Friday the anti-worker unemployment insurance bill that was rammed through the State Legislature in the final hours of the second special session. Union activists and other supporters of Washington working families must contact the Governor's office TODAY to request his veto of certain sections of the bill. (See Call to Action below.)

On the political coattails of a frenzied attempt to enhance Washington's bid for Boeing 7E7 assembly work, SB 6097 is a comprehensive re-writing of our state's safety net for people who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. When the Governor objected to drastic eligibility cuts in the business-backed proposal, the bill was rewritten by corporate lobbyists in the wee hours of the morning to substitute across-the-board benefit cuts that will cut weekly benefit checks by $50 to $150 a week -- less for workers in stable industries, more for construction workers and other so-called "seasonal" workers.

But less than 24 hours later, this bill -- repeatedly described by Sen. Jim Honeyford (R-Sunnyside) as "carefully crafted" during what passed for floor debate -- was being voted upon by state lawmakers. It's fair to assume legislators knew little about its details except that Boeing, business lobbyists and Boeing unions wanted it.  It's absolutely certain that the public didn't know what was in it -- and they probably still don't.

In addition to the drastic across-the-board benefit cuts, here are a few of the dirty little secrets of SB 6097, sections that the WSLC has asked the governor to veto:

SECTION 1 -- Legislative Intent.  Current unemployment insurance (UI) law says it "shall be liberally construed for the purpose of reducing involuntary unemployment and the suffering caused thereby to a minimum."

SB 6097 strikes that language, and not just because it contains the "L" word. Doing so takes away the benefit-of-the-doubt for the unemployed worker in gray-area cases of UI law. At least 43 states have such liberal-construction clauses in their UI law, and removing this clause is not only a slap in the face of the people victimized by this weak national economy, it absolutely puts Washington out of step with the rest of the country in terms of workers' UI rights.

Is this necessary to win the 7E7?

SECTION 4 -- Good Cause Quits.  Current UI law provides that in some rare cases, such as when a spouse's job moves or in cases of domestic violence, workers can quit their jobs and still be eligible for benefits. These "good cause quits" make up less than 4% of all UI beneficiaries, and three out of four claims involving voluntary quits are denied. Fifteen states allow good cause quits for "compelling personal reasons" in general, and the majority of states allow them for work-related reasons like a deterioration of wages or working conditions.

SB 6097 takes Washington out of the mainstream by specifying only certain work-related exceptions and specific personal reasons. It would require wages to be cut by more than 25% to establish a good cause quit (current rule-of-thumb is 10-12%), which means a worker earning $9.35 an hour could have their pay cut to minimum wage and would not be eligible for UI if they couldn't afford to stay in that poverty-wage job. Under SB 5097, workers who were consistently not paid on time or who had the last three paychecks bounce would no longer qualify. Under SB 5097, people who are forced to quit jobs because a spouse's job has been moved would no longer be eligible. There are many more examples of workers who would be denied UI benefits under this section, but it suffices to say that SB 5097 removes all discretion and flexibility in determining eligibility for good-cause quits.

Is this necessary to win the 7E7?

SECTIONS 6 & 9 -- Misconduct.  Current law disqualifies workers from UI benefits when they have been fired for work-related misconduct. Until 1993, Washington and the majority of other states followed a 1941 court decision that defined misconduct as "willful or wanton disregard of an employer's interest." But a 1988 Washington case rejected that definition in favor of violation of a reasonable workplace rule. So in 1993, the state legislature redefined misconduct for UI purposes as willful disregard of employer's interest where the worker's actions harmed the employer's business.

SB 6097 makes it easier for employers to disqualify workers for misconduct by lowering the threshold to violation of employer rules workers knew about or should have known about. It's complicated legalese, but the bottom line is that significantly more workers who lose their jobs will also lose their UI eligibility with this change. In addition, SB 6097 also makes it much harder for workers fired for misconduct to requalify for benefits at their next jobs. It sets a new misconduct penalty standard exceeded by only 11 states. In contrast, at least 17 states merely reduce benefits or delay payment rather than completely disqualify claimants following an infraction as SB 6097 requires.

Is this necessary to win the 7E7?

WSLC President Rick Bender and dozens of other union organizations have sent Gov. Locke a letter requesting his veto of the abovementioned sections and Section 11, the notorious "four-quarter averaging" across-the-board cuts that will reduce the weekly benefits checks from $50 to $150. (See Bender's letter.)  In addition, WSLC representatives have since met with the Governor to discuss objections to these specific sections.

But corporate lobbyists have also mounted a letter-writing campaign to urge the Governor's signature on the entire bill as passed. So, even if you or your union have already contacted the governor requesting his partial veto, please do so again TODAY.

On a radio program this morning, Gov. Locke indicated his office was still looking at some of the "technicalities" of the bill that "don't make sense" in Washington, and that he may veto such sections.

CALL TO ACTION: Call the Governor's office at (360) 902-4111, send a fax to (360) 753-4110 or fill out Locke's website email form urging him to protect the integrity of Washington's UI system by vetoing the sections that unjustifiably harm workers. The state has a responsibility to protect citizens victimized by this weak national economy. By vetoing these sections, Locke can demonstrate he hasn't lost sight of that responsibility, and do so without harming our state's strong bid and generous package of incentives for Boeing 7E7 work.

Thank you for taking the time to act. Please forward this message to others who might do the same.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18
Tell SeaTac Red Lion Hotel to stop stalling in contract talks

The following has been distributed by Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Local 8:

EMERGENCY CONSUMER ALERT!
Possible Labor Unrest at the SeaTac Red Lion

Due to negotiations between HERE Local 8 and the SeaTac Red Lion Hotel, there may be labor unrest by mid June 2003. According to Local 8 Principal officer, Rick Sawyer, the contract expired on May 31, 2003. Under Union protest, the Company halted negotiations pending the ability of West Coast/ Red Lion CEO, Art Cauffey, to attend the talks. Cauffey was unavailable before the expiration date of the collective bargaining due to a vacation in northern California.

It is recommended that any planned events for the months of June and July 2003 be scheduled at the SeaTac Radisson.  If you have events scheduled at the SeaTac Red Lion, it is recommended that the catering contract be amended to ensure no penalties for canceling your event due to labor disputes.

CALL TO ACTION: Please call the SeaTac Red Lion and tell them to settle a fair contract and to stop stalling!  Please tell them you won’t be using any Westcoast/Red Lion Hotel, especially this one, in the future, should they not settle a fair agreement soon!

Contact: Shannon Sheron, SeaTac Red Lion General Manager, at (206) 246-5535 or by fax at (206) 901-0388.

For more information, contact HERE's Cindy Richardson at (206) 728-2326 x17.

TUESDAY, JUNE 17
Author of drug industry expos้ to give Seattle book reading

Working families, retirees and employers are struggling to attain or maintain affordable health care as rising medical costs -- driven by skyrocketing prescription drug prices -- are depressing wages and profits, and straining government services. Yet the pharmaceutical industry continues to prosper. How is this happening? 

Find out at a special book reading and discussion featuring Katherine Greider, author of The Big Fix: How the Pharmaceutical Industry Rips Off American Consumers, at noon on Friday, June 27 at the University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E. in Seattle. This meticulously reported expos้ uncovers exactly how the drug industry boosts sales and bilks consumers in the most lucrative prescription drug market in the world.

Greider will be joined at the event by Rick Bender, President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO; Barbara Flye, Executive Director of Washington Citizen Action; and Will Parry, Alliance for Retired Americans.

Greider's new book explains that, for all their newfound success, pharmaceutical companies have begun to find themselves in a precarious position.  They have created an impressive array of "megabrands" -- blockbuster drugs like Viagra, Nexium, Vioxx and Clarinex with huge sales -- but when patents expire on those flagship products, sales suffer dramatically. 

In order to meet Wall Street's growth expectations, drug companies must produce billions of dollars worth of new revenue... fast.  The best way to do this, they have found, is by charging you more than you can afford for drugs you may not even need, by investing in a panoply of product-line extensions and me-too drugs aimed at grabbing market share, and by spending aggressively on flogging their products in every imaginable venue.

In The Big Fix, Greider gives a full diagnosis of the industry's shenanigans and successes. Come meet Greider on June 27, learn about The Big Fix and find out what can be done.  The event is free and open to the public.  Please download, post and distribute a flier publicizing the event.

TUESDAY, JUNE 17
PacMed caregivers continue picket actions for quality staffing

The following news advisory was issued Monday by the Service Employees International Union District 1199NW:

Alarmed by growing job turnover at their clinic system, nurses and other health care workers at PacMed Clinics will again picket outside a PacMed clinic. PacMed employees will gather on TUESDAY (today) outside the clinic system's flagship facility on Beacon Hill in Seattle.

The action will mark the third time this year that PacMed caregivers have taken public action to raise the alarm over the future of the clinic system.

WHO: PacMed nurses and clinic staff

WHAT: Picketing and leafleting at PacMed's clinic at the "Amazon
building" (former PacMed/US Public Health Service hospital)

WHEN: 11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. and 4 - 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: PacMed Beacon Hill Clinic, 1200 12th Ave. S., Seattle

WHY: PacMed continues to demand wage cuts and other changes that will make it more difficult to attract and retain quality staff at the clinics.

PacMed employees are members of the American Federation of Government Employees. To negotiate their new contract, they are working in coalition with the Service Employees International Union, Washington's largest union of health care workers.

For more information, contact SEIU 1199NW's Carter Wright at (425) 917-1199.

TUESDAY, JUNE 17
Cover the uninsured or occupy Iraq? They cost the same.

The following statement by U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Seattle) was distributed earlier this month:

"In a piece of sobering news, our country's priorities have been made clear.  For the same amount we will spend occupying and rebuilding Iraq this year and in coming years, we could instead provide health insurance to every one of the 41 million people in America who are uninsured.  This is a fact -- these two choices cost the same amount.  According to an Urban Institute study that just came out this week, the direct cost of providing health care to all of the uninsured in America would be between $34 billion and $69 billion a year, depending on how we do did it.  At the same time, official estimates of the annual cost of the administration's occupation of Iraq are between $35 billion and $69 billion.

"The President says we can afford to occupy Iraq.  We can afford to pass a $350 billion tax cut, on top of the $1.3 trillion tax cut passed in 2001," McDermott continued.  "We should now ask the obvious question: why can't we afford to provide health insurance to all Americans?  We are now obligated to rebuild Iraq.  We should be just as obligated to rebuild the American health care system.  If we can do one, we certainly ought to be able to do the other, but we lack the leadership to do so.  This is a sad statement on our national priorities."

The study "Covering the uninsured: how much would it cost?" published by the journal Health Affairs the additional direct costs of providing medical care to the uninsured would be $34 billion, if provided through public programs, or $69 billion, if provided through private programs. 

Estimates of the annual cost of occupying Iraq, including reconstruction and humanitarian aid, are similar to these costs.  The Congressional Research Service reports a low-end estimate of $35 billion, based on a ten-month occupation force of 100,000 troops, and a high-end estimate of $69 billion, based on a ten-month occupation of 200,000 troops.  There are currently 160,000 troops stationed in Iraq, and tens of thousand more providing support from Kuwait. 

The Kaiser Family Foundation polled and found Americans are more concerned about whether they can afford health insurance than they are about losing their job, paying their rent or mortgage, losing money in the stock market, or being a victim of a terrorist attack.  "It is so clear we can afford health insurance for all Americans, and yet we spend our money elsewhere.  Why? Does this administration want to keep the American people insecure about their health care?" asked McDermott.

MONDAY, JUNE 16
"Let's Talk Taxes" workshops in Issaquah, Tacoma and Seattle

You are invited to "Let's Talk Taxes. Who Pays? And Who Benefits," an interactive workshop presented by the Washington State Tax Fairness Coalition. There are three upcoming dates:

• Tuesday, June 17 in ISSAQUAH -- 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the King County Library's Administration Building, 916 Newport Way S.W.

• Monday June 23 in TACOMA -- 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Associated Ministries, 1224 South I Street.

• Wednesday, June 25 in SEATTLE -- 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Washington Association of Churches, 419 Occidental Ave S., Suite 201.

"Let's Talk Taxes" reviews the Washington state budget crisis and how we got to this point, examines the effect of tax policies on people at different income levels, and explores ways to
evaluate tax proposals. This workshop has been presented to more than 2,000 people; it's informative and fun.

For more information and to RSVP, call Ania at Washington Citizen Action at (206) 389-0050 x105.