NEXT UPDATE  Monday, Sept. 22 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 September 15-17, 2003

Previous weeks' news: Sept. 1-5 -- Aug. 25-29 -- Aug. 18-22

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17 -- Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride send-off rally is Saturday
— In today's News Tribune -- Activists hit the road for immigrant workers
— In today's N.Y. Times -- Riding across America for immigrant workers
...plus -- Washington State Migrant Council's Head Start workers file for union election
— In yesterday's Bremerton Sun -- Lower union membership isn't "good news" -- An excellent Letter to the Editor by IAFF Local 437 Vice President Gary Bowman.
— In today's Olympian -- Rep. DeBolt of Chehalis gets top spot in House GOP leadership
— In today's King County Journal -- Kent OKs construction of WinCo mega-supermarket
...plus -- Issaquah teachers to vote today on 1-year contract extension
— In today's Everett Herald -- Tennessee city claims to be in hunt for 7E7
— In the new Seattle Weekly -- How Seattle Times, P-I executives sunk the JOA
— In today's Oregonian -- Oregon minimum wage will rise to $7.05 on Jan. 1
...plus yesterday -- Ex-workers at Consolidated Freightways sue over pensions
— In today's Seattle Times -- Maybe the rich should join the struggle -- Dionne column: Bush wants $87 billion in new spending for Iraq, refuses to contemplate rolling back any of its tax cuts to pay for it -- and then proposes holding down new spending on child care for mothers trying to leave welfare.
— In today's N.Y. Times -- Amtrak workers plan Oct. 3 strike to protest lack of financing
...plus -- Tough times force UAW to employ new strategy
...plus -- Federal workers' health insurance premiums to rise less than others, Bush says
...plus -- A tax cut victim -- Editorial: If there was one thing Americans had a right to expect from this  Congress, it was a plan to help the elderly pay for prescription drugs. But now the government cannot afford the program. That is the fault of President Bush and the Republican congressional majorities.
— In today's L.A. Times -- Federal budget disaster seen, but won't be heard
— In today's Washington Post -- A feeble plan to save U.S. manufacturing (Pearlstein column)
...plus -- The creaky job machine -- Samuelson column: If you're wondering what happened to the "great American job machine," so is everyone else.

TUESDAY, Sept. 16 -- Please VOTE in today's primary!  Contact your area Central Labor Council for labor endorsement information on local ballot measures, and city and county races.  King County endorsements are available at www.kclc.org, and Snohomish County at www.snolabor.org.
...plus -- Overtime pay fight moves back to House... and Rep. Nethercutt
— In today's Tri-City Herald -- Group says Hanford workers harmed by tank fumes in work speed-up
— In today's Seattle Times -- "Chance is strong" for 7E7 to be offered for sale, Condit says
— In today's Everett Herald -- Tulalips protest Everett's new pier designed to lure Boeing 7E7 work
...plus -- Mediator calls for new talks in Marysville teacher strike
— In today's Bellingham Herald -- Intalco-BPA rate accord near in effort to keep plant open
— In Monday's Yakima H-R -- Teamsters vote today on Darigold contract
— In today's News Tribune -- Business leaders really want greatness for Washington (op-ed)
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Campaign 2004 is key in WTO collapse -- "President Bush was not going to upset his farmers before his re-election," said a senior WTO delegate.
At AFLCIO.org -- Breakdown in WTO talks shows need for new trade rules
— In today's Washington Post -- WTO walkout shadows future of free trade
...plus -- AFGE fights Pentagon rule changes as threat to collective bargaining rights
...plus -- Job losses unsettle congressional Republicans; GOP fears voter blame for economy
...plus -- War and the economy: Will Iraq put pressure on Bush tax cut?
— In today's N.Y. Times -- Retirees alarmed at threat of cuts in drug benefits
...plus -- UAW reached labor pacts at Ford, Chrysler; talks continue with GM
...plus -- Senate panel expected to vote on bill to aid pension plans
— In today's L.A. Times -- Landmark health care bill targets firms of all sizes

MONDAY, Sept. 15 -- AFL-CIO urges other states to follow California's lead on health care
— In today's L.A. Times -- California, Maine blaze a trail on health care
— In today's News Tribune -- Health care debate's heating up; poised for "tipping point" (column)
— In today's Seattle Times -- Moses Lake would give 7e7 plant lots of elbow room
— In today's Everett Herald -- Chambers say L&I rate hike is ill-timed
— In Wednesday's King County Journal -- What part of "recession" does L&I not get? (editorial)
— In today's Bremerton Sun -- As layoffs loom, retraining becomes a priority (AP)
— In Sunday's Yakima H-R -- Boise Cascade sale could be a tough one
— In the PSBJ -- Seattle Metropolitan Credit Union acquires Teamsters Credit Union
— In Friday's Oregonian -- SW Washington Medical Center nurses (WSNA) agree to new contract
— Update on the teacher strike in Lake Stevens
Last week at AFLCIO.org -- Victory for American workers on overtime pay in Senate
— Today at MSNBC.com -- Dissecting the overtime debate
— In today's Washington Post -- Official admits Bush administration was outfoxed on outsourcing
— In today's Christian Science Monitor -- New efforts surface to raise federal minimum wage
— Sunday at CNN.com -- AFL-CIO president, union workers arrested at rally for Yale strikers
— In today's N.Y. Times -- WTO talks collapse after poorer countries pull out 
...plus -- UAW reaches tentative agreement with Chrysler; talks with two makers continue
...plus on Sunday -- The tax cut con -- Cutting taxes doesn't benefit the middle class, it doesn't create jobs or growth and it doesn't give Americans the country they want. Check out this must-read article by Paul Krugman counting the cost of a 25-year crusade.
— At BusinessWeek online -- Team Bush's clueless new math -- No matter how you crunch the numbers, Bush's fiscal policy is irresponsible, and could lead to serious trouble down the road.
— At The Onion.com -- Well, well, well... If it isn't a family-owned retailer (column by Wal-Mart 3297)

Previous weeks' news: Sept. 1-5 -- Aug. 25-29 -- Aug. 18-22

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride send-off rally is Saturday

This Saturday, Sept. 20, there will be a Seattle Send-off Rally and Celebration for the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, a national mobilization to focus public attention on the immigrant rights issue. There are several events that day offering opportunities to learn about the IWFR, culminating in a massive rally at the Seattle Center International Fountain at 1:30 p.m. to cheer on Washington state's IWFR participants.

On Tuesday, Sept. 23, buses filled with immigrant workers and allies will begin an historic journey from 10 cities around the country -- including Seattle -- to Washington, D.C. to demand respect for all people, regardless of immigration status.  Just as the Freedom Rides of the early 1960s exposed the brutality of legal segregation in the South, today's Freedom Riders will expose the injustice of current policies toward immigrants and create a powerful coalition of voices for change.

Freedom Riders will make frequent stops throughout the nation on their journey to press the need for immigration reform. The primary themes of the Freedom Ride are the path to citizenship, reunification of families, justice on the job regardless of immigration status, and civil rights for all.

This Saturday's send-off events in Seattle include:

11 a.m. -- Civil Rights for All
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, 2200 Martin Luther King Jr. Way

Celebrate our diverse nation! Learn about the original Freedom Ride, the unfinished struggle of the civil rights movement, and our nation's history of racial profiling. Recently the administration has employed racial and religious profiling in the name of national security, and denied fundamental civil and constitutional rights and due process to thousands of immigrants. Speakers include King County Councilmember Larry Gossett.

Noon -- Legalization, Path to Citizenship & Reunification of Families
INS/BICE Building, 815 Airport Way South

1Current laws, practices and policies criminalize migration. Especially since September 11, 2001, the US has conducted a campaign of mass preventative detention and deportation. Outdated and discriminatory policies and increased militarization of the borders separate immigrants and refugees from their families for years at a time. We call for a way to legalize our status and for equal treatment.

1 p.m. -- Justice on the Job
Casa Latina, 2330 Western Avenue & Battery
This stop highlights workers' rights in Seattle. US and local policies ignore the vital contributions of the immigrant workforce. Immigrants work at jobs characterized by low pay and high risk of accident and are often unable to even apply for citizenship. Come hear how local immigrants are struggling for dignity on the job.  From this event, participants will continue to...

1:30 p.m. -- MASSIVE SEND-OFF RALLY
Seattle Center International Fountain (Get directions and transportation information.)

For more information about Saturday's events and local IWFR efforts, check out www.seattle-iwfr.org.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
Migrant Council Head Start workers file for union election

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

SUNNYSIDE -- Head Start teachers, bus drivers, cook, custodians and aids who work for the Washington State Migrant Council, are joining together to gain a voice to advocate for the program and the children it serves.

Head Start workers from over 20 centers serving the children of migrant farm workers in central and far northwest Washington today (September 16) asked the National Labor Relations Board to conduct a secret ballot election for union representation.

The workers, at centers ranging from Walla Walla to Sunnyside to Moses Lake in central Washington and Mt. Vernon and Lynden in northwest Washington, are organizing to unite with 10,000 education and public service workers in Washington State in Service Employees International Union Local 925.

Workers have been joining together to have a strong, nation-wide voice to advocate for Head Start as well as to win better lives for themselves and their families.

In a letter signed by workers leading the organizing, the employees said: “We believe that it is time for all of us to take a positive step towards building a brighter future for ourselves and our Migrant head Start program. The best way to advocate for our schools, our students and ourselves is by coming together as a united voice in a union.”

SEIU is the largest union of Head Start and other early learning workers, uniting thousands of workers in California, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Minnesota, West Virginia, Florida, Connecticut, Washington and Massachusetts. SEIU Head Start workers truly speak with a national voice. 

SEIU’s 1.6 million members also include tens of thousands of public school employees, social workers, and childcare teachers who serve children in public agencies and private companies.

For more information, contact SEIU 925's Tania María Rosario at tania@seiu925.org.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
Overtime pay fight moves back to House... and Rep. Nethercutt

Following last week's victory in the U.S. Senate, efforts to block President Bush's proposal to eliminate the right to overtime pay for millions of Americans returns to the U.S. House of Representatives, where a similar vote will happen soon.  Here in Washington state, efforts to protect overtime pay will put the spotlight -- and political pressure -- on Rep. George Nethercutt (R-5th).

The Republican-controlled House voted July 10 to allow Bush to impose new rules exempting an estimated 8 million more working Americans from the right to overtime pay.  When House Democrats tried to amend an appropriations bill with a restriction against implementation of the overtime change, the amendment failed on a 213-210 vote.  All six Democrats in Washington's delegation voted to block Bush's OT plan and all three of the state's Republicans voted to support Bush's plan.

But that was before last Wednesday's bipartisan Senate vote to reject Bush's overtime changes.  Plus, it was before Rep. Nethercutt announced he will run for U.S. Senate in 2004 against incumbent Patty Murray.

Now the Republican congressman from Spokane finds himself in the precarious political position of having to reaffirm his support for very unpopular overtime pay cuts. Three in four Americans oppose Bush's overtime pay proposal and opposition is overwhelming regardless of political affiliation, race, income or geographic region, according to a new national survey.

Now Nethercutt must again weigh a vote certain to become an election liability against his loyalty to President Bush, who has threatened to veto any congressional effort to block his overtime pay cuts. The Bush administration aggressively recruited Nethercutt to run against Sen. Murray and is rumored to have offered him a political appointment should he lose the election. (Nethercutt must give up his House seat in order to run for the Senate.)

There is already evidence that Nethercutt is wary of the political downside to attacks on overtime pay and the 40-hour work week.  His name is notably absent from the co-sponsorship list of H.R. 1119, which would have allowed employers to give workers compensatory time off rather than time-and-a-half pay for every overtime hour worked.  The state's other two Republicans, Reps. Jennifer Dunn and Richard "Doc" Hastings, were both co-sponsors of this bill.  (H.R. 1119 was pulled in June by House Republican leaders after it became clear they didn't have the votes necessary for passage.)

Hastings and Dunn, a Bush loyalist who will be running the president's reelection campaign in Washington state, are considered unlikely to switch their votes on the overtime pay issue.

CALL TO ACTION:  All Washington state residents -- but especially those in Eastern Washington's 5th Congressional District -- are urged to take a minute to send a fax to their representative. Just click on this link: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/houseotvote/  (Feel free to edit the fax thanking your Democratic representatives for their previous OT vote and urging their continued support.)

Over the past six months, tens of thousands of people like you have joined together to protect overtime pay, the 40-hour workweek and the weekend.  Together, we have stopped some bad legislation and now we have to stop the Bush administration attack on overtime by keeping the heat on our representatives.  The two most important ways to do this are (1) speak out by contacting your representative and (2) ask your friends, family and co-workers to contact their representatives as well. Please visit http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/houseotvote/forward/ to help spread the word.

BACKGROUND:  Some of the most important employment protections for working families today are part of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which sets minimum standards for wages and overtime. Under the FLSA’s overtime rules, some 80 million workers must now be paid time-and-a-half in cash when they work for more than 40 hours a week. Millions of these workers depend on cash overtime pay to make ends meet.

The Bush overtime proposal to change overtime regulations would deny overtime pay and the protections of the 40-hour workweek to millions of workers. It would affect a wide range of the approximately 80 million workers currently protected by making it much easier for employers to claim that these employees are exempt from overtime pay.

Under Bush's plan:

• Millions of salaried workers making between $22,101 and $65,000 who now are eligible to receive overtime pay could be reclassified as executives or administrative or professional employees -- and would no longer qualify for overtime pay.

• Relatively low-salary earners who have supervisory responsibilities or management-related responsibilities would be penalized, as would workers with advanced education or specialized training. Some of the jobs affected are police, firefighters, nurses, retail managers, insurance claims adjusters and medical therapists.

• Employees not covered by the new rules also could be hurt: By reclassifying many of their workers as exempt from overtime pay, employers most likely would assign overtime only to them and eliminate overtime for other workers. Police and firefighters are among those potentially affected.

• Anyone making $65,000 or more a year likely would lose overtime pay, effectively eliminating many middle-income wage earners’ much-needed extra pay.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s own estimates, the Bush administration’s proposed rule changes could mean between 2.1 million and 3.3 million workers would face unpredictable work schedules because of an increased demand for extra hours for which employers would not have to pay time-and-a-half.

The Bush administration claims its plan would give overtime protections to more workers by allowing anyone who earns $22,100 or less to automatically qualify for overtime pay. But many of those workers, such as fast-food employees, already are covered.

Many working families depend on overtime to pay bills—especially during the current economic recession that has resulted in stagnant and declining wages, increasing costs of health care, prescription drugs, child care and other essential expenses. The Bush proposal would cut into many of those families’ paychecks.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
AFL-CIO urges other states to follow California's lead on health care

The following statement by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney was released today:

We applaud California legislators for approving one of the most significant pieces of legislation to expand health care benefits since the passage of Medicare.  Over one million California workers and their families will no longer have to worry about health insurance in the event of sickness or emergency injuries.  This historic legislation will provide employer-based health care coverage to workers who often go without medical treatment because of soaring health care costs.

The bill is an extraordinary step toward tackling the nation's health care crisis.  It will also provide significant relief to a state budget that is being pummeled by the two-year-old economic downturn and continued inaction by the federal government. We call on other states to follow California's bold and innovative model and pass legislation that will provide health insurance to the 45 million people in this country who lack quality, affordable health care.

This legislation is a win-win for workers and companies. Employers will benefit with a healthier and productive workforce and the costs to businesses will be minimal with tax write-offs and subsidies provided for health care expenses.  Employers in competitive fields will get a more level playing field once all employers start paying their fair share of health costs for working families.  The legislation will also reduce demand and stress on the state's emergency medical system by giving workers the insurance to seek preventative health care treatment.  We hope Governor Gray Davis will quickly enact this important legislation.

For more information on California's health-care legislation, check out Blazing a trail on health care in today's L.A. Times.