WSLC Reports Today -- November 1-4, 2005

UPDATED DAILY -- M-F by 9 a.m.

Links to press stories are functional at the date of posting. In some cases, free registration is required at newspapers' sites. Links sometimes "expire" when the source would like to begin charging 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.

FRIDAY, NOV. 4 ■ Pierce Co. CLC secretary Marcia Williams passes away

UNION MEMBERS!
Before you vote, see Labor's endorsements on ballot measures and local races. YOU DECIDE, then VOTE! Also, download fliers explaining Labor's endorsements.

Election news: ■ Your help is needed for final push to defeat I-912
■ In today's Seattle P-I -- No on I-912: Neglecting safety (editorial) -- Voters are about to make life-and-death decisions. They should say no to dangerous roads, collapsing bridges and irresponsible pandering.
■ In today's Seattle P-I -- Seattle streets need DOT approach (Connelly column) -- Under its current chief, Doug MacDonald, the Department of Transportation has undergone a culture change and a birth of accountability. Do we respond by turning around and taking $5.5 billion away from the DOT, jeopardizing 274 projects across the state?

Local news: ■ In today's News Tribune -- Day care workers seek one voice -- Some 10,000 in-home child care providers providers are voting this month on whether to unionize with SEIU Local 925, something local organizers hope will give them a voice when it comes to negotiating with the state, finding health insurance and reducing provider turnover.
■ In today's Everett Herald -- Progress slow in talks between AWPPW, Kimberly-Clark -- When the contract expired in September, 94% of union members authorized a strike, but no date was set.
■ Today from AP -- State farmers set production record -- Washington crops' value increased for the 4th straight year to $5.94 billion in 2004, topping the previous record of $5.92 billion in 1995.
■ In today's Seattle Times -- Ferry whistleblowers' trial opens -- Two ferry employees say they were harassed -- and one fired -- after they complained about corruption and waste in the WSF.
■ In the Daily News -- Longview Fibre fights $203,100 fine in worker's 2004 death
■ In the (Aberdeen) Daily World -- Rep. Takko has big lead in fundraising -- Rep. Dean Takko (D-Longview) earned the WSLC's endorsement in the 19th District special election to retain his House seat. In his first legislative session, he earned a 93% WSLC Voting Record.

Wal-Mart news: ■ In today's Washington Post -- UFCW forms association for Wal-Mart employees -- The union's Wake Up Wal-Mart campaign is creating of a national association that will advise past and present Wal-Mart workers of their rights and help them to file complaints.
■ In today's LA Times -- Documentaries ramp up debate about Wal-Mart -- One is heartily pro, the other decidedly con on the role the giant discounter plays in society. (Go with con!)

Last Throes update: ■ In today's SF Chronicle -- GOP blocks inquiry into Bush's selling of war -- As our own Rep. Adam Smith pointed out, the same Congress that launched countless investigations of the Clinton White House (including travel office layoffs?!), chooses to ignore whether the Bush White House deliberately put out false information in an effort to push our nation into war. Reps. Dave Reichert and "Doc" Hastings vote to block inquiry. (Rep. McMorris was absent.)
■ In today's NY Times -- VP adviser Libby pleads not guilty -- Scooter's lawyers quash talk of plea deal as they aim to raise First Amendment issues in a case likely to stretch well into next year.

More on why Bush's popularity has hit an all-time low: ■ In today's LA Times -- Productivity up, labor costs down -- Translation: Americans are working harder and getting less for their efforts.
■ Today from Reuters -- Job growth weaker than expected -- A smaller-than-expected 56,000 new U.S. jobs were created in October despite the fading impact of Hurricane Katrina, while total job growth over the two prior months was revised lower.
■ Today from Reuters -- Thousands protest Bush in Argentina -- The protesters' voice inside the summit meetings will be Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the leftist leader who opposes Bush's economic model. He arrived early Friday vowing to stop the stalled FTAA.
■ In today's NY Times -- Where's that veto threat? (editorial) -- Twice this year, President Bush has stood on the world stage and promised to sharply increase development assistance to poor nations. But this week, House and Senate negotiators broke the promise. For the president, this is the time to show that his fine words about tackling global poverty are more than just words.

Speaking of Congress...: ■ In today's Washington Post -- Senate passes $35 billion in cuts -- Plan cuts spending on prescription drugs, agriculture supports and student loans, among other things. It also opens Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, and slips in a split-up of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a long-sought bit of Republican judicial activism.
■ In today's NY Times -- Greenspan urges Congress to offset tax cuts -- Fed boss says they should not extend Bush's tax cuts if they can't make up for the lost revenue with savings in other areas.
■ In today's NY Times -- The Capitol's revolting door (editorial) -- A Senate hearing has provided a rarefied look at Washington's ever-whirring carousel for business lobbyists and government appointees, who spin back and forth in a blur of opportunism.

Other national news: ■ In today's SF Chronicle -- U.S. health care found lacking, full of errors -- Americans pay more when they get sick than people in other Western nations, and they receive more confused, error-prone treatment, says the largest survey comparing nations' health care.
■ In today's NY Times -- In Louisiana, worker influx causes ill will -- Louisianians, from high-level public officials to low-wage workers, have begun to complain about the influx of outside workers.

THURSDAY, NOV. 3 ■ Twenty newspapers urge No on I-330
■ In today's Seattle P-I -- Physician says no on I-330 (op-ed by doctor) -- I-330 contains a "poison pill" for plaintiffs' attorneys and, more important, for patients who have suffered a catastrophic medical injury. As a result, families with even a strong case of medical malpractice would have no legal recourse if they cannot find an attorney to take their case... The draconian measures in I-330 would be unfair to our patients.
■ In today's Olympian -- Record year for political money -- In the campaign for and against I-330, more than $14 million has been raised.

I-912 news: ■ In today's News Tribune -- No on I-912: Jobs, state economy, our future are all at stake (op-ed by President of Simpson Investment Co.) -- I never met a tax cut I didn�t like.... until now.
■ In the Daily World -- Taking the initiative on some taxing issues (editorial) -- Your beef over gas prices is with the oil companies and decades of federal energy policy that favored corporations over citizens. Repealing the gas tax will only make traffic worse and roads and bridges less safe. If the tax comes off, Big Oil will just gouge it right back in nothing flat.

Boeing news: ■ Today from AP -- More Boeing Machinists strike -- Workers at Delta rocket facilities in Alabama, California and Florida walk. "Boeing posted $1 billion in net income for last quarter, and we think this is not the time we should be making concessions," says the IAM.
■ In today's LA Times -- Machinists in L.A. walk off job -- Analysts say the strike shouldn't harm Boeing financially.

Local news: ■ In today's Olympian -- Gregoire: State is well-known -- Governor says Starbucks and Microsoft are clearly visible overseas, but our state's work force needs improvement.
■ In today's Seattle P-I -- Students roar against the war -- Students spill out of the city's schools to participate in a Seattle-area "walkout" -- a teen protest duplicated in cities around the country.

Wal-Mart news: ■ In today's Everett Herald -- Marysville Wal-Mart foes ready for battle
■ In today's LA Times -- Wal-Mart seeks unbiased research -- and gets it -- The company sponsors an academic conference about its economic impact, run by an independent consultant. At least two papers conclude that Wal-Mart's pay practices depress wages beyond the retail sector, and another finds that states on average spent $898 for each Wal-Mart worker in Medicaid expenses.
■ Today at the Working Life blog -- The CBC and Wal-Mart -- Why is the Congressional Black Caucus so cozy with Wal-Mart? The Hill reported last May that it can be traced to a "bullying" letter from SEIU's (and now CTW's) Anna Burger that sought to "put the CBC in its place."

TABOR news: ■ In today's NY Times -- Colorado cap on spending is suspended -- Both sides say the national movement to impose caps on state taxes and spending took a sharp blow Tuesday.
■ In today's NY Times -- How Colorado got its government back (editorial) -- Voters and legislators in nearly half the states are currently considering tax and spending limits. Meanwhile, Coloradans, who have experience with extreme budget constraints, have said "time out."
■ At the House of Labor blog -- BIG WIN! Anti-tax lobby loses big in Colorado -- By loosening its TABOR straightjacket, Colorado voters delivered a gigantic setback to the right-wing nationwide.

Other national news: ■ Today from AP -- Free-trade battle looms at Americas summit -- Thousands of protesters were arriving in Argentina, seizing the chance to criticize President Bush over his push for unfettered free trade and a new trade zone stretching from Alaska to Argentina.
■ Today from AP -- Northwest hires appear to end mechanics strike -- Defiant mechanics still picket. Their union (AMFA) urges them to stay strong. But airline observers and even some strikers say it's as good as over now that the airline has finished hiring permanent scabs.
■ Today from Reuters -- Northwest in talks with unions on temporary cuts -- Airline says if it can achieve 60% of its $1.4 billion labor savings goal, it will delay seeking to void its labor contracts.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 2 ■ Congress must investigate White House lies, leaks (op-ed by Rep. Adam Smith) -- The same Congress that launched investigations into the suicide of Clinton aide Vince Foster and the hiring actions of the Clinton White House with regard to their travel office, among countless other investigations, has sat silent on the critical issue of whether the White House deliberately put out false information in an effort to push our nation into war.
■ In today's NY Times -- Remember that mushroom cloud? (editorial) -- Americans are long overdue for an answer to why they were told there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Were officials fooled by bad intelligence, or knowingly hyping it?
■ In today's Seattle Times -- The Bush White House is obliged to come clean (Dionne column) -- Has anyone noticed that the Bush administration's cover-up of the CIA leak worked?
■ In today's NY Times -- Democrats force Senate to bar the doors in protest over selling of Iraq war
■ In today's Washington Post -- GOP angered over closed Senate session -- Sen. Bill "How Are My Investments Doing?" Frist says, never before has he been "slapped in the face with such an affront." (Let's hope the White House toadies controlling Congress have more slaps coming.)

Boeing news: ■ In today's Everett Herald -- Getting down to details -- Boeing says it learned from the IAM strike and is listening to what SPEEA engineers want. But then...
■ Today from AP -- Machinists in L.A. strike! -- About 1,500 Boeing machinists went out on strike today after last-minute contract talks broke down at the company unit that operates the Delta rocket program. The union says Boeing wants to end retirement health coverage for new hires and to eliminate caps on out-of-pocket expenses for medical premiums and co-pays. (Sound familiar?)

UNION MEMBERS!
Before you vote, see Labor's endorsements on ballot measures and local races. YOU DECIDE, then VOTE! Also, download fliers explaining Labor's endorsements.

I-912 news: ■ In today's Seattle P-I -- Support for I-912 declines -- New poll: 44% say they support I-912, down from 50% three weeks ago.
■ In today's King Co. Journal -- I-912 will make traffic worse (editorial) -- The gas tax will cost the average driver only about $52 a year. That works out to about $1 a week to help ease congestion bottlenecks and get a leg up on replacement of the viaduct and the 520 bridge. Today, motorists probably waste that much in gas just stuck in traffic.
■ In today's Seattle P-I -- Daily No on I-912: The toll on transit -- If I-912 is enacted, count on new demands to boost bus and ferry fares, which have doubled or nearly tripled since I-695 was approved.

Other election news: ■ In today's Everett Herald -- Neither I-330, I-336 offer right prescription (editorial)
■ In today's Seattle Times -- PAC running pro-Sims ads issues refunds -- Two unions made donations over the legal limit, so PAC sends $15,000 back to the United Food and Commercial Workers and $8,000 back to the Washington State Council of County and City Employees.

Local news: ■ In today's Tri-City Herald -- Welch's plant to close -- The 165 mostly unionized workers (IBT 760) at the Kennewick juice processing plant are told they will be out of a job as of Feb. 1.
■ In today's Seattle Times -- Time to pony up for community colleges (editorial) -- Lawmakers must pony up the $1.66 million they neglected to appropriate for expanding higher-education slots.
■ In today's King Co. Journal -- Coalition pressures Rep. Reichert to vote against Arctic oil drilling -- The coalition includes the American Federation of Teachers-Washington.

Wal-Mart news: ■ In today's NY Times -- Wal-Mart movie opens in Manhattan with a fracas -- A Wal-Mart consultant is told to leave the theater after the director accuses him of trying to secretly record the film. Also see: Wal-Mart is scared you'll see this movie... so host a screening!
■ Today at the Working Life blog -- Why are Democrats working for Wal-Mart? -- If the Democratic Party can't be unified in opposition to the No. 1 enemy undermining any hope for a decent standard of living in the future, then, what exactly should people think the party stands for?
■ Today at the House of Labor blog -- Wal-Mart and the Dems -- Democratic operatives are working out of a "war room" in Arkansas, making Wal-Mart and its slash-and-burn economic strategy palatable to the American people. Unlike the Republicans, the Democrats don't seem to understand who their base is -- let alone try to placate them.

National news: ■ Today at AFLCIO.org -- Illinois unions help win "all kids" health care -- The state legislature approves the nation�s first health insurance program covering every child in the state.
■ In the Boston Globe -- Mass. legislature unveils plan to tax employers that don't offer health care
■ In today's NY Times -- Jobs and joblessness on the Gulf Coast (editorial) -- Plans to increase unemployment aid have surfaced, only to vanish as Republican lawmakers prepare to push a tax cut package, much of it to benefit millionaire investors.
■ In today's LA Times -- Voters dislike 3 of governor's ballot measures -- Just 40% support and 51% oppose Prop. 75, Schwarzenegger's plan to require public-worker unions to get written consent from members each year before spending dues on political campaigns.
■ In Dissent magazine -- Labor divided -- Thanks to the CTW coalition, labor is at least making some noise again. Now, the coalition unions must prove that the noise is more than a death rattle.

TUESDAY, NOV. 1 ■ Wal-Mart's scared you'll see this movie... so host a screening!
■ In today's NY Times -- Wal-Mart sets up PR war room -- Coinciding with a new documentary's release, Wal-Mart sets up a war room staffed by political experts to sell an improved image.
■ In the Everett Herald -- Forget the nice things I said about Wal-Mart (Benbow column)
■ In today's NY Times -- Labor Dept. rebuked over Wal-Mart deal -- Inspector general criticizes sweetheart settlement on child labor violations, much of which was written by Wal-Mart lawyers.

Boeing news: ■ At SPEEA.org -- SPEEA opens contract talks -- The tentative timeline is to have a complete offer from Boeing on Nov. 15. The union will then prepare a mail-in ballot package for members. If the timeline holds, the union will count votes in Seattle on Dec. 1.
■ In today's News Tribune -- Boeing, SPEEA discuss contracts -- Talks begin today. The objective: Avoid the kind of disagreement that put 18,400 machinists on the picket lines for 28 days in September.
■ In the P.S. Business Journal -- Boeing beckons -- After a long dry spell, the 787 seems to be attracting new aerospace suppliers to the vicinity of the new jetliner's Everett assembly facility.
■ In today's Spokesman-Review -- Kaiser to expand Trentwood plant -- Demand from aerospace industry drives $75 million investment in plate stretcher and new furnaces.

UNION MEMBERS!
Before you vote, see Labor's endorsements on ballot measures and local races. YOU DECIDE, then VOTE! Also, download fliers explaining Labor's endorsements.

I-330 news: ■ In the Seattle P-I -- I-330: Not just no, hell no (Shapley column) -- The most outrageous provision in I-330 is that before treating you, issuing you health insurance or a prescription, providers could require you to sign a contract saying: "You are giving up your right to a jury or court trial." Forcing people to sign their rights away as a condition of treatment is something this state's feisty voters should never accept.
■ In the Daily World -- I-330, I-336 add up to initiative malpractice (editorial)
■ At No330.org -- 19 newspapers in Washington urge 'No" vote on I-330

I-912 news: ■ In Monday's Seattle Times -- The conservative case against I-912 (op-ed) -- As a critic of Olympia's tax-and-splurge policies, I've voted for every tax-limiting initiative that has come up over the past 10 years. (But) shutting down a bipartisan transportation package that includes accountability measures and gets to work building roads and reducing congestion would be horribly dangerous for the future of our state and damaging to the conservative cause.
■ In Sunday's Columbian -- Some Republicans like gas-tax hike -- Mainstream Republicans of Washington will send fliers to 215,000 households early this week urging a no vote on I-912.
■ In the Seattle P-I's "Daily No on I-912" (editorials) -- Then what? -- It's not enough to say "no" to a good idea. You have to offer a better idea. And the folks pushing I-912 fail the better-idea test.
■ ...plus -- Grandpa's gas tax -- Even when the full 9.5-cent increase is phased in four years from now, the gas tax will still take a smaller cut from your wallet than it did from your grandfathers'.
■ ...plus -- Scorn for transit -- Is I-912 a vote against mass transit? Possibly, or it could be the opposite; yes is a vote for region-specific spending and therefore on mass transit.

Local news: ■ In today's Olympian -- It's time for state employees to pick a health care plan -- For those who want to make changes, enrollment opened Oct. 24 and will continue through Nov. 30.
■ In today's Bellingham Herald -- Moonlighters: Second, third jobs are a sign of the times
■ In today's Oregonian-- Oregon man will again try to oust Hoffa -- Local Teamster Tom Leedham says workers' benefits are eroding under current leadership.

National news: ■ In today's Washington Post -- Unions prepare to go to court -- The Pentagon has rolled the dice. The plan to convert the first wave of 65,000 Defense Dept. civil service employees to a new performance-based pay system has been issued, and the Bush administration has lined up behind it. Learn more about this attack on basic rights, and what you can do about it Dec. 10.
■ In today's Baltimore Sun -- Prevailing attitudes (editorial) -- State officials ought to pay attention to this post-Katrina lesson: It's pretty outrageous when average working people don't merit a crack at the jobs their own tax dollars created. It's not good business and it's not good politics, either.
■ Today from AP -- Philadelphia transit strike enters second day -- travel nightmares continue for nearly half a million people with no end in sight; no new labor negotiations are scheduled.
■ In today's LA Times -- California workers' comp changes hurting treatment, medical study says -- Insurance carriers are interfering with cases by denying or underpaying claims, doctors contend.
■ In today's Seattle P-I -- Presidential promise: Rove must go (editorial) -- Firing Karl Rove would begin to restore integrity to White House assurances that no senior official had leaked the identity of a CIA agent. Before lowering the ethical bar, Bush promised to fire anyone involved. As a special prosecutor has found, Rove was up to his ears in exposing Valerie Plame Wilson.
■ Today from AP -- White House spokesman rejects call for Rove firing, Bush apology

"Scalito" news: ■ Today at AFLCIO.org -- Sweeney: Bush caters to far right with Alito nomination -- On issues of equality, workers� rights and the power of our elected representatives in Congress to improve Americans� lives, Judge Samuel Alito has repeatedly put basic rights at risk.
■ At the House of Labor blog -- "Scalito" on workers' rights -- What's striking is that he's so hostile to the basic right of workers to have a day in court, much less interpreting the law in their favor.
■ Today from BusinessWeek.org -- Why big business likes Alito -- In the 800-plus opinions he has penned during his 15 years as a federal judge, Alito consistently has come down on the side of limiting corporate liability, limiting employee rights, and limiting federal regulation.
■ Bender's October 2005 column -- CEOs aren't sweating Bush nominations (and they still aren't)

Previous weeks' news: Oct. 24-28 -- Oct. 17-20 -- Oct. 10-14

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2005
Pierce County CLC secretary Marcia Williams passes away

The following message was distributed this afternoon by the executive officers of the Pierce County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO:

Brothers and Sisters,

Friday morning, November 4th, the long time secretary of the Pierce County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Sister Marcia Williams, unexpectedly passed away. Marcia served our council for over eighteen years and was weeks away from retirement.

Our hearts are hurting as our council sends out condolences to her husband, Brother Al Williams (UFCW Delegate to the PCCLC), her son Brett Williams in Houston, Texas, and her daughter RaeAnn Williams of the Seafarers International Union, who is currently on a ship in the Gulf of Mexico.

Marcia was a dedicated worker to the labor movement in Pierce County and the State of Washington. It lifts our spirits to know that her good work will live on in perpetuity. She will be greatly missed by all. We will forward information regarding services, when it becomes available.

On behalf of the Officers and Executive Board members
of the Pierce County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO

Patty Rose, Secretary-Treasurer
Vance Lelli , President

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2005
CALL TO ACTION: Help with final push to defeat Initiative 912

Thank you to all the union officers, members and other supporters of the 2005 investment in our state's transportation infrastructure -- and economic future -- for all of your hard work educating your family, friends and co-workers about why they should oppose Initiative 912. The Washington State Labor Council, the rest of organized labor, the state's business community, Democrats and Mainstream Republicans are all united in opposing I-912.

For the first time, new polls show the measure trailing, but these polls have been wrong before, especially regarding tax-cutting initiatives. So the No-on-912 campaign is mounting a final -- and massive -- push this weekend and on Election Day.

Please volunteer to participate in this effort. Here's what you can do:

VOLUNTEER TO "HELP GET OUT THE VOTE" -- With such a close election expected, this "Get Out the Vote" effort will be critical. The campaign needs volunteers who would be willing to donate about 2-3 hours to call voters. Volunteers will be supplied with a GOTV packet including telephone numbers, a script, and additional information to make your experience as fun and easy as possible. Volunteers can make the calls at their leisure over the weekend and on into Election Day. Each packet will contain approximately 100 calls -- all voters will be key in defeating I-912.

Email kristiengland@aol.com to sign-up and get your GOTV packet -- and make sure you tell her your union sent you!

The No on 912 campaign also plans to do signwaving on Monday and Tuesday at the Viaduct, 520, HWY 167, 405, I-5, 518/509 and SR9. For information about volunteering, call 206-972-0385.

TALK TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS ABOUT I-912 -- Explain to your family, friends and co-workers about why they should "Say No to More of the Same" and vote against I-912 (if they haven't already). Union members can download county-specific fliers explaining which local transportation projects will be among the 274 statewide that will be halted if I-912 passes; that I-912 means traffic congestion will continue; and I-912 will cost us more money in the end.

VOTE! -- Make sure you send in your mail ballot by Tuesday, or vote at the polls that day. Then make sure your family members have done that same, and that they oppose I-912.

Again, thank you for all your efforts to oppose Initiative 912 and preserve the 2005 transportation package.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2005
Twenty Washington newspapers urge voters to reject I-330

What are Washington's newspapers saying about Initiative 330?

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, and hell no.

Twenty newspaper editorial boards across Washington state (plus the Oregonian) are urging voters to reject I-330, a measure backed by the pharmaceutical and insurance industries to cap medical malpractice damages for victims of healthcare errors and negligence. Delegates representing the affiliated unions of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO voted at the 2005 WSLC Convention to oppose I-330.

The newspapers that have studied the controversial, complicated I-330 have declared it to be bad policy with no regard for the negative effect it would have on the people of Washington . I-330 does nothing to relieve the burden of high malpractice insurance rates for our doctors, provides enormous benefits for the insurance industry, and takes away fundamental rights from the people of our state.

Here are some of the highlights of the newspaper editorials regarding I-330:

I-330'S PROPOSED CAP

Seattle Times: I-330 ads about the cap "deceptive." -- "I-330 limits malpractice awards for non-economic damages to $350,000 for medical negligence -- not $1 million as ads deceptively claim..." -- Oct. 2 editorial urging NO on I-330

The News Tribune: The cap would be unjust. -- "The wrongful death of a stay-at-home mother might not be a huge economic loss, but is nevertheless a crushing, lifelong source of grief. In such instances, a one size-fits-all cap of $350,000 would simply be unjust." -- Oct. 9 editorial urging No on I-330

The Olympian: "...There is no convincing evidence anywhere in the country that a cap on noneconomic damages alone will accomplish the goal of ending the insurance crisis and curbing malpractice rates for doctors." -- Oct. 9 editorial urging NO on I-330

SIGNING AWAY RIGHTS IN ORDER TO RECEIVE MEDICAL CARE -- Section 8, paragraph 2 of I-330 will require patients in Washington state to sign away their right to their day in court in order to receive medical care.

Seattle Times: This requirement is "untenable." -- "An untenable flaw in I-330 is the law would permit care providers to require that patients agree to mandatory binding arbitration..." -- Oct. 2 editorial urging NO on I-330

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "Not just no, but hell no." -- "The most outrageous provision in I-330 is that before treating you, issuing you health insurance or a prescription, providers could require you to sign a contract saying: 'You are giving up your right to a jury or court trial. Forcing people to sign their rights away as a condition of treatment is something this state's feisty, independent voters should never accept'." -- Oct. 30 opinion column urging hell NO on I-330

THE COST OF MEDICAL MALPRACTICE INSURANCE -- The insurance industry is raising rates while making record profits. Even if I-330 passes, they still do not have to lower doctors' insurance rates. Insurance rates are not even mentioned in I-330.

The Tri-City Herald: I-330 does not address malpractice insurance rates. "I-330 -- which is supposed to put the brakes on rising insurance rates -- never addresses the issue." -- Oct. 30 editorial urging NO on I-330

The Olympian: "It's a crisis in the insurance industry." -- "There is no way to get at the malpractice insurance rates without addressing the insurance companies, and that's not mentioned in I-330." -- Oct. 9 editorial urging NO on I-330

FULL LIST OF NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL ENDORSEMENTS

No on I-330 -- Bainbridge Island Review (Oct. 12)
Yes to victims, no to insurance companies -- Bellingham Herald, (Oct. 28)
Initiative Malpractice -- Daily World (Oct. 31)
Yes to victims, no to insurance companies -- Everett Enterprise (Oct. 21)
I-330 doesn't offer right prescription -- Everett Herald (Nov. 2)
Voters would do well to reject -- Longview Daily News (Oct. 25)
Just vote no -- Kitsap Sun, (Oct. 23)
No on I-330 -- Northwest Asian Weekly (Oct. 28)
No on I-330 -- Oregonian (Oct. 30)
Caps won�t solve insurance crisis -- Olympian (Oct. 9)
First things first taken action -- Real Change (Oct. 20)
Voters should reject I-330 -- Seattle Times (Oct. 2)
I-330: Not just no, but hell no -- Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Oct. 30)
Initiative 330-Vote No -- Seattle Stranger (Oct. 20)
Monetary Limit -- Seattle Weekly (Oct. 26)
Slew of useless initiatives stuff statewide ballot -- Skagit Valley Herald (Oct. 16)
I-330, I-336 are too broad-based -- Spokesman Review (Oct. 16)
I-330 and I-336: None of the above -- Tacoma News Tribune (Oct. 9)
No on I-330 -- Tri-City Herald (Oct. 30)
Two initiatives, two no votes -- Wenatchee World (Oct. 19)
Both malpractice initiatives should be rejected -- Walla Walla Union Bulletin (Oct. 16)

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2005
Rep. Smith: Congress must investigate White House lies, leaks

Did you ever wonder
what 2,000 looks like?

U.S. soldiers killed before this photo: 137
U.S. soldiers killed since this photo: 1,890

Between 26,797 and 30,163 Iraqi civilians have been killed since the U.S. invaded Iraq. Of the 2,027 U.S. military personnel killed there so far, 1,890 of them have died since President Bush declared an end to major combat operations on May 1, 2003.

Those counts include the 6 U.S. soldiers killed Monday -- making October one of the deadliest for U.S. troops in Iraq -- but do not include the 4 U.S. soldiers killed today.

Delegates from WSLC-affiliated unions have passed a resolution calling for "an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, the immediate implementation of a plan to turn over sovereignty to the people of Iraq and the return of U.S. troops to their homes and families."

The following guest opinion column by U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (D-9th) appears in today's edition of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

Did the Bush White House, in a deliberate and organized manner, misrepresent the truth to Congress, the American people and the world in making its case for the military invasion of Iraq? This is a critical question that demands a clear answer. To this point, Congress has abdicated its responsibility to investigate all the facts. That must change.

Last week, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was indicted in the ongoing investigation by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald into the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame. The alleged actions of Libby, and perhaps Bush senior adviser Karl Rove and others in the White House, to leak classified information in this case appear to have been aimed at discrediting, or threatening, Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joe Wilson. By CIA request, Wilson had gone to Niger to examine the Bush administration's charge that Saddam Hussein had tried to acquire uranium for a nuclear weapon. Convinced this was not true, Wilson had written an Op-Ed in The New York Times debunking the claim.

Congress has a clear role to play in this issue, because Fitzgerald's investigation seeks only to punish criminal action and does not deal with the much broader issue of whether the White House deliberately misled the American people. Congress, both in its responsibility to exercise oversight of federal government action and because we received much of the potentially incorrect information being put out by the administration on Iraq, has the duty of ensuring open and honest communication between the White House and Congress.

And yet this Congress has not looked into the matter at all. The same Congress that launched investigations into the suicide of Clinton aide Vince Foster and the hiring actions of the Clinton White House with regard to their travel office, among countless other investigations, has sat silent on the critical issue of whether the White House deliberately put out false information in an effort to push our nation into war.

In an effort to get Congress to investigate this important issue, I have co-sponsored a resolution of inquiry calling for the White House to turn over to Congress all information involving the White House Iraq Group. The WHIG was comprised of key White House leaders including Libby, Rove and Condoleezza Rice. They were tasked to make the case for going to war in Iraq in an effort to convince Congress and the American public to support that policy.

White House assertions that aluminum tubes purchased by Iraq had to be part of a nuclear weapons program, that Iraq had tried to purchase uranium from Niger and that we could not afford to let "the smoking gun be a mushroom cloud" all appear to have come from the WHIG. We need to know how they got that information -- which we now know to be false -- and whether they deliberately misrepresented the facts. The administration and its supporters often have dismissed the need for an investigation by arguing that everybody thought Saddam had WMD. They seem to mistakenly believe that this assertion makes it irrelevant whether the administration lied.

A legitimate case existed for threatening force against Saddam if he did not allow international inspectors back into Iraq, perhaps even for the ultimate use of that force. Saddam had sought nuclear as well as chemical and biological weapons in the past. In fact, the world discovered after the first Gulf War that Iraq was much further along in the development of a nuclear weapon than we previously thought. Saddam had kicked international inspectors out in 1998, and had shown clear hostile intentions toward other nations in his region and to the United States. By late 2002, we did not know what WMD Iraq had or was trying to develop. Arguably, we could not afford not to know. The inspectors had to go back in and the only way to do that was to threaten military force.

But this is not the case the administration made. The holes that have appeared in the case they made have done deep and lasting damage to our standing in the world and have undermined the confidence the American people have in their government. Congress can begin to repair this damage by getting to the bottom of the administration's actions during the build up to the Iraq war. Anything less does not fulfill our responsibility to the American people.

Democrat Adam Smith represents Washington's 9th Congressional District.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2005
Wal-Mart's scared you'll see this movie... so host a screening!

Wal-Mart is afraid -- very afraid -- that you are going to see a movie.

WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price takes you behind the television advertisements and public-relations spin of the world's largest retailer, and into the real lives of workers and their families, business owners and their communities, in an extraordinary journey that will challenge the way you think, feel... and shop.

Wal-Mart is so afraid of this documentary that it is running a smear campaign against the movie's trailer and its director, Robert Greenwald, who also directed the critically acclaimed documentary Outfoxed. The New York Times reports today (free registration required) that, in preparation for the movie's release, Wal-Mart has hired veteran political operatives from the Reagan and Clinton administrations to set up a public-relations war room to spew press releases, phone calls to reporters and instant Web postings.

Made on a shoestring budget of $1.8 million, the movie and will be released today in only about two dozen theaters. So its director and producers are relying on a unique grassroots strategy of distributing the movie. That's where YOU come in...

CALL TO ACTION: Buy the movie; screen it at your church, union hall or home; and/or attend one of several screenings already scheduled around Washington state (see list below).

The DVD is already available for purchase online; with orders being shipped next week. Single copies are $12.95 plus shipping; boxes of 30 DVDs are $240 (just $8 each) plus shipping.
You or your union can host a screening of the movie. Producers are looking to book thousands of churches, family businesses, schools, living rooms, community centers, and parking lots the week of Nov. 13. The cost to you is $10 to purchase a discounted DVD screening kit, and whatever you choose to spend on the screening/party yourself.
Following is a list of screenings already scheduled around Washington state (click here for the latest list). Click on the city links to RSVP and reserve your seat(s) or to contact the host.

CITY DATE/TIME SEATS HOST

Anacortes Nov 19 7:00PM 30 The Business

Auburn Nov 13 6:00PM 65 UFCW Local 81

Battle Ground Nov 13 6:30PM 250 Battle Ground United Methodist Church

Bellevue Nov 16 7:00PM 100 Eastside Earth Education, Evergreen Peace and Justice Community

Bellingham Nov 13 11:00AM 40 Bellingham First Congregational Church

Bellingham Nov 14 7:30PM 200 Western Washington University

Bellingham Nov 15 7:00PM 50 Organic Press

Bellingham Nov 16 7:00PM 75 NW Washington Central Labor Council

Bremerton Nov 19 7:00PM 200 Kitsap Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Burlington Nov 16 7:30PM 60 The People's Seminary

Chelan Nov 19 2:00PM 150 Lake Chelan Valley Citizen's Alliance

Clinton Nov 17 7:30PM 40

E. Wenatchee Nov 13 7:00PM 150

Edmonds Nov 19 7:00PM 40 Edmonds UU Church

Ellensburg Nov 13 7:00PM 100 Peace & Justice Alliance

Ellensburg Nov 15 7:00PM 50 Central Washington University College Democrats

Federal Way Nov 15 7:00PM 30 Federal Way Citizens for responsible development

Federal Way Nov 17 7:00PM 30

Friday Harbor Nov 13 7:00PM 50 Parent Partner Program

Mount Vernon Nov 18 7:00PM 60 Skagit Unitarian Fellowship

Mount Vernon Nov 18 7:00PM 60 Skagit Unitarian Fellowship

Olympia Nov 13 7:00PM 133 The Evergreen State College Labor Education and Research Center

Olympia Nov 17 12:00PM 50 South Puget Sound Community College

Richland Nov 19 7:30PM 100 Democracy for America

Seattle Nov 13 1:30PM 50 University Unitarian Church

Seattle Nov 13 2:00PM 40 Magnolia UCC

Seattle Nov 13 2:00PM 100 Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center

Seattle Nov 13 3:00PM 70 Grand Illusion Theater

Seattle Nov 13 7:00PM 0 Seattle Pacific University's Young Democrats

Seattle Nov 13 7:00PM 118

Seattle Nov 13 7:30PM 10

Seattle Nov 13 9:00PM 118

Seattle Nov 14 7:30PM 100 Stand Up Seattle

Seattle Nov 16 7:00PM 70 Grand Illusion Theater

Seattle Nov 16 7:00PM 50 The Interra Project

Seattle Nov 16 7:30PM 75 none

Seattle Nov 16 8:00PM 50 Bozu Soku

Seattle Nov 18 7:00PM 100 NOW & Wallingford Movies

Seattle Nov 18 7:00PM 80

Seattle Nov 19 8:00PM 10

Seattle Nov 15 6:00PM 20 United Steelworkers

Shelton Nov 15 6:00PM 40 Green Party of Mason County

Shoreline Nov 16 7:00PM 200 Worldly Philosophers' and Dismal Scientists' Society - Shoreline

Spokane Nov 13 7:30PM 100 Jesus Wears Fair Trade

Spokane Nov 16 10:30AM 400 Spokane Falls Community College

Spokane Nov 17 6:30PM 15

Tacoma Nov 15 2:30PM 30 Tacoma Public Schools

Tacoma Nov 15 3:00PM 35 Tacoma Public Schools

Tacoma Nov 17 8:00PM 200 Pacific Lutheran University Democrats

Vancouver Nov 13 7:30PM 8

Vancouver Nov 16 6:30PM 150 Peace and Justice Group

Vancouver Nov 18 7:00PM 200 Progressive Movies

Vashon Nov 19 7:00PM 50 Vashon DFA

Walla Walla Nov 17 3:30PM 50 Warriors for Peace

Walla Walla Nov 17 3:30PM 50 Warriors for Peace

If you have news items regarding unions or workplace issues in Washington state that you would like to see posted here, please submit them via e-mail to David Groves or via fax to 206-285-5805.