WSLC Reports Today -- July 11, 2006

EARLIER THIS WEEK
MONDAY

WSLC Reports Today
Updated DAILY... Almost Every Day™ by 9 a.m.

Links are functional at date of posting, but sometimes expire. Some links require free registration. WSLC Reports Today links to stories of interest to organized labor; some positive, some negative. The intention is to inform.

Joe Crump, UFCW leader and respected labor lobbyist, dies at 53
▪ In the Grand Rapids Press -- Union leader's humor shined -- Joe Crump "was the most honest
and frank person I've ever known," says one friend. "He had such a big heart and welcoming personality. And he had the ability to make you laugh through any kind of circumstances."

TUESDAY, JULY 11 ▪ Nurses, others rally to protect union voice at work -- Hundreds urge Virginia Mason to end attack on registered nurses' union rights and for the NLRB to allow oral arguments before issuing Kentucky River decisions redefining "supervisors."
▪ Today at KING5.com -- Virginia Mason nurses rally against reclassification as "supervisors"
(Click on "Video on Demand" at left, and then select the Virginia Mason video link.)
▪ In today's News Tribune -- Bush's NLRB seems poised to cripple American labor (op-ed by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and WSLC President Rick Bender) -- As if it weren’t difficult enough to make ends meet these days, the Bush-appointed NLRB is poised take away the one avenue to economic security left for America’s workers: the freedom to form and join unions.
▪ TAKE ACTION at AFLCIO.org -- Stop Bush's NLRB from taking away your freedom to form a union

Local news:
▪ In today's Spokesman-Review -- "Big box" living wage effort moves ahead -- An initiative to raise the minimum wage for workers at large retail stores in Spokane is cleared for signature gathering.

Political news:
▪ In the Seattle Times -- Preserving an independent judiciary (op-ed) -- Accusing the State Supreme Court of a "lack of judicial restraint" is a baseless charge and a Trojan horse being used to camouflage an attempt to take control of our appellate courts by moneyed special interests.
▪ In today's Everett Herald -- Even grassroots can't sprout without money (editorial) -- Backers of the four initiatives likely to appear on this fall's ballot raised more than $2 million combined, and nearly half of it was paid to firms that gather voter signatures. Yep, initiative signature-gathering is now an industry... which pretty much takes the "grassroots" out of the initiative movement.
▪ In today's Seattle P-I -- Do hires make her Maria, Queen of Smarts? (Jamieson column) -- Cantwell is showing campaign savvy, along with her often invisible but considerable power of persuasion.
▪ In today's Kitsap Sun -- McGavick returns to Kitsap with improved poll numbers
▪ In today's Yakima H-R -- GOP field to replace state Rep. Jim Clements is getting crowded

National news:
▪ In today's LA Times -- China's trade surplus rises to another record
▪ In today's NY Times -- Investigators find Medicare drug plans often give incorrect, incomplete info
▪ In today's NY Times -- Another mission "accomplished" (editorial) -- Today's mid-session budget review is expected to project that this year’s deficit will be somewhat less gargantuan than last year’s -- probably somewhere between $280 billion and $300 billion, versus a $318 billion shortfall in 2005. That’s not much to crow about -- but President Bush will anyway.
▪ In today's LA Times -- Safeway is dismissed from suit -- The grocer is dismissed from an antitrust suit over the mutual-aid agreement during the Southern California labor dispute two years ago.

Earlier this week: MONDAY, 7/10
Last week: Wednesday, 7/5 -- Thursday, 7/6 -- Friday, 7/7

TUESDAY, JULY 11, 2006
Nurses, others rally to protect union voice at work
Area nurses protest Virginia Mason attempt to silence nurses' voices
as NLRB prepares reclassify millions as "supervisors" with no union rights

OTHER PRESS COVERAGE

▪ Today at KING5.com -- Virginia Mason nurses rally against reclassification as "supervisors" (Click "Video on Demand" at left, and select the Virginia Mason video link.)

▪ In today's News Tribune -- Bush's NLRB seems poised to cripple American labor (op-ed by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and WSLC President Rick Bender) -- As if it weren’t difficult enough to make ends meet these days, the Bush-appointed NLRB is poised take away the one avenue to economic security left for America’s workers: the freedom to form and join unions.

▪ In the Seattle Weekly -- Showdown at Virginia Mason -- Decisions expected this summer from the Bush-appointed NLRB could nullify the union memberships of millions.

▪ In Mother Jones magazine -- A new assault on workers' rights (op-ed) -- The last thing America's workers need is another economic kick in the groin, but the Bush labor board is poised to deliver what could be its lowest and most devastating blow yet.

SEATTLE -- Hundreds of workers in other industries joined nurses and other health care workers at a rally Monday outside Virginia Mason Medical Center to protest efforts by the hospital to reclassify all 600 of its registered nurses as "supervisors," taking away their union voice to speak up for quality patient care.

Virginia Mason's move comes at a time workers across America are bracing for important National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rulings expected to redefine who can be considered "supervisors," which would deny them the right to form unions. The decisions will affect not just the health care industry, but also building and construction, energy, broadcasting, port shipping and other industries to potentially deny more than one million of workers the right to join unions.

In an ongoing court case, Virginia Mason is attempting to re-label all 600 of its registered nurses as "supervisors," and thus not eligible to be part of a union, taking away their right to speak with a united voice through the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA). Participants in today's rally said this fight is just beginning.

"This effort by Virginia Mason Medical Center is an outrageous abuse of their employees' rights and must not stand," said Rick Bender, president of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. "Virginia Mason's actions serve as a sobering wake-up call for all workers that employers are awaiting these NLRB decisions, and are poised to immediately declare their employees to be 'supervisors' and take away their union voice. This is nothing short of a major assault on American workers' freedom of association."

Virginia Mason nurses at today's rally expressed alarm and anger that hospital management even considered such a strategy.

"The WSNA, our union, gives us a voice at the workplace which allows us to be true patient advocates," said James O'Halloran, a registered nurse at Virginia Mason. "Recruitment and retention -- and ultimately quality patient care -- will suffer if registered nurses are no longer eligible to join together to speak out about our work environment and safe patient care."

The NLRB is expected to announce its rulings some time this summer on three pending cases often referred to as the "Kentucky River" decisions. The decisions will likely significantly broaden the definition of "supervisors" who, according to federal labor law, can be denied the freedom to form or join unions. Those at risk of losing these workplace rights are skilled and experienced workers who, as part of their jobs, give instructions to lesser skilled, less-experienced co-workers.

Those at today's rally called on the NLRB to accept oral arguments in the three Kentucky River cases, which would allow advocates for the affected workers to state their case. The rally was part of a nationwide effort this week -- which has included tens of thousands of phone calls and e-mails to Congress -- to appeal to the NLRB for this opportunity. The Bush-appointed NLRB has refused since 2001 to hear oral arguments in any case. Prior Boards have wanted oral arguments in cases of great significance. This is the only 5-year period in the last 25 years in which the Board has refused to allow oral arguments in any case.

Today's rally outside Virginia Mason Medical Center included members of dozens of unions, including WSNA, SEIU 1199NW, United Staff Nurses/UFCW 141, several building and construction trades unions, Teamsters, International Longshore and Warehouse Union, United Food and Commercial Workers, American Federation of Government Employees, Washington State Jobs with Justice, and the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

TUESDAY, JULY 11, 2006
UFCW leader, respected labor lobbyist Joe Crump dies at 53

Joseph D. Crump, Political and Legislative Director for the UFCW Washington State Council, died Saturday at his home in Puyallup. He was 53.

Joe's friends and colleagues expressed shock and sadness upon learning of his sudden passing.

“Joe was not only an effective and respected representative for members of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, he was an outspoken and powerful advocate for all working families in Washington state, especially on health care issues,” said Rick Bender, President of the Washington State Labor Council. “We cannot overstate what a loss this is for this state’s labor movement, and for those of us who worked closely with Joe and considered him our good friend.”

Born in Detroit in 1953, Joe went to work as a bagger at the Meijer Supermarket located in Battle Creek, Mich., at the age of 17. After graduating from high school, he transferred to the Meijer Thrifty Acres combo-store in Ypsilanti, Mich. At age 18, he became a union steward and at age 19, he was elected to the Executive Board of UFCW Local 951, headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich. Five years later, he was elected as Secretary-Treasurer of the local, eventually serving for nine consecutive 3-year terms.

During his tenure with UFCW Local 951, in addition to his constitutional duties of serving as a financial trustee and approving all expenditures, he directed the servicing, organizing, collective bargaining and political/legislative departments of the local. Joe was the longest tenured member of Local 951’s Executive Board, serving on it for 31 years.

Effective on January 1, 2005, Joe became the Political/Legislative Director of the newly chartered UFCW Washington State Council. The Council was formed by nine UFCW Washington Local Unions for the express purpose of engaging in political and legislative action.

Joe's family in Michigan will conduct a memorial service for him there, and then a celebration of his life will be planned here in Washington state. We will share details of both as soon as they are available.

▪ Also see, in the Grand Rapids Press -- Union leader's humor shined -- Joe Crump "was the most honest
and frank person I've ever known," says one friend. "He had such a big heart and welcoming personality. And he had the ability to make you laugh through any kind of circumstances."

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.