WSLC Reports Today -- July 17, 2006

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WSLC Reports Today
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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.

MONDAY, JULY 17 ▪ Memorial services for UFCW leader Joe Crump scheduled -- A celebration of Joe Crump's life will be held Monday, August 7 at 6 p.m. in Seattle. Joe's family in Michigan will conduct funeral services this Friday, July 21. A memorial fund has been established in Joe's name to build a playground for inner-city kids in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Olympia news: ▪ State employee health care talks break down; contact the governor
▪ In Friday's Olympian -- Health care costs mired in dispute -- In the (existing) contract, the state agreed to pay $744 a month for each worker's benefits this year. But the state never used all the money it set aside for those costs.... The state is obligated to spend all the money it budgeted for unionized workers' health care before any talk of increasing costs can take place, says WFSE's Greg Devereux. But this week the state proposed to double the amount workers would pay toward their benefits. "They're violating our contract to begin with, and then ask us for double the amount of money? And this is a governor who said she wants to think outside the box?"
▪ In today's Olympian -- No new date set for talks on state employee health care (brief)

Local news:
▪ In Real Change -- Sticking together: Nurses don't want Virginia Mason to strip away their union -- "Shame on Virginia Mason,” said Washington State Labor Council President Rick Bender at the rally. “Their action is an attack on workers, working families, and the right to unionize.”
▪ In Sunday's Bellingham Herald -- L&I studies major shift for workers' compensation claims -- The Legislature approved a two-year pilot project giving workers the option of filing claims through their employer, as is done in most states, as opposed to through their health care provider.
▪ In the P.S. Business Journal -- P-I union (Newspaper Guild/CWA) tentatively OKs contract
▪ In the P.S. Business Journal -- BPA's rate plan under fire -- The agency wants to cut its wholesale power rate to an average of $30 per megawatt hour beginning Oct. 1, down from an average of $31.46 over the past five years. But many want the agency to cut its rate further, in some cases as low as $27. The BPA is scheduled to announce today its rate for the next two years.
▪ In the P.S. Business Journal -- BPA could boost Northwest economy by cutting its rates (editorial)
▪ In today's Bellingham Herald -- Young adult forgoing health insurance -- While just 17% of people younger than 65 are 19 to 29 years old, some 30% of uninsured people are in the age range.

Paris Hilton update:
▪ In the PSBJ -- Estate tax: How the rich repay community (by former Starbucks exec Howard Behar) -- I don't sympathize with the wealthy families that have spent millions to abolish the estate tax. Passing on unlimited inheritances is not only bad for our children, it is also unhealthy for a democracy to tolerate concentrations of hereditary wealth and power. It is more important to give our kids educational opportunities and encourage them to make their own way... I have a moral responsibility to all children, not just my own, to ensure access to quality education.

Political news:
▪ At the Horses Ass blog -- Eyman's I-917 "on the bubble" -- Eyman had claimed to have turned in over 300,000 signatures, but the Secretary of State’s office has only counted about 266,000. A rejection rate of about 15.5% or more would nix the car-tab initiative. Meanwhile, about 3,000 of I-917’s petitions came back without signed declarations -- that could account for as many as 60,000 signatures, more than enough to keep I-917 off the ballot if they are disqualified.
▪ In the Seattle Times -- Democrats pumped as Burner again outpaces Reichert in fundraising
▪ In today's Yakima H-R -- New Mexico Gov. Richardson stumps in Sunnyside for Cantwell
▪ In today's SF Chronicle -- Democrats hope minimum wage push pays off
▪ In today's NY Times -- Arizona ballot could become lottery ticket -- A proposal to award $1 million in every general election to one lucky resident, chosen by lottery, simply for voting -- no matter for whom -- has qualified for the November ballot in Arizona.

Boeing news:
▪ Today from AP -- Boeing: 787 problems won't disrupt delivery -- It's overweight and experiencing delays with some suppliers, but remains on budget and on schedule, the company says.
▪ In the P.S. Business Journal -- 1,600 working on Boeing jet to hunt, sink submarines
▪ Today from AP -- Airbus brands new plane A350-XWB; it's designed to compete with 787

National news:
▪ In the SF Chronicle -- Businesses quietly embrace benefits for gay domestic partners
▪ From AP -- Foreign companies buying U.S. roads, bridges -- Roads and bridges built by U.S. taxpayers are starting to be sold off, and so far foreign-owned companies are doing the buying.
▪ In today's NY Times -- On dusty corner, day laborers band together for more pay -- At a few dozen sites across the country, they have set minimums, usually $8 or $10 an hour, but at one corner in a well-to-do town northwest of Los Angeles, they been bold enough to insist on $15. Their move is a risky experiment, reminiscent of crude unionization efforts of a century ago.

Last week: MONDAY, 7/10 -- TUESDAY, 7/11 -- WEDNESDAY, 7/12 -- THURSDAY, 7/13

MONDAY, JULY 17, 2006
Memorial services for UFCW leader Joe Crump scheduled

The UFCW Washington State Council will be holding a celebration of Joe Crump's life on Monday, August 7 at 6 p.m. at UFCW Local 21's new office located at 5030 1st Ave. S. in Seattle. Joe, the Political and Legislative Director for the UFCW Washington State Council, died suddenly July 8 at his home in Puyallup. He was 53.

His family in Michigan will conduct funeral services this Friday, July 21 at the Fountain St. Church located, 24 Fountain St. NE in Grand Rapids. A memorial fund has been established to build a playground for kids in Joe's name at the Baxter Community Center which has programs for inner-city kids in Grand Rapids. Contributions can be made to the Baxter Community Center and mailed c/o Michael Hawkins CPA, 820 Burton SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49507, ATTN: Joe Crump Playground Memorial.

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.”

Since posting word of Joe's death last week, the WSLC has been flooded with comments from colleagues, friends and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle expressing their sadness and respect for Joe.

"He was all great things that a leader should be -- honest, intelligent, humble, and serving," wrote Craig Cole, President and CEO of the Bellingham-based Brown & Cole Stores. "He also had a great sense of humor and I shall miss him, as will so many others."

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.

▪ 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."

MONDAY, JULY 17, 2006
State employee health care talks break down; contact Gregoire

Following is the "Hotline" posting late Thursday night by the Washington Federation of State Employees, AFSCME Council 28:

HEALTH CARE CONTRACT TALKS BREAK DOWN
WFSE/AFSCME PRESIDENT ASKS MEMBERS TO ESCALATE JOB ACTIONS

Contract negotiations over your health benefits broke down late today after it became clear the governor’s team was not interested in addressing rank-and-file workers’ concerns over escalating health costs.

Talks ended abruptly after management presented a counterproposal that would double employees’ health insurance premium costs despite a surplus -- a surplus apparently caused by the state not living up to the amount negotiated two years ago.

Federation President Carol Dotlich called on members to escalate job actions around health care. Materials and assistance are available by calling any Federation field office. Continue to get phone calls and e-mails into the governor. More on that later.

The Federation-led coalition of all state employee unions earlier Thursday had proposed a realistic package calling for employees to pay a fair share for health premiums. The difference was a formula that would have given employees security in the percentage of total premiums they pay.

The union package also would have mandated that leftover funds would go to reducing employee health costs. And it would have prevented cost shifting to employees through higher point-of-service charges. The union proposal incorporated a clause inspired by the governor’s pre-bargaining call for collaboration; but her negotiators at the table rejected a proposed collaborative process where all sides would work for long-term solutions to escalating health costs.

Playing a big part in the break down in talks was the amount negotiated two years ago that the state is supposed to be paying now into employees’ health benefits.

Failure to live up to the current negotiated amount and proposing a package for 2007-2009 that reduces the employer’s share while doubling employee premiums ”doesn’t pass the straight face test,” said WFSE/AFSCME Executive Director Greg Devereux .

The Federation and the coalition of all state employees representing 60,000 rank-and-file workers will file a group grievance over the state’s failure to abide by the health care contract language negotiated in 2004.

In 2004, both sides negotiated the employer amount of $744 per employee per month for the second year of the contract that started July 1, 2006. But now it appears the state isn’t paying that full amount, but instead using some of it to subsidize health benefits for management and other state employees not covered by the contract.

“We negotiated $744 and we’re not getting it…,” the union coalition’s chief negotiator Steve Kreisberg told the governor’s team Wednesday.

“We’re paying $73 a month unnecessarily so they can build up reserves so they don’t have to pay as much over the next two years. It’s an incredible shell game.”

Meanwhile, the Public Employees Benefits Board is scheduled July 26 to approve the 2007 employee health plans and premium shares—based on the now disputed funding negotiated in 2004.

KEEP GETTING MESSAGES INTO THE GOVERNOR.

Tell the governor: Bargain fair health insurance with no takeaways! Doubling our premiums while cutting employer costs doesn’t cut it!

To get that message to the governor, call 1-800-562-6000, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-Noon and 1-4:30 p.m. If you can only call from your personal phone during the noon hour, we encourage you to make the long-distance call directly to the governor’s office at (360) 902-4111.

Or you can send a message online. Go to the Federation website at www.wfse.org and look for the link. Or go directly to http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/handsoffmyhealthcare and send the message.

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.