WSLC Reports Today -- August 15, 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.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 15 ▪ WSLC is fighting to uphold WA's Constitution... so should you -- If we allow the attacks of right-wing special interest groups to go unanswered we will lose our fair and impartial State Supreme Court in this fall's elections.
▪ In the (Aberdeen) Daily World -- An old-fashioned political potboiler (editorial) -- We all should do our homework as voters, examine resumes and try to find out what State Supreme Court candidates stand for, including the company they keep... Sen. Stephen Johnson’s backers have made themselves heard loud and clear. They’re the Republican Party and the conservative BIAW.

Political news:
▪ In today's Seattle P-I -- Frist takes Cantwell to task -- Stumping for Republican Mike!™ McGavick, the Senate Majority Leader accuses her of obstruction on the estate tax/minimum wage/sales tax exemption/tip penalty bill. Tip-dependent workers, carrying picket signs in support of Cantwell's vote blocking action on the bill, demonstrated outside Mike!™'s $500-a-head fundraiser at downtown Seattle's Rainier Club.
▪ In today's Seattle Times -- Fairness fouled up in tax bill (editorial) -- The sales-tax deduction's renewal was imbedded in the recent, monolithic Senate bill that would have cut the estate tax and raised the minimum wage. For Washington, the bill actually would have cut wages for tip workers. Despite the bill's good points, it was ugly for its size, haste and election-year cynicism.
▪ In today's Spokesman-Review -- Senate campaigns focus on taxes, wages -- Frist says he won't allow the minimum wage, sales-tax exemption and other elements of the monolithic bill to be voted upon separately: "I'm not going to be cherry picking... to try to appease everyone."
▪ At Horses Ass blog -- Mike!™ McGavick's revolving door -- When critics decry the revolving door of power and money that is corrupting our government, they are describing Mike!™’s career.
▪ In the Pacific NW Inlander -- Amber waves of pain -- The 5th District is largely farm country, and farm country is largely Republican, but there's nothing quixotic about Democrat Peter Goldmark's campaign. Party lines may not matter so much, he suspects, when everybody's going down together under skyrocketing costs and prices that haven't budged in generations.
▪ In today's NY Times -- Democrats see security as key issue for fall -- After being outmaneuvered in the politics of national security, Democrats are determined not to cede the issue.
▪ In today's LA Times -- Conservatives put faith in church voter drives -- Evangelicals seek to sign up a new flock of GOP supporters in states with crucial November races.

Local news:
▪ In today's Everett Herald -- Governor Gregoire gets an earful -- Nearly 500 people cram a meeting room as Gregoire hears comments on how tax dollars should be spent.
▪ In the Wenatchee World -- Report confirms ag labor shortage -- A shortage of workers affected this year’s cherry harvest and concerns growers as they prepare for pear and apple harvests.
▪ In yesterday's Columbian -- Vancouver School Board cuts jobs, passes budget

National news:
▪ At AFL-CIO Now -- AFL-CIO union movement coordinates campaigns among public employees -- Ten AFL-CIO unions will work together to help state and municipal workers win a voice at work with a Industrial Coordinating Committee, approved last week by the AFL-CIO Executive Council.
▪ At AFL-CIO Now -- Family values means paying workers enough to support their families -- Many U.S. workers are trying to balance work and home and most often, work is winning out, pushing up productivity while making our families pay the price.
▪ Today from AP -- A ceiling over their heads -- "We feel like a door's been slammed in our face," says on Wal-Mart employee's family regarding the retailer's newly imposed cap on wages.
▪ In today's NY Times -- Maybe the toughest job aloft -- Flight attendants, whose profession was once considered glamorous, have one of the toughest jobs in the airline industry these days.
▪ In today's NY Times -- Census shows growth of immigrants -- The number of immigrants living in American households rose 16% over the last five years, fueled by recent arrivals from Mexico.
▪ In today's SF Chronicle -- A "hole" lot of frustration -- The "doughnut hole" gap in the Medicare prescription drug plan leaves some seniors with a $2,850 surprise.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2006
WSLC is fighting to uphold WA's Constitution... so should you

Help get the word out!

The Washington State Labor Council has designed this flier for rank-and-file members of WSLC-affiliated unions. It explains which Supreme Court candidates have received labor's endorsement and why. Download it now and distribute it to your union's members as soon as possible, because some of these races are likely to be decided in the Sept. 19 primary.

It has been well documented by the media that special interests are organizing to take control of our Washington State Courts by recruiting their own candidates and bankrolling their campaigns with hundreds of thousands of dollars. Special interest groups that disagree with specific court rulings -- like the right-wing, anti-union Building Industry Association of Washington -- are using political intimidation to undermine the authority and legitimacy of our courts.

Citizens depend on the courts to uphold the Constitution, and to rule on every case fairly and impartially, based on the facts and the law. The courts are an important part of our democracy and provide essential balance in our government. Washington State's courts must be fair, impartial and accountable to the law and our Constitution -- not special interests. And we need judges with the courage to make decisions based on the law, even if they are unpopular.

If we allow the attacks of right-wing special interests to go unanswered we will lose our fair and impartial State Supreme Court in this fall's elections. That's why the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO has joined the Citizens to Uphold the Constitution, a broad coalition of retired judges and Washington State Bar Association presidents, community leaders and elected officials including former Gov. Gary Locke. The coalition has formed to:

Elect judges who will uphold the Washington State Constitution
Ensure everyone's Constitutional rights and justice for all
Protect our fair and impartial courts from political interference
Keep the courts accountable to the Constitution -- not special interests

You and your union organization can sign up here today to stay in the loop about the 2006 judicial elections. Please copy-and-paste this message to your co-workers, friends and families to help spread the word about the right-wing special interest attacks on fair and impartial Washington State courts.

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.