Local news:
▪  In today's News Tribune -- Pension windfall? Well... -- Thousands of state and school employees are in line to share an estimated $453 million bonus in 2008 because their pension plans have done so well in the stock market in recent years. But that bonus might never materialize because Gov. Gregoire and the State Legislature might get rid of the "gainsharing program."
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Labor judge rules in flu-shot case (brief) -- NLRB judge: Virginia Mason Medical Center did not have to bargain with the nurses union (WSNU) before imposing a requirement, but also that VMMC violated federal labor law by failing to bargain in good faith.
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Nurses at Harborview (SEIU 1199NW) protest wage proposal

Political news:
▪  In today's Seattle P-I -- $2.3 million pours into I-933 (pay-or-waive land-use) -- Proponents get cash from a Chicago-based group; opponents get it from environmental groups and wealthy people.
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Interest groups have taken over elections, PDC fears -- It directs its staff to look at ways to keep corporations, unions and trade groups from dominating the process.
▪  In today's Spokesman-Review -- McGavick calls for rebuilding foreign worker program -- The GOP Senate hopeful says farmers should have a steady and legal supply of foreign "guest workers."
▪  In today's Columbian -- Educators' rights (editorial) -- For the WEA to send its members' money to issues and causes and candidates with which they disagree without their explicit permission is a violation that the U.S. Supreme Court must correct.
▪  In today's Denver Post -- Unions win ruling on political participation -- A Colorado judge says the state's Republican Secretary of State violated union members' free-speech rights when she imposed an annual member authorization requirement on unions to spend money on politics.

Boeing news:
▪  In today's Seattle P-I -- Boeing 737s flying out the door -- For the second consecutive year, Boeing has sold more than 500 of its popular 737. Yesterday, it added 26 more orders to its 2006 tally.
▪  In today's Seattle P-I -- Air Force tanker: The right deal (editorial) -- In the long run, the taxpayers, the Air Force and even Boeing will be served by viable competition for this contract.

National news:
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Lost jobs blamed on NAFTA -- A new report argues that the record U.S. trade deficit with Canada and Mexico is costing good jobs, the opposite of what free-trade advocates promised when the NAFTA took effect in 1994.
▪  In today's NY Times -- Hundreds arrested in LA protest tied to unionizing hotel workers
▪  In today's LA Times -- Border bill takes a detour -- The Senate moves to vote on a 700-mile fence, but a surprise move to attach a farmworker program (AgJobs) is now at issue.

Torture today:
▪  Today from AP -- GOP muscles Bush's terrorism bill through the Senate -- Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray voted against the bill granting President Bush the blanket waiver he wanted for crimes Americans may have committed in the service of his antiterrorism policies. The bill repudiates a half-century of international precedent by allowing Bush to decide on his own what abusive interrogation methods he considered permissible (and then keeping it secret).
Now, Washington, brace yourself for TV attack ads against Cantwell calling her "soft on terrorism" because she didn't support this tyrannical law, as the New York Times called it. Mike "Mr. Civility" McGavick could stop them before they start, but he won't.

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.

Copyright © 2006   Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO