State Legislature news:
▪  In the Seattle Times -- State Dems promise to show restraint -- WSLC President Rick Bender said labor will push for paid family leave, pay increases for state workers and health-care legislation, such as a so-called "fair-share" bill that would require large companies to spend a certain amount on health-care benefits... The BIAW's Tom McCabe says he's convinced House Speaker Frank Chopp won't do anything to jeopardize the support he's won from business. Says McCabe: "He's not a left-wing Seattle liberal. He's more of a blue-collar Bremerton Democrat."
▪  In today's Olympian -- Democrats must move state forward (editorial) -- Lawmakers should: accept the negotiated agreements and budget for the state employee salary increases (and give union and nonunion employees the pay increases at the same time); continue their progress on pensions by setting aside even more money to ensure that benefits promised are delivered; expand the BHP; and get rid of the 60% supermajority requirement to pass school levies. 
▪  From AP -- Minority GOP ready for Democratic rule -- GOP leaders hope the Dems lose control of their sprawling caucuses and spend their way out of power. Says Rep. Erickson: "While they are saying they're being fiscally responsible, I imagine they'll continue to spend, spend, spend."
▪  In the (Aberdeen) Daily World -- Hatfield captures most votes for appointment to fill Doumit's seat
▪  In the Kitsap Sun -- Seaquist to undergo heart bypass surgery, expects to be ready for session
▪  In today's King County Journal -- They lost, but I-933 advocates won't quit 

Local news:
▪  In the News Tribune -- Tacoma port worker dies in accident; ILWU 23 has "lost a family member"
▪  In the News Tribune -- King County ballots add to Reichert's lead -- He leads Burner by 3,514.
▪  In the PS Business Journal -- Seattle City Light fears shortage of workers -- About 50% of the roughly 1,600 employees there are eligible for retirement in the next five years.

Boeing news:
▪  In the PS Business Journal -- IAM's Blondin wants workers to learn new technologies -- He says Boeing's 787 approach of leaving manufacturing to suppliers while it sticks to final assembly could create a new generation of Boeing workers who don't know the nuances of manufacturing with composite materials... While the union hasn't started polling members on their priorities for the next contract talks, Blondin expects wages will be a key issue. Last time, talks focused on retaining health and pension benefits and workers settled for a bonus instead of higher wages.
▪  From Bloomberg -- Boeing, Machinists reach accord in Tennessee contract dispute -- Boeing says it's reached a tentative 3-year deal with workers at a plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn., who walked off the job Aug. 6. The company said it will cut 205 jobs, or about 43% of the work force there.
▪  In the Everett Herald -- We've got a winner -- When FedEx nixed its Airbus superjumbo order and turned to Boeing for 15 777 Freighters, it confirmed what Boeing and jet experts already knew.

National news:
▪  In the St. Louis Post-Dispatch -- Unions key to Democratic victories -- Labor, dismissed by some as a fading if not irrelevant institution, was a key force in the sweeping Democratic election win.
▪  In the NY Times -- Labor movement dusts off agenda as power shifts in Congress -- In the Senate, Republicans are likely to use the filibuster to block one of labor’s most coveted pieces of legislation (the Employee Free Choice Act), a bill that would in many ways make it easier for unions to organize workers. The bill would, among other things, greatly increase penalties for companies that illegally fire workers to undermine unionization drives. Labor sees the bill, which is co-sponsored by more than 90% of House Democrats, as pivotal for reversing labor’s decline.
▪  In BusinessWeek -- The return of workers' rights? -- With Dems now running the congressional show, labor groups who turned out the vote are primed for payback. How much will they get?
▪  In today's NY Times -- Truth about the trade deficit (editorial) -- Democrats need to take a more pragmatic view of the lopsided trade situation. The surest way to make U.S. businesses more competitive -- and workers more secure -- is to resolve the nation’s health care mess. And the government must update and strengthen the safety net for workers hurt by global competition.
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Will vote change border policy? -- Immigrants and their advocates in the Northwest and around the country are looking to a newly elected Congress with renewed hope.
▪  In today's LA Times -- Democrats will seek phased withdrawal from Iraq -- "The open-ended commitment is over," a leading senator says. The pullout may begin in four to six months.