Legislative news:  ▪  Urge panel to advance Aerospace Incentive Accountability Act -- The House Finance Committee must hear and pass HB 2351 by Monday for the bill to survive.

Legislative news:
▪  In today's Seattle P-I -- Health care, dogs in bars still alive in Olympia (post-cutoff roundup) -- Crane safety bill survives, but the bill restricting payday loan practices does not.
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Bipartisan surgery saves health plan -- Leaders on the House Health Care Committee will announce a compromise bill today on a new statewide insurance pool.
▪  In today's Olympian -- "Simple majority" for school levies fails -- Despite watering it down with a November-only election provision, it gets only 31 of the 33 Senate votes necessary. Democratic Sens. Ken Jacobsen and Tim Sheldon voted "no." Sen. Brown says she'll try again this session.
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Sen. Val Stevens' comments create a stir -- She says she disagrees with the state constitution's assertion that funding education is the state's paramount duty.
▪  Today from AP -- House passes mental health bill -- Even small companies would have to offer insurance coverage for mental health treatment equal to their medical coverage under HB 1460.
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- No broken promise to end gainsharing (editorial) -- Gregoire's bill to phase out pension "gainsharing" for state and local government workers is a reasonable compromise between the interests of public employees and taxpayers, and ought to be accepted.
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- NASCAR deserves checkered flag (op-ed) -- If the public is to have a truly credible voice in this process, then facts, rather than opinions on this project, must be made clear. Economic-impact studies scrutinized by the state's Office of Financial Management state that the project will put more money into the state's general fund than it will take out.
▪  In today's Oregonian -- In stunner, Oregon legislators reach bipartisan deal on savings -- Lawmakers forge a deal with a rainy day account and a higher corporate minimum tax.

Local news:
▪  In yesterday's Bellingham Herald -- Whatcom County bans big retailers for 6 months -- It is now the fourth jurisdiction locally to impose temporary or permanent bans on large retail development.
▪  In today's Tri-City Herald -- Walla Walla port, firefighters feuding -- The port and a firefighters union may have another showdown after the resignation of one of the airport's three rescue firefighters.
▪  In today's Everett Herald -- Interest is growing in Boeing's 747-8 -- The company says it is in talks with 15 companies in Europe, Asia and the Middle East about sales of its new, longer 747 jet.
▪  In today's News Tribune -- Rep. Adam Smith endorses Sen. Barack Obama for president 

National news: ▪  Vote TODAY on Employee Free Choice Act -- The U.S. House is debating the most important labor law reform in decades. Read Rick Bender's latest column on the EFCA.
▪  In today's NY Times -- Plans by Airbus to eliminate jobs and shed plants sets off labor protests -- Nearly 14,000 blue- and white-collar employees in France stopped work as long as two hours... “The response has been massive,” says one union leader. “This is just the beginning.”
▪  In today's NY Times -- Bush aides pledge work for immigration bill -- But they publicly distance themselves from proposals that would place most illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship.
▪  In today's LA Times -- Colorado to use prison inmates to fill migrant shortage -- Tough laws passed last year against illegal immigration have created a need for farm workers.

The Washington State Labor Council, the International Association of Machinists District 751, and the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace/IFPTE are urging all union members with Democratic state representatives on the House Finance Committee to contact their representative and urge him or her to advance HB 2351, the Aerospace Incentive Accountability Act.

HB 2351 would prevent recipients of the $3.2 billion in aerospace tax breaks approved in 2003 from forcing their employees to attend "captive audience" meetings to coerce employees to reject unionization.  The bill needs to get a public hearing and be passed from the House Finance Committee by Monday, March 5 to stay alive in Olympia.  

ACTION ALERT:  If you live one of the following legislative districts, please CLICK HERE to send a message supporting HB 2351 to your representative:

• 48th LD (Rep. Ross Hunter, the committee chair)

• 1st LD (Rep. Mark Ericks)

• 11th LD (Rep. Bob Hasegawa)

• 29th LD (Rep. Steve Conway)

• 37th LD (Rep. Sharon Santos)

• 46th LD (Rep. Jim McIntire).

What is HB 2351?

Those of you who have participated in union organizing drives know that employees are often required to attend “captive audience” meetings where employers, or their highly paid "union-avoidance consultants," force, intimidate, or coerce workers into listening to their own political, religious, or union views.  Employees are sometimes fired or disciplined for speaking up at these meetings or refusing to attend.  National Labor Relations Board statistics show that every 17 minutes of every workday in America, a worker is penalized or fired in the U.S. for supporting a union. 

HB 2351 will do three very important things to ensure that businesses that receive the taxpayers' aerospace incentives adhere to some fundamental standards of corporate citizenship:

1. Makes it unlawful for employer receiving these tax incentives to require employees to attend or participate in meetings where the employer lectures on religion, politics, or labor organizing.
   
2. Prohibits the discharge or discipline of employees who report such meetings.
   
3. Provides a civil court remedy for injunctive and equitable relief as well as a two-year bar on the aerospace tax incentives if an employer is found to have forced employees to intend these intimidating "captive audience" meetings.