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May 4, 2007 |
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WSLC
Reports Today
Updated DAILY...
Almost Every Day™ by 9 a.m.
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.
FRIDAY,
MAY 4 ▪
May 15 deadline for WSLC unions to
update COPE membership lists
--
In order for WSLC-affiliated unions
to be included in the impending database match against the State Voter File,
the WSLC must have your updated lists by May 15.
Also: ▪
2007 WSLC Labor Candidate School
is June 25-28 in Kingston -- A 4-day
residential candidate school trains union members interested in candidacy
for school board, city and county council, state legislature and even such
offices as water/sewer/fire commissioner.
▪ At
TVW.org -- John
Edwards' AFL-CIO Town Hall meeting in Seattle -- Check out the video!
Local
news:
▪
In
today's Seattle Times --
Court
ruling affects in-home care benefits -- The state could spend an
additional $18 million to $20 million a year on in-home care for people who
are elderly, disabled or infirm, as the result of a new Washington Supreme
Court opinion.
▪ In
today's News Tribune --
Narrows
bridge project could cost less than expected -- The
bridge might be built with $720 million from loans -- as opposed to the $800
million authorized -- because much of the contingency money set aside for
emergencies didn’t have to be used.
▪ In
today's Seattle P-I --
Boeing
jet orders rise above 300 in '07 -- Customer orders 51 more 737s.
▪ In
today's Seattle P-I --
King
County GOP fined $40,000 for reporting violations -- The PDC finds the
county party made erroneous and late filings -- some as much as 10 months
late.
▪ In
today's Oregonian -- Oregon
bills add limits to payday lending -- Oregon moves closer to a total cap
on interest rates as the state House passes a 36% limit on consumer loans
under $50,000.
Trade
news:
▪ Today
at AFL-CIO Now -- 1.8
million U.S. jobs lost due to China trade -- Contrary to the predictions
of its supporters, China’s entry into the WTO has failed to reduce its
trade surplus with the United States or increase overall U.S. employment,
says a new report.
▪ Today
from Reuters -- Colombia
killings cloud trade deal -- Colombia must resolve U.S. concerns about a
paramilitary scandal and the unsolved murders of trade unionists if it wants
Congress to approve a free trade agreement, says a spokesman for the Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid.
▪ Today
from AP -- Charge
filed in Colombia union killings -- A feared paramilitary boss has been
charged with ordering the murders of two union leaders at a coal mine owned
by Drummond Co. Inc., an Alabama company being sued in a U.S. court for
alleged complicity in the killings.
National
news:
▪ At
physorg.com -- Study:
There is no shortage of U.S. engineers -- Corporations
complain that the U.S. math and science education system is not producing a
sufficient number of engineers to fill their needs. However, a Duke
University study calls this argument bunk, stating that there is no shortage
of engineers in the United States, and that offshoring is all about cost
savings.
▪ Today
from AP -- American
Airlines pilots say it's payback time -- They ask for a 30.5% pay raise
plus signing bonuses, which union leaders said would make up for cuts they
took in 2003.
FRIDAY,
MAY 4, 2007
May 15 deadline for unions to update COPE
membership lists
The deadline for all affiliated unions of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, to submit their updated COPE membership lists is quickly approaching. In order for local unions to be included in the impending database match against the State Voter File, the WSLC must have your updated lists in hand by May 15.
NOTE: We do not accept updates from local unions of the following international unions, which update their lists directly with the national AFL-CIO: AFSCME, AFT, USWA, CWA, LIUNA and UAW. Local unions can still receive all of the following free services after the voter match is complete.
Here's what your union local will receive FREE of charge if you submit your update in time:
-
A free match against the National Change of Address file to obtain new mailing addresses for your members who have moved, but have not provided you with their new address.
-
A free match against the National Telephone Directory to provide phone numbers for members who have not provided you with that information and those who have moved and now have a new phone number.
-
A free match against the Washington State Voter File. This information will tell you who is registered to vote, who votes by absentee ballot, what their voting frequency is, and the match assigns all election jurisdiction information, such as precinct, legislative and congressional districts to your database.
-
A free diskette or CD of your membership once all of these matches are done. You can request this information in either Access or Excel formats.
-
Free product, such as telephone lists, labels, etc. for all or any targeted segment of your membership.
Your membership list will be secure. No other union will be able to access your members' data. After the match is complete, the enhanced lists of local unions' memberships can only be received by written and signed request from that union's officers. In the many years that the WSLC has been providing this service, there has never been a security breach or case of unauthorized distribution of membership data.
Not much is free these days. But, this service from the WSLC -- which costs more than $30,000 to perform -- still is. We provide our affiliated unions with this valuable tool to help your organizations do voter registration drives, phone banks and to distribute targeted endorsement information based on the districts where your rank-and-file members live.
TO SUBMIT YOUR UPDATED LIST, you can either mail a CD or diskette with your data to our Seattle office (attn. Kamaria Hightower) -- WSLC, 314 First Ave. West, Seattle, WA, 98119 -- or you can simply e-mail the data file to Kamaria as an attachment. Tab- or comma-delimited text files are preferred, but Access, Excel and many other database files can also be submitted.
If you have questions about what data formats or what fields are required for the matches, if you want to confirm whether the WSLC has already received your updated list, or if you have any other questions about the process, please contact either Kamaria Hightower or Diane McDaniel at 206-281-8901.
A portion of this website is
paid for by the AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education
- Political Contributions Committee, with voluntary contributions from union
members and their families,
and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
The AFL-CIO continues to urge union members to seek political office at all levels of government. And since 1995, the Washington State Labor Council has offered a union candidate recruitment and training program that has become a national model. "Planting Seeds for the Future," the WSLC's 7th bi-annual Labor Candidate School, will be held June 25-28 at the Laborers’ Training Facility, 27055 Ohio St. in Kingston.
This 4-day residential candidate school will train union members interested in future candidacy for school board, city and county council, state legislature and even such offices as water/sewer/fire commissioner.
Participants learn practical skills to effectively communicate their campaign message to the community, covering issues including campaign planning, fundraising, budgets, media strategies, debates/public forums, opposition research, message development, doorbelling, direct mail, volunteer recruitment, scheduling and polling.
In order to attend, union members must submit a letter of referral from their local union or state council, along with a registration form. The cost is $300, which includes three nights' lodging, meals and materials. Space is limited so registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. The Laborers Training Facility features dorm-style rooms and therefore some participants may be asked to share a room.
For more information, contact WSLC Political Director Diane McDaniel at 206-281-8901 or 1-800-542-0904.
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 © 200
7 Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO