WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6  ▪  EFCA Call-In Week: Call Sens. Murray, Cantwell NOW! -- Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray are hearing from opponents of the Employee Free Choice Act.  They need to hear from you!  Call toll-free at 1-800-718-1008, and tell them working men and women appreciate their support for the Employee Free Choice Act (S. 1041).
▪  At AFL-CIO Now -- "Absolutely essential" to join call-in week for Employee Free Choice Act 

Carpenters Strike news:
▪  In today's Oregonian -- Deals don't end drywallers' strike -- The carpenters union, which represents 1,300 striking drywallers in Oregon and southwest Washington, reached interim labor agreements Tuesday with five contractors. But the region's largest unionized drywall employers said they were not part of the pact, leaving little hope the union's five-day strike will end soon.
▪  In today's Daily News -- Drywallers picket Longview theater site -- On Monday, union mason and iron workers honored the Carpenters picket line. But on Tuesday, some of them crossed the picket lines to go back to work. Leaders of smaller trades unions accuse the Carpenters union of expanding the work in the proposed contract, which would take work away from other union trades workers. A Carpenters spokesman says the controversial contract language is no longer on the table in Oregon, but the union sought to retain it in Western Washington because it was tired of the smaller unions taking advantage of Carpenters' efforts to attract new members.
▪  In yesterday's Oregonian -- Strike reveals divisions among building trades unions -- The leaders of other smaller building-trade unions accuse the Carpenters of using the negotiations to try to raid their members. Some union leaders have encouraged members to cross the picket lines.

Local news:  ▪  Website urges area grocers to "Share the Success" (link to ShareTheSuccess.org)
▪  In today's Everett Herald -- More aerospace aid sought -- Firms say they need more help from the state with training opportunities and tax breaks. Says industry lobbyist Linda Lanham, "There's about 25 companies left that have not been included in the ($3.2 billion) aerospace incentives." She is pushing legislation in 2008 to include those "neglected" firms. (Our quotation marks.)
▪  In today's Yakima H-R -- Worthy candidates for state high court abound on east side (editorial) -- Gregoire can take her "One Washington" commitment a step further by to appointing someone from Eastern Washington to restore some needed geographic balance to the Supreme Court.
▪  In today's Kitsap Sun -- Narrows tolls set at $3 by Transportation Commission -- Rep. Seaquist made a last-ditch pitch to slice the rate for those who place automatic transponders on their windshields from $1.75 to $1.50, but the state Transportation Commission didn’t buy it.

Immigration news:
▪  In today's Salem S-J -- Immigration rally today at 5 p.m. in Portland (brief) -- The rally is intended to push Sen. Gordon Smith to support legislation that includes a worker- and family-based immigration system. Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain will speak at the rally.
▪  At Forbes.com  -- It's time to end worker exploitation (Linda Chavez-Thompson op-ed) -- The best way to guarantee the rights and wages of all workers in this country is to give every immigrant the opportunity to become a citizen, with all the rights and duties that entails.
▪  In today's NY Times -- Reid says he will seek to end debate on immigration bill -- He says the Senate will vote Thursday on whether to limit debate, a process that requires 60 votes to succeed. He said he would pull the bill if he failed to get the necessary votes.
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Immigration bill a glimmer of hope amid fear for local immigrants
▪  In today's Seattle P-I -- Bittersweet high-school graduation; dad's in detention, facing deportation

Election 2008 news:
▪  In the NY Times -- GOP candidates spar over immigration -- Sen. McCain, an author of a pending compromise plan, defends the controversial proposals and demands that his competitors offer “a better idea.” 
▪  In today's NY Times -- Is the U.S. safer since 9/11? Clinton, rivals spar -- Sen. Clinton says domestic security efforts have made us safer. Yet rival Democratic campaigns, arguing that the war in Iraq has harmed security in America by breeding terrorists, are using the remark to highlight differences with her on the issue of the ability to be commander in chief, which political analysts view as a threshold issue for any woman running for president.

National news:  ▪  New website tracks taxpayer subsidies of Wal-Mart across U.S.
▪  At AFL-CIO Now -- Pay taxes? Chances are, you subsidize Wal-Mart -- The retail mega-monster’s treatment of its employees is, unfortunately, an ongoing outrage. But what’s less known is how much Wal-Mart costs all of us as taxpayers.
▪  In today's Washington Post -- Across-the-board 3.5% raise for federal employees advances -- The bill approved by a key House subcommittee is in line with congressional recommendations for a military raise next year but is more than the 3% salary increase recommended by Bush.
▪  Today from McClatchy -- Pilots tired, demoralized, union leaders say -- After years of punishing schedules and longer workdays, airline pilots nationwide are increasingly grappling with fatigue.
▪  In today's Washington Post -- AFSCME study ranks mutual funds by executive-pay votes
▪  In the NY Times -- Gitmo: A national disgrace (editorial) -- The Guantánamo camp was created on a myth: that the U.S. judicial system could not handle prisoners of “the war against terror.” It was built on a lie: that its detainees are all dangerous terrorists. And it was organized around a fiction: that Bush had the power to create this rogue system. It's time to get rid of it.