MONDAY, JUNE 11  ▪  Immigration reform must protect workers' rights, AFL-CIO says 
▪  In today's NY Times -- Democrats say they may revisit immigration bill -- Sen. Reid is willing to try again if Republicans agree to a defined number of amendments and a time limit on debate.
▪  Today from AP -- Bush says immigration bill will survive -- "I'll see you at the bill signing."

Carpenters strike:
▪  In Saturday's Oregonian -- Carpenters' strike reflects divide in labor movement -- The strike, called by the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, entered its ninth day Saturday with little sign of ending. Several trade unions accused the Carpenters of seeking language in a new contract that would allow them to organize workers in other crafts. The Columbia Pacific BCTC voted against sanctioning the strike until the Carpenters guarantee they won't use bargaining to organize other unions' members. IBEW 48 Business Manager Barry Mitchell writes to members: "Never in my 35 years as an IBEW member did I think I would be suggesting the IBEW members not honor another trade's picket lines, but today I am asking all Local 48 members to hold their heads high, walk through that picket line and go to work." At least one AFL-CIO union -- the International Union of Operating Engineers -- appears to be supporting the Carpenters.

Grocery workers' negotiations:
▪  In today's Seattle P-I -- Best contract or worst? Grocery workers' union to decide -- So far, grocery contract talks for more than 20,000 Safeway, QFC, Fred Meyer and Albertsons employees in the Puget Sound area -- which began in mid-March -- have been cordial. However, there are differences -- some significant -- on proposed wages, health care, sick leave and scheduling.
▪  From Reuters -- California grocery workers set strike deadline -- The UFCW threatens to strike if a new contract with three major supermarket chains in Southern CA isn't completed by June 21.

Local news:
▪  In today's Seattle P-I -- Workers die at an alarming rate -- This year, already a lethal one for workers in King County, comes on the heels of the deadliest this decade... Says Teamsters spokesman Leonard Smith, "What we find is that there are generally two kinds of employers -- those who view safety as an asset and those who view it as an impediment to making money."
▪  At ESD.wa.gov -- State's average wage, unemployment benefits rise -- The average annual wage increased 5.4% to $42,584 in 2006, the largest spike since 1999. The maximum weekly UI benefit -- 63% of the average weekly wage -- will increase next month from $496 to $515 a week. It had been capped at $496 for most claimants since 2004 (after the Legislature's "UI reform.")
▪  In today's News Tribune -- Lower L&I deductions will mean higher pay -- Washington employers and workers will save $315 million over the next six months as the Department of L&I declares a “rate holiday” for certain premiums paid to a workers’ compensation fund. Learn more.
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Port of Everett's pier for 787 now just backup -- The new pier is now a $30.6 million "insurance policy," a backup in case anything happens to one of the Dreamlifters.
▪  In today's Tri-City Herald -- Better help for ill nuclear workers -- DOE has made improvements in its workers' comp program at Hanford, but still could do better, says the Hanford Advisory Board.
▪  In today's Everett Herald -- Education is Job No. 1 for Workforce head -- As the new president of Snohomish County's Workforce Development Council, Sue Ambler has her work cut out for her.

"PIGS" vs. Mr. and Mrs. Dunmire:
▪  Background from NW Progressive Institute -- Lawsuit filed to invalidate I-960 -- The intent of Initiative 960 is to undermine representative democracy by forcing the Legislature to operate under un-American rules. Initiative 960 would turn our cherished tradition of "majority rules with minority rights" on its head by requiring two thirds supermajority approval for any increase in revenue.
▪  In today's Everett Herald -- Public interest groups are out to silence voters (Eyman op-ed) -- The "PIGS" have gone to court to prevent a public vote on Initiative 960, our initiative for 2007. It's really an extraordinary request -- they want a judge to take away the people's right to vote.
▪  In today's Olympian -- State ballot measures feature rich donors -- The largest donations so far are from Tim Eyman’s rich benefactors. Michael Dunmire and his wife pitched in $350,000 of the $460,000 collected by Eyman’s I-960 campaign, which seeks to limit tax and fee increases.

Election 2008 news:
▪  At AFL-CIO Now -- Clinton: Under Bush, working people have been invisible -- Hundreds of union members gather in Detroit for an AFL-CIO Town Hall meeting with Sen. Hillary Clinton. “When I’m president, we will have an Employee Free Choice Act, and I will sign it and I will work for it.”
▪  In Rolling Stone -- Guiliani: Worse than Bush (Taibbi column) -- In the media age, we can't have a hero humble enough to actually be one; what is needed is a tireless scoundrel, a cad willing to pose all day long for photos, who'll accept $100,000 to talk about heroism for an hour, who has the balls to take a $2.7 million advance to write a book about himself called Leadership. That's Rudy Giuliani. Our hero. And a perfect choice to uphold the legacy of George W. Bush.

National news:
▪  At AFL-CIO Now -- "We need all our members to restore union movement's vitality" -- In the first of four Power in Diversity dialogues, union leaders and activists begin frank discussions about ways to ensure that the movement's leadership is as diverse as its membership.
▪  Today from AP -- China's trade surplus surges 73% -- China's politically sensitive surplus soars to the third-highest monthly level on record amid growing pressure for sanctions against Beijing.
▪  In today's Washington Post -- Immigration judges often picked based on GOP ties -- The Bush administration increasingly emphasized partisan political ties over expertise in selecting the judges who decide the fate of immigrants, despite laws that preclude such considerations. 
▪  In today's NY Times -- States finding fiscal surprise: Cash surplus -- More than 40 states have more money than planned as they wound down their regular sessions. Many are using surpluses to tackle long-term, costly problems like the uninsured and crumbling infrastructures.
▪  From AP -- Pay, benefits skyrocket for CEOs -- Pay is now at the stratospheric heights of pro athletes and movie stars: Half make more than $8.3 million a year, and some make much more.
▪  Today from Bloomberg -- Blackstone co-founders to get $2.33 billion in IPO -- Critics of private equity funds such as Blackstone (including the AFL-CIO) say they buy up companies in distress, then destroy jobs while using generous tax laws to enrich a small group of executives.
▪  From BusinessWeek -- The real cost of offshoring (column) -- New evidence suggests that shifting production overseas has inflicted worse damage on the U.S. economy than the numbers show. BusinessWeek has learned of a gaping flaw in the way statistics treat offshoring, with serious economic and political implications. Top government statisticians now acknowledge that the problem exists, and say it could prove to be significant.