MONDAY, JULY 16  ▪  222,000 Letter Carriers have tentative contract deal -- The five-year deal includes new limits on contracting out work. NALC's president calls it a “win-win situation.”

"We suck" update:
▪  In the Columbian -- Manufacturer picks Vancouver site -- A Portland manufacturing company is moving to Vancouver and bringing 300 jobs with it. Why? Lower taxes in Washington state.
▪  In the Spokesman-Review -- The state's good news is likely to be campaign fodder (Camden column) -- Forbes magazine has named Washington the fifth best in the nation in which to do business. The State Labor Council says the ranking just goes to prove the business community's years of hand-wringing over the sad state of the state's business climate was a bunch of horse pucky.

Local news:
▪  In the Kitsap Sun -- More sweat than blood spilled in Narrows bridge work -- During nearly five years of high-wire drama hundreds of feet above the swirling Narrows, nobody was killed while building the bridge that formally opened Sunday. In fact, only three injuries kept workers from returning the next day -- one cracked some ribs, another pinched off the tip of his thumb and a third broke his leg. That's it, in more than 3 million hours worked.
▪  From AP -- Yakima Valley farmworkers win nearly $1.9 million in lawsuit -- Two Yakima Valley growers and the labor contractor Global Horizons have been ordered to pay more than 600 farm workers nearly $1.9 million in damages for federal labor law violations. The workers are entitled to about $2,000 to $4,500 each. A lawyer for Global Horizons says the company is struggling to stay in business and will ask the judge to reconsider his ruling.
▪  In the Olympian -- Nurses threaten to picket at Providence St. Peter's -- After rejecting the latest contract offer, the United Staff Nurses Union, UFCW Local 141 may begin informational picketing. The main issues were staffing levels, patient care and economic concerns.
▪  In the Columbian -- Union (ILWU Local 4) to add 26 workers at Port of Vancouver 
▪  In the PS Business Journal -- State gets good payback from its Boeing incentives (editorial) 
▪  In today's Everett Herald -- Eyman's latest, I-960, is a big dose of democracy (Cornfield column)
▪  In today's Oregonian -- Multnomah County nurses considering strike -- A majority of the Oregon Nurses Association bargaining unit votes to reject a contract offer and endorse a possible strike.

State employee news:
▪  In Saturday's Olympian -- Judge: Notes from state employee contract talks are public -- Some public-employee unions had fought a request for the notes by the anti-union EFF.
▪  In Saturday's Olympian -- Fund limits may defer pay raises at Corrections -- The Department of Corrections might push back pay raises for its captains, lieutenants and other supervisors because it doesn’t have enough money to keep them ahead of unionized workers’ wages.
▪  In Sunday's Olympian -- Health plans change for state employees -- State workers will be able to comment on their plans and costs Tuesday, when the PEBB will vote on its 2008 offerings.
▪  In today's Oregonian -- SEIU's contract allows for raises -- Oregon officials reach a new two-year contract with nearly 18,000 public workers who belong to SEIU Local 503, which workers are expected to ratify next month, calling for annual wage increases of at least 3%. The state also will continue to pay full health care premiums for classified employees.

Grocery contract news:
▪  In today's LA Times -- Grocers, UFCW closing gap in Southern Calif. talks (brief) -- In marathon bargaining sessions over the weekend, multiple contract issues were settled as negotiators were zeroing in on wage increases Sunday night. An agreement could be reached as soon as today.
▪  In Sunday's LA Times -- Union blues (op-ed) -- Decades of labor peace left workers unprepared for supermarkets' tough tactics, which began four years ago in Southern California.

Immigration news:
▪  In the PS Business Journal -- Employers to face more local laws on immigration -- The collapse of federal immigration reform means businesses can expect more state and local laws aimed at preventing them from hiring undocumented workers or renting apartments to illegal aliens.
▪  From AP -- Skilled immigrants lack work -- The failed immigration bill would have increased the number of visas for highly educated workers. But there are already tens of thousands of skilled immigrants here and authorized to work, but stuck in jobs where their experience is wasted.

Election 2008: 
▪  In today's NY Times -- New populism is spurring Democrats on the economy -- The more populist tone on Capitol Hill and on the presidential campaign trail is one indication of a broader debate among Democrats over how much they should break with the centrism of the Clinton years.
▪  In today's NY Times -- Dems continue to beat GOP at donor box -- The 8 Democrats running for president raised more than $80 million from April 1 to June 30, while the 10 Republicans raised less than $50 million.