WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1  ▪  House votes to reverse Supreme Court ruling on pay bias
-- The U.S. House votes 225-199 to reverse a recent decision by the Supreme Court's five most conservative justices to deny pay-discrimination damages to Goodyear retiree Lilly Ledbetter. (Reichert, McMorris Rodgers and Hastings vote "no," while Washington's Democrats vote "yes.")
▪  From AP -- Shameless scumbags at Goodyear send Lilly Ledbetter a bill for legal expenses -- The 69-year-old retiree won nearly $4 million in her pay discrimination lawsuit against Goodyear before the decision was reversed on appeal. Now, Goodyear's attorneys have sent her a bill for almost $3,200 for logistical expenses related to the lawsuit. Ledbetter, whose husband has cancer and is undergoing surgery this week, says she doesn't have the money to pay it.

Election 2007 news:
▪  In today's (Everett) Herald -- Brian Sullivan brings the most to Snohomish Council primary race (editorial) -- Sullivan is the better choice because of his local government experience, extensive background in land-use issues and reputation for working constructively with both Democrats and Republicans. (Sullivan has been endorsed by the Snohomish County Labor Council.)
▪  In today's Spokesman-Review -- Spokane unions begin ad blitz against mayor -- The city's three largest unions are mounting a campaign against incumbent Mayor Dennis Hession, buying newspaper ads to urge voters to back his opponents just as ballots are about to hit the mail.

Local news:
▪  In the (Longview) Daily News -- Work goes on at Columbia Ford, minus union workers -- A strike by mechanics and parts workers (IBT and IAM) at the Longview dealership enters its 7th week, but the owner is now using replacement workers to do oil changes and other small jobs. 
▪  In today's Yakima H-R -- After months of stalemate, county and employees agree on contract -- About 350 unionized Yakima County workers (Washington State Council of County and City Employees) have a new contract, about two months after negotiations broke down completely. 
▪  In today's News Tribune -- Union for Rainer School workers gets help for funds investigation -- Officials for the union representing state workers at Rainier School in Buckley ask AFSCME to help look into allegations that a member of WFSE Local 491 might have stolen union funds.
▪  In today's Seattle P-I -- Land mogul stirs discomfort in Sodo industrial area -- The M.L. King County Labor Council builds a coalition to oppose rezoning efforts purportedly backed by Henry Liebman, calling rezoning a threat to the financial viability of middle-class workers downtown.
▪  At the Spokesman-Review's Eye on Olympia -- Good times: Labor weighs in -- WSLC President Rick Bender says the state's "high-road strategy" for workers and their families has paid off.
▪  In today's Olympian -- No proof of small-business incubators helping -- Despite spending more than $5.6 million on them in the past five years, the state can’t show they help the economy.
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Firefighting tactics should focus on safety of firefighters (op-ed) -- There are standards for all kinds of fire-safety issues, but there appears to be no national safety standard for firefighters regarding when, and when not, to enter a burning commercial building.
▪  In today's News Tribune -- Citing street mitigation demands, Wal-Mart drops Fircrest store plan 
▪  In today's News Tribune -- Key word is "public" in public employee contract talks (EFF op-ed) -- Union members, legislators and taxpayers deserve to know how the state arrived at a final collective bargaining agreement. Lawmakers get an up-or-down vote on funding, but the contract details are not subject to amendment. By tracking the progress of negotiations, lawmakers can verify that the best possible deal was reached.

"Are you for or against children?"
▪  In today's NY Times -- Children's health plan becomes focus of new struggle -- The Children’s Health Insurance Program has become a vehicle for an ideological struggle between President Bush and Congress over the future of the health care system. But in the short term, the broader outline of that struggle is being reduced to a simple question: “Are you for or against children?"
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Children's insurance bill puts Reichert on the spot -- If he supports the Democrat-backed bill, the Republican risks angering his party leaders whose help -- and money -- he needs for next year's congressional election. If he votes against it, he could be painted as a foe of children's health care by Democratic challengers in a district that's trending Democratic.

Election 2008 news: 
▪  At Postman on Politics -- Bush coming to help(?) Reichert
▪  In today's NY Times -- Guiliani seeks to transform health care -- Decrying Democrats' "socialist" solutions, the Republican advocates a voluntary move from the current employer-based system to one that would grant substantial tax benefits to people who buy their own insurance. 

National news:
▪  From AP -- Farm workers sue EPA to ban pesticide -- The UFW, AFL-CIO and others sue the feds to ban a popular pesticide (chlorpyrifos, sold under several brand names including Lorsban) they say is responsible for widespread health problems throughout agricultural America.
▪  In today's Detroit Free Press -- UAW: Union labor more efficient -- UAW has compiled data from the Harbour Report, a respected annual study of manufacturing efficiency, that they contend shows union labor is more efficient than nonunion labor at auto assembly plants.
▪  In today's Wash. Post -- A debate over paychecks and balances (Barr column) -- A House committee delves into the subject of federal pay: Are federal employees overpaid or underpaid? Are pay caps creating instances where subordinates are paid more than their bosses? 
▪  In today's Wash. Post -- Virginia has big stake in bill on public safety unions -- Under a bill approved by the House last month, public safety workers in all 50 states would gain collective-bargaining rights to negotiate with the governments that employ them over pay, benefits and working conditions. (They already have that right in Washington state.)
▪  In today's Spokesman-Review -- FDA delays keep cheap drugs from shelves -- Beset by a lack of funding and staffing, the FDA is failing to keep up with the growing volume of generic drug applications and meet its obligation to approve the lower-cost medicines in a timely fashion.