|
August 3, 2007 |
|
|
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, AUGUST 3 ▪ Jackie Guerra to speak at 2007 WSLC Convention Banquet -- Guerra, a union organizer turned stand-up comic/television personality who hosts a nationally syndicated radio show produced by the workers' rights advocacy organization American Rights at Work, will be the banquet speaker at the 2007 WSLC Convention on Friday night, Aug. 17.
2007
Legislative Report & Voting Record:
▪ Freedom
at Stake -- The 2007 WSLC Legislative Report
& Voting Record is now available online, in abbreviated form. Download
the full report (2.4 MB PDF file).
The full printed report has been mailed to all affiliates, state
legislators and subscribers to WSLC publications. Members of affiliated
unions can order a free copy. The WSLC's
2007 Voting Records are available in a 3-page
printable (PDF) format or HTML.
Health
Care news:
▪ Pirates
of the Health Care-ibbean rally Saturday targets Regence
▪ In today's LA Times --
Senate
votes to widen kids' health plan -- Defying Bush, the Senate votes
decisively to expand a popular health insurance program for children of the
working poor and to more than double tobacco taxes to pay for it. Senators
of both parties banded together in the 68-31 vote for the State Children's
Health Insurance Program (Murray and Cantwell both voted "yes.")
That's one vote more than the 67 needed to override Bush's threatened veto.
▪ Also see
yesterday's posting -- Reichert
& GOP Co. vote against children's health care bill
Local
news:
▪ In today's Seattle P-I --
Minneapolis
bridge collapse may give voters incentive to back road plan --
Support is firming up for a $16 billion tax package essential to paying for
a replacement of the state Route 520 bridge and other highways in King,
Pierce and Snohomish counties. Says Sen. Ed Murray: "I think the
chances of the fall ballot passing have improved about 100 percent."
▪ In today's Seattle P-I --
Lawsuit
over personal data brings out postal workers -- Four days after a
Seattle law firm accused the USPS of selling the personal information of
employees without consent, more than 100 postal workers have come forward
saying they want restitution.
▪ In
today's News Tribune --
Pull
incompetents off child protection beat (editorial)
-- Two terrible abuse cases this summer had made the DSHS
look bad enough. A new one makes it look even worse.
▪ In today's News Tribune --
Riverside
Fire & Rescue could become history -- Hundreds of residents between
Tacoma and Puyallup might next lose their firehouse and locally run fire
district.
▪ In today's Seattle P-I --
65
jets ordered from Boeing; company leads Airbus... for now
Immigration
news:
▪ In today's Seattle Times --
Police
toughening stand on illegal immigrants -- Across the Puget Sound, local
law-enforcement agencies use various approaches -- from written and
unwritten policies to individual officer discretion -- when dealing with
illegal immigrants.
▪ From AP -- Employers
bracing for immigration crackdown -- Employers may
have to fire workers with questionable Social Security numbers to avoid
getting snagged in a federal crackdown.
▪ In
today's LA Times --
Illegal-immigrant
crackdown looms -- A plan to make employers fire workers with
discrepancies in their records could snare many citizens and legal residents.
▪ In
today's NY Times --
In
increments, Senate revisits immigration bill -- When the broad reform
bill failed in the Senate in June, many legislators said the issue was dead,
perhaps until President Bush left office. But already some of the less
contentious pieces of the bill are returning to life.
Election
2008: ▪ AFL-CIO
presidential candidate forum is Tuesday, Aug. 7 (at
AFLCIO.org)
▪ In today's Seattle P-I -- Bush
to attend Reichert fundraiser -- Reichert's 8th District voted twice
against George W. Bush, but the GOP congressman will welcome the president's
fundraising help this month while inadvertently underscoring the campaign
themes of his election opponents.
▪ In
today's Seattle P-I -- "Net
roots" carries political weight (Connelly
column) -- Net activists are intent on taking back
their country, with the dream of an America run not through D.C. spin, but
with active participation by the governed.
National
news:
▪ At
WashingtonPost.com -- What
workers want, Congress should provide (op-ed) --
"Norma Rae," the movie that won Sally Field an Oscar for her
portrayal of a textile worker, was made nearly 30 years ago, yet its basic
point -- that people who want to join a union often face harassment and
intimidation -- is more relevant today than ever. Half of all Americans now
say they would vote to join a union, up from 30% when Norma Rae was on the
big screen. Yet union membership still declines because existing laws
make joining a union a Herculean task few want to undertake.
▪ In today's Washington Post --
Wall
Street's lucrative tax break under fire -- The
controversial tax break is not authorized by any law and was never approved
by Congress, but has grown quietly over several decades into
a benefit that spares a small band of the country's richest and most
powerful financiers $6 billion a year in personal income taxes. Now, the
Wall Street money men have become an appealing target for Democrats who say
the financiers are woefully undertaxed.
Last
Throes update:
▪ In
today's News Tribune --
Fort
Lewis Army Ranger dies in attack -- Jason Kessler, a veteran of two
previous Iraq deployments, died after his vehicle was struck by a
rocket-propelled grenade.
▪ Of
the 3,662
U.S. troops killed in Iraq; 3,523 of them have died since
Bush declared "Mission Accomplished" and an end to major combat
operations in May 2003; 3,201 have died since the capture of Saddam;
and 2,803 have died since the government was handed over to the
Iraqis.
▪ The
WSLC's affiliated unions have called for an end to the U.S. occupation of
Iraq.
FRIDAY,
AUGUST 3, 2007
Jackie Guerra to speak at WSLC 2007
Convention in SeaTac
|
Hotel
rooms If you plan to attend the WSLC Convention, make hotel reservations for yourself or your union's delegates NOW. The block of rooms reserved at the SeaTac DoubleTree will be released Wednesday, Aug. 8. Call the SeaTac DoubleTree at 206-246-8600 x4369 and tell them you are with the Washington State Labor Council convention to get the special rate of $135 for a single/double. |
Jackie
Guerra, a union organizer turned stand-up comic and television
personality who now hosts a
nationally syndicated radio show produced by the workers' rights
advocacy organization American
Rights at Work, will be the banquet speaker at the 2007 Convention
of the Washington State Labor Council on Friday night, August 17 at the
SeaTac DoubleTree Hotel.
Also on the convention agenda are AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, State Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, King County Executive Ron Sims, American Rights at Work Executive Director Mary Beth Maxwell, and Apollo Alliance President Jerome Ringo, and other special guest speakers. The convention begins Thursday, Aug. 16 at 9 a.m. and is expected to adjourn by noon Saturday, Aug. 18. With the theme "50 Years of Solidarity," the WSLC will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its formation with the 1957 merger of the Washington Federation of Labor and the Washington Congress of Industrial Organizations Council.
Before becoming an Emmy-winning television personality and actress, Guerra worked as a union organizer where, her web site notes, "she learned to bring about social change, improve working conditions for the average worker, stand up to bullies and maintain good eyebrows. What do you get when you mix equal parts Oprah, Shakira, Norma Rae and Frida Kahlo? You get Jackie Guerra!"
Guerra was the first Latina to star in a network sitcom, First Time Out. She also co-starred in the critically-acclaimed PBS series American Family, in addition to appearing in feature films like Selena, Picking Up the Pieces, and Eat Your Heart Out.
In her 2006 book, Under Construction, she gives her take on dysfunctional families, self-esteem, racism, the politics of the entertainment industry, and everything in between. Guerra will be signing copies of her book at the WSLC Convention after she addresses delegates at the banquet.
|
You say you want a resolution? Well, you know... the Washington State Labor Council's Constitution says proposed resolutions should be submitted 30 days prior to convention, which was July 17. However, "late" resolutions are accepted until the first day of convention and will still be considered by delegates. So affiliates are urged to submit these resolutions at the earliest possible time to facilitate reproduction and distribution to the convention body. These resolutions are a key part not just of the WSLC convention, but of the organization itself. It is through the debate and passage of these resolutions that WSLC positions and policies are established. Any WSLC-affiliated or chartered union may submit resolutions. Among those approved in 2006 were resolutions calling for an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq and endorsing single-payer universal health care. (See the entire list of resolutions approved at last year's WSLC Convention.) The resolutions are first referred to various committees that meet Thursday afternoon and consider whether to recommend changes or corrections. Debate and voting on the resolutions, and any committee amendments, will begin Friday afternoon and continue Saturday morning, as necessary. |
Following is a tentative agenda (keep in mind that this schedule and speakers are subject to change):
THURSDAY, AUGUST 16
9:00 a.m. -- Convention convenes
9:30 -- WSLC President Rick Bender
10:00 -- AFL-CIO Sec.-Treasurer Rich Trumka
10:30 -- Transportation issues panel
11:15 -- Union organizing issues panel (including Mary Beth Maxwell,
Executive Director of American Rights at Work)
12:00 -- Apollo Alliance President Jerome Ringo
LUNCH
1:30 p.m. -- Workshops
3:15 -- Workshops
5:30 -- COPE barbecue at IAM 751 Hall
FRIDAY, AUGUST 17
9:00 a.m. -- Convention
reconvenes
9:05 -- U.S. Sen. Patty Murray
9:30 -- Health care issues panel
10:15 -- State Sen. Lisa Brown
10:30 -- Immigration issues panel
11:00 -- Ballot initiatives panel
11:45 -- King County Executive Ron Sims
LUNCH
1:30 p.m. -- Workshops
3:15 -- Workshops
6:00 -- Reception
7:00 -- Banquet (guest speaker: Jackie Guerra)
9:00 -- Live music (Justus) and dancing
SATURDAY, AUGUST 18
9:00 a.m. -- Convention
reconvenes
9:30 -- COPE political endorsement action
10:00 -- Consideration and adoption of resolutions
The annual WSLC Convention is an opportunity for union officers, staff and rank-and-file delegates to hear from distinguished union and government leaders, attend informative workshops, develop relationships with other unions -- and have some fun. "The Tournament in ‘07," the annual golf fund raiser to benefit community service agencies, will be Wednesday, August 15 with a 2 p.m. shotgun start at Sumner Meadows Golf Links. For registration information, contact the Puget Sound Labor Agency at 206-448-9277, or download the tournament flier/registration form.
WSLC-affiliated AFL-CIO local unions and Change to Win unions that have signed Solidarity Charters with the WSLC should make plans to attend the convention. The official WSLC Convention Call, which indicates the number of delegates to which each affiliate is entitled, was mailed in May.
For convention questions, call the WSLC at 206-281-8901.
FRIDAY,
AUGUST 3, 2007
Pirates of the Health Care-ibbean
rally Aug. 4 targets Regence
A "Pirates of the Health
Care-ibbean" march and rally in Seattle for health care justice will be
held Saturday, August 4 starting at 9 a.m. The march -- sponsored by
Washington CAN! and the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations --
begins at Seattle University (enter
at 10th & Madison)
Regence Blue Shield is the wealthiest private insurance company in Washington. They have amassed more than $890 million in excess surplus, an increase of 78% since 2003. But apparently it’s not enough to satisfy its appetite. In July, Regence is shocking policy holders with a massive rate increase of 19% -- up to 40% for the elderly.
Check out the Pirates of the Health Care-ibbean "trailer" at YouTube.
The event's sponsoring organizations are: Washington CAN!, NW Federation of Community Organizations, AFGE Local 3937, WA Health Security Coalition, America in Solidarity, Para los Ninos, Jobs with Justice, NW Health Law Advocates, SEIU WA State Council, Lutheran Public Policy Office of WA, Community to Community Development, WA State Trial Lawyers Association, Health Care for All-Washington, Physicians for a National Health Program - Western Washington Chapter, Statewide Poverty Action Network, WA Federation of State Employees.
For more information, call 206-389-0050 x109.
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