TUESDAY, AUGUST 21  ▪  Tentative contract reached for 20,000-plus grocery workers -- Just days after the frustrated union said "enough is enough" and called for a vote on whatever was on the table, the UFCW announces a tentative contract agreement covering more than 20,000 Puget Sound-area employees of Safeway, QFC, Fred Meyer, and Albertsons.
▪  In today's Seattle P-I -- Tentative grocery contract reached -- After five months of bargaining, the UFCW has reached a tentative agreement with four of the Northwest's largest grocery chains.

Also today:  ▪  White House blocks states' efforts to expand children's health coverage -- Trumping congressional Republicans who recently voted against expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program, the Bush administration has imposed new rules to block states like Washington from expanding coverage to more kids. It's yet another example of the White House imposing its neo-conservative ideology upon states -- and helping its industry sponsors, in this case, private insurers -- by circumventing Congress and imposing new "rules." The Washington State Legislature's action in 2007 to expand eligibility to 300% of the poverty level is in jeopardy.
▪  In today's NY Times -- Rules may limit health care aiding children -- The Bush administration  outlined the new rules -- which were previously proposed and then rejected by Congress -- in a letter sent to state health officials Friday night, amidst a monthlong Congressional recess.

Election news:  ▪  Primary ballots must be dropped off or mailed TODAY! -- Where?
▪  In today's Yakima H-R -- Union members rise in unison to cheer Sen. Clements -- He appears before members of the Public School Employees of Washington. Popularity with a union is not usually a Republican asset, but Clements has made it clear that he needs help from Chopp.
▪  In today's Seattle P-I -- Insurers pump millions into fight against Ref. 67 -- Out-of-state insurance industry money gushes into a $5.8 million campaign against a fall ballot measure allowing people to sue for triple damages if a company fails to pay a legitimate claim.  Learn more.
▪  In today's Olympian -- GOP's Baze files as sole candidate for 35th District seat -- The former Mason County commissioner eyes the seat that state Rep. Eickmeyer is giving up next year.
▪  At AFL-CIO Now -- A plot afoot in California to swing state to Republican presidency -- GOP strategists are pushing a ballot initiative that would enable their presidential candidate to heist about 20 of the state’s 55 electoral votes, even if the entire state vote count is a double-digit win for the Democratic contender, as it was in 2004.
▪  In Rolling Stone -- John Edwards: The Real Liberal -- Flying below the radar, Edwards is pulling off a feat that Democratic consultants have long considered impossible: staking out the most progressive platform among the viable candidates while preserving an aura of electability. In head-to-head polling against the likes of Giuliani and Romney, Clinton and Obama have managed to post only modest leads. Edwards, by contrast, not only bests every Republican candidate in the race, he trounces them -- by an average of 12 points.

Boeing news:
▪  From Bloomberg -- Boeing may soon decide to build more 787s -- Boeing may decide "in the next few weeks" to hike production from seven to 10 a month, says executive of Italian supplier.
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- First 787 still missing parts -- The first 787 Dreamliner, which Boeing rolled out with great fanfare July 8, is now sitting in the assembly bay in Everett missing big structural pieces -- though Boeing says its first flight is just over a month away. An aviation blogger cites unnamed sources who said the delay in finishing Dreamliner No. 1 is creating a "bottleneck" that is holding up delivery to Everett of sections for the subsequent airplanes.

Local news:
▪  In today's Olympian -- Construction worker, 28, dies after being hit on head with backhoe 
▪  In today's Bellingham Herald -- Legislative report criticizes state's nonprofit hospitals -- A new report questions whether they're doing enough to deserve a $47 million annual property tax exemption.
▪  In today's Everett Herald -- City of Everett sees windfall in revenue -- Increased police protection, more legal defense for the poor, and the redevelopment of a tattered former industrial site are among a handful of expenses officials hope to tack to the 2007 budget.

Immigration news:
▪  In today's NY Times -- Plenty of apples, but possibly a shortage of immigrant workers -- There are new fears in New York and around the nation that there won't be enough hands to pick the crop, given the Bush administration's new measures to crack down on illegal immigrants' employers.
▪  In today's NY Times -- Illegal immigrant advocate for families is deported -- Feds: the deportation of a woman who sought refuge in churches is not part of a crackdown on such religious groups.

Trade news:
▪  In today's Seattle P-I -- Fair trade movement under threat (op-ed by SEIU 6's Sergio Salinas) -- Opponents of NAFTA-style "free" trade must not rely solely on arguments to protect U.S. jobs, at the risk of strengthening the hand of free traders while fueling anti-immigrant sentiment. The ability of fair trade advocates to put forth a vision that builds bridges among workers from all nations will determine not just the heart and soul, but the strength of the fair trade movement.
▪  In today's NY Times -- Trade panel supports request to put duties on Chinese tires -- The U.S. International Trade Commission, in a 6-0 vote, says Titan and other American producers, as well as union workers, are being harmed by the low-cost Chinese imports. The decision is the first of four that must go in favor of domestic producers before duties, of as much as 210%, are levied.
▪  In today's NY Times -- China's trade in Africa carries a price tag -- Manufacturing has suffered in Africa as cheap Chinese goods flood the market, eliminating needed jobs.

National news:
▪  In today's LA Times -- Is the boss a real piece of work? -- Some states are considering legislation that would give workers grounds to sue their superiors for being, basically, jerks. Bookstores are stocking bad-boss advice tomes, including "Snakes in Suits" and "Was Your Boss Raised by Wolves?" Today the AFL-CIO will name the worst boss in the country, based on the results of an online contest. Are relations between workers and management really in such an awful state?
▪  At AFL-CIO Now -- AFL-CIO: Investors need safeguards in private equity firms -- The SEC must enforce the law regarding private equity firms and hedge funds filing IPOs -- that is, going public.
▪  In today's NY Times -- 2005 incomes, on average, still below 2000 peak -- For five straight years, Americans had to make ends meet with less money than during the last economic expansion.