Boeing-SPEEA talks:

►  In today's Seattle P-I -- SPEEA chiefs authorize Boeing strike ballot -- Talks will pick up again today, but in a sign that time is winding down, SPEEA's governing body votes unanimously to issue a strike authorization ballot.

►  In today's Everett Herald -- SPEEA leaders OK strike vote in case Boeing talks fail -- Says SPEEA communications director Bill Dugovich: "We're being prepared."

Election news:  See the latest results in close races 

►  In today's Olympian -- Voter turnout could set record -- Washington’s turnout for the Nov. 4 election is expected to set a modern record at nearly 85%.

►  Ay HorsesAss.org -- UPDATE: Peter Goldmark still wins -- Though late ballots are strongly trending Republican statewide, it's once again safe to proclaim Peter Goldmark the winner in the race for Commissioner of Public Lands. Still no concession yet from Doug Sutherland though.

►  In today's NY Times -- Senate runoff in Georgia tries to rouse voters after intense election -- The battle between Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Jim Martin, his Democratic challenger, is the first test of Barack Obama’s coattails. The runoff vote will be Dec. 2.

►  In today's Washington Post -- Election over, federal workers can break out buttons -- The Hatch Act isn't as restrictive as some federal employees think. It might surprise them that the law even allows wearing and displaying campaign items on the job -- as long as it's after the election.

Local news: 

►  In today's Olympian -- State agencies trim 1,100 paychecks -- The number of people drawing a state paycheck has dropped by 1,185 since Gov. Chris Gregoire ordered a hiring freeze in early August. Much of the decrease is seasonal. Outdoor-orientated agencies with summer employment show the biggest changes: the Parks and Recreation Commission's payroll is down 375 people, and the Department of Natural Resources is down 402.

►  In today's Olympian -- State again reports decline in revenue -- The budget picture continues to darken, as a new report shows $52.8 million less revenue than expected for October.

►  In today's Spokesman-Review -- Union seeks VA official's ouster -- Citing low morale and high attrition among medical providers, the union that represents doctors and other professional employees of the Spokane Veterans Affairs Medical Center (NFFE-IAM Local 1641) has asked for changes in management and removal of the hospital’s chief of staff.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- New viaduct speediest option, studies show -- WSDOT research shows a trip from Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood to Sea-Tac Airport during the afternoon commute would take 47 minutes on a surface boulevard and 37 on an elevated viaduct.

►  In today's Olympia -- Six firefighters face cut in effort to trim Lacey district budget -- The district may close its Hawks Prairie station in response to a projected $1.1 million shortfall next year.

►  In today's Seattle P-I -- State receives just one bid for new ferries -- Todd Pacific Shipyards submits the lone bid for building 64-car ferries to serve the Port Townsend-Whidbey Island route. 

►  In today's Bellingham Herald -- WTA ridership continues to rise, despite lower gas prices -- Higher Whatcom Transit Authority ridership has meant a lot more crowding onto packed buses.

The Economy and Unemployment: 

►  At AFL-CIO Now -- AFL-CIO Executive Council calls for economic mobilization -- The new Obama administration and the new Congress must urgently address the nation’s growing financial crisis and long-term structural economic decline with a wide range of actions, including an immediate and meaningful economic recovery package, an overhaul of our broken health care system, reform of financial regulations and significant investments in infrastructure, clean energy and workforce development. But, says the AFL-CIO Executive Council, "Unless we restore the power of working people to bargain with their companies for a better life, economic growth will not be broadly shared and income inequality will not diminish."

►  In today's Seattle P-I -- Unemployment: The holiday spirit (editorial) -- With very little trouble, President George W. Bush could do something meaningful for the economy, the jobless and the nation's upcoming holiday season. He just needs to get Senate Republicans moving on a bill to extend jobless benefits for millions of unemployed Americans.

►  In today's LA Times -- Reports on jobless benefits, exports signal deeper economic slump -- The number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits climbs to 3.9 million in the week ended Nov. 1, a 25-year high in the week ended Nov. 1. Imports and exports drop in September.

►  In today's NY Times -- Chances dwindle on bailout plan for automakers -- Democrats concede that they face potentially insurmountable Republican opposition during a lame-duck session.

Bush's "Midnight Rules:" 

►  At AFL-CIO Now -- Last-minute Bush push threatens safety, family leave, environmental rules -- The White House is making “a last minute assault on the public” with a slew of end-of-term regulations that could weaken rules on job safety, family leave, airline safety and pollution.

►  In the Wall Street Journal -- Labor Dept. finalizes new family leave rules -- New rules governing when employees can miss work to care for sick family members or recover from their own illnesses will be released by the DOL today, despite opposition from labor advocates who argue the changes will reduce the number of workers who qualify for unpaid leave under the law.

►  In the Washington Post -- Democrats eye Bush's midnight regulations -- The new president may issue executive orders to reverse some Bush policies and may get help from a law passed by the Republican-controlled Congress in 1996 to review and eliminate Clinton-era rules it didn't like. The law has been successfully used once, in 2001, to kill a rule designed to prevent repetitive motion injuries in the workplace.