State budget news:

►  Last week in the Olympian -- 7,000 jobs could be axed to close $9 billion budget gap -- The Senate Democrats' proposal would close the Green Hill School juvenile prison in Chehalis and the prison on McNeil Island, and could eliminate 7,000 public sector jobs -- about 2,000 of them in general government. It also lops a net $877 million from schools and $500 million more from higher education. 

►  In Saturday's Olympian -- State worker unions head back to bargaining table -- After finishing new, no-raises contracts, state worker unions say they now have to bargain again over  health costs. Gregoire's proposed spending $257 million to keep state workers' share of the premiums at 12%. But House Democrats offered $150 million, and Senate Democrats just $100 million.

►  In Sunday's Olympian -- New state taxes? Clock is ticking on that answer -- State Democratic lawmakers are looking at new taxes as a way to fill holes in the state budget, less than a week after the release of budget proposals that would cut almost $4 billion from government services.

►  Last week at SeattleTimes.com -- Sen. Brown working on possible income tax proposal -- Conventional wisdom has been that an income tax targeting the wealthy would require a constitutional amendment. And that would require a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate, plus a simple majority vote on the ballot. But Brown's spokesman says it isn't that clear cut.

►  In Saturday's Everett Herald -- Schools warn of layoffs, steep cuts to services -- Local school district leaders say schools will have fewer teachers and more crowded classrooms this fall. Courses will be dropped, textbook orders shelved, and more kids will have to walk to school.

►  In today's Olympian -- Staff cuts loom for school districts -- Even in the best-case scenarios, cuts to the budgets at local school districts are likely to include a reduced staff.

►  Today from AP -- Education advocates look for ways to fix budget -- The WEA, universities and others are suggesting what everyone in Olympia likes to call "revenue enhancements."

►  In today's Longview Daily News -- Youth detention facilities: What's best for the state? (editorial) -- The Senate budget would keep Pacific County's Naselle Youth Camp operating and close Lewis County's Green Hill School. The House would close Naselle and keep Green Hill open. Hundreds of workers in the two counties will remain in the dark about their future employment until the budgets can be reconciled, probably near the end of the session, April 26. Or in OT.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- State should shift cuts in education to less-urgent programs (editorial) -- Proposed budget cuts in education are too great. Cuts should shift to the General Assistance Unemployable program and the subsidy of state employee health insurance. (The state's least progressive newspaper in its most progressive city now declares state employee benefits to be public "subsidies." And some still wonder why Seattle may become a no-newspaper town.) 

Legislative news:

►  At SeattleTimes.com -- Dunshee to propose $3 billion in school construction bonds -- The House Capital Budget Committee Chairman is expected to release a proposal today to send voters the bond measure. Rep. Dunshee wouldn't say much except that "this is what the governor and I have been talking about. Repair schools and create jobs."

►  At TheOlympian.com -- PERC rules against Gregoire -- The Public Employees Relations Commission, which handles union/management disputes in state government, has ruled Gov. Chris Gregoire committed an unfair labor practice by shelving SEIU 1199NW's contract.

►  At Publicola.net -- A tale of two unions -- Ironically, the WEA is probably the one union -- as opposed to the SEIU (not to mention the WSLC who got screwed on the their workers’ privacy bill) -- who have something to smile about this session. This defines the session in a small way because it highlights how how Democrats risk botching it on two fronts. They’re pissing off their blue collar union base by failing to fund social services and they’re not making it up the ideology side on things like education reform.

Local news:

►  In Saturday's Tri-City Herald -- 1,600 show up for Hanford job fair -- More than 1,600 people stood patiently in line outside the Shilo Inn in Richland for hours Friday to meet employers hiring for Hanford cleanup jobs. And by the end of the day, some had been rewarded with hire offers. About 300 jobs need to be filled within the next six weeks by CH2M Hill and its subcontractors.

►  At SeattlePI.com -- A tech labor shortage myth? Exploring the H-1B visa debate -- SPEEA Legislative Director Stan Sorscher points out that in 1999, a labor shortage driven by the high-tech boom led to a bidding war for workers and that high wages drive students into those skilled fields. "If instead you bring in 150,000 foreign workers and you're only graduating 120,000 new students annually, you've short-circuited the labor market," Sorscher said.

Employee Free Choice Act news:

►  At Politico.com -- Unions renew battle over EFCA -- Labor groups plan to use the two-week congressional recess that began last weekend to try to build momentum for the Employee Free Choice Act. The measure suffered a possibly fatal blow last month when Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), a critical swing vote, said he would oppose it. But both business and labor say they plan to keep up the fight, and labor has begun talking to other Republican senators that might win over.

►  At AFL-CIO Now -- As Congress recesses, EFCA campaign goes into high gear -- Hundreds of rallies, community meetings and events will take place over the next two weeks as workers and their allies demand that Congress act to protect employees’ freedom to form a union.

►  In Sunday's Seattle Times -- Employee Free Choice Act is overdue (David Freiboth op-ed) -- A recent Gallup poll shows that 53% favor and 39% oppose reforms that "make it easier for labor unions to organize employees." Problem is, the current law that protects workers' freedom to choose to bargain collectively has been perverted. When faced with a union organizing drive, 25% of companies fire the "ringleaders," according to the National Labor Relations Board.

National news:

►  In the NY Times -- In America, labor has an unusually long fuse -- The country of Mother Jones, John L. Lewis and Walter Reuther has had a rich and sometimes militant history of labor protest. But in recent decades, American workers have increasingly steered clear of such militancy, for reasons that range from fear of having their jobs shipped overseas to their self-image as full-fledged members of the middle class, with all its trappings and aspirations.

►  Today from App -- AT&T, union talks continue past deadline -- Core wireline contracts across the country expired at 11:59 p.m. Saturday, but employees covered by those contracts continued to work under the old agreements. Issues such as employment security and health care have yet to be resolved, but union members will report to work, "although that can change at any time," the Communications Workers of America said on its web site.

►  Sunday from Bloomberg -- UAW's future hangs in the balance -- Confronting growing outrage against bailouts, President Obama is taking a hard line with the UAW. He is pushing the union, which already has given up job-security programs and some compensation, to take more concessions within 60 days or GM could face bankruptcy.

►  In today's NY Times -- Unemployment rising (editorial) -- The unemployment rate spiked in March, to 8.5%, a 25-year high, as employers shed 663,000 more jobs. More fiscal stimulus will be needed. At the same time, Obama’s early promise to champion middle-class issues and a progressive labor agenda must be realized, rather than eclipsed, as appears to be the case at present. Goals like stronger unions will not change the quality of workers’ life overnight, but moving toward them, starting now, will help to renew the hope that proved so fleeting this week.

►  In Sunday's Washington Post -- Health care's year (E.J. Dionne column) -- For the first time since the passage of Medicare in the 1960s, the forces favoring action on health-care reform are stronger than the forces of cynicism and obstruction. Congress has quietly been preparing the ground for reform since the Democrats took over two years ago. And the competing interest groups seem more inclined to get what they can out of reform than to stop the enterprise altogether.