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April 20, 2009 |
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Monday, April 20, 2009
Public
employee job cuts hurt economy, too
Our
state lawmakers should be just as concerned about the ripple effects in the
private sector from disappearing government jobs, as they are about the
threat of Boeing job loss. If the negative impact that budget cuts have on
public workers, their families, clients and students aren't enough to deter
the "all-cutters," perhaps they should spread around a little more
of that concern for community businesses that also suffer when people lose
their jobs. Read more.
Legislative
news:
► In today's Olympian -- Session's biggest battle: Tackling a $9 billion shortfall -- When the dust clears, the Democrat-controlled House and Senate will have bridged that money gap with federal aid, cuts to programs, cuts of as many as 7,000 jobs in schools and government, and a number of new fees. But with notable exceptions in the areas of an education-funding plan and rights for same-sex couples, they won't have policy statements to brag about back home.
► In today's News Tribune -- State Senate OKs' pension, sales tax bills -- Senators free up more than $500 million with two bills. One saves $430 million by deferring state pension payments.
► In Sunday's News Tribune --Trouble hits sales tax coalition -- After receiving the latest polling results, the campaign for a temporary boost in the state sales tax hiccupped Friday and Saturday, but the coalition behind the campaign is still taking a look at November's ballot.
► In today's Kitsap Sun -- Lawmaker: "People are going to die" -- Proposed budgets include deep cuts to adult day health funding -- up to 72% in some proposals, although details are still being negotiated. In contrast, 5% cuts are proposed for other long-term care system agencies, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult family homes, boarding homes and in-home care.
► In today's Everett Herald -- Young teachers worry as cuts may lead to layoffs -- As many as 3,000 teachers across the state could lose their jobs as the Legislature slashes spending in education and elsewhere to fill a $9.3 billion hole over the next biennium.
Local news:
► In the Daily World -- Hoquiam school budget cuts could now reach $1.2 million -- That’s $400,000 more than a month ago when the district said it may cut 7 teaching positions.
► In today's Seattle Times -- Reichert's new challenger Suzan DelBene sat out several elections -- The Democrat, who's raised $314,000 for her run, didn't vote in 9 elections in the past 5 years.
National news:
► At AFL-CIO Now -- Big Business blocks bills by keeping Al Franken's seat vacant -- It’s April 2009 and we’re still waiting to see who won in Minnesota’s hard-fought 2008 Senate race between incumbent Norm Coleman and AFL-CIO-endorsed challenger Al Franken -- because corporate front groups are dumping money into delaying and dragging out the process.
► In today's Wall St. Journal -- Crazy-quilt jobless programs help some more than others -- Trade Adjustment Assistance offers superior unemployment benefits to U.S. manufacturing and farm workers who lose jobs due to imports or production shifts out of the country. Obama's stimulus plan has beefed up the program: Starting next month, the benefits will be richer and available for the first time to service workers, such as call-center operators and accountants.
► In today's Ft. Worth S-T -- Machinists say they have reached deal with Lockheed -- Details of the proposed contract covering 3,5000 workers will not be divulged until its ratification vote.
►
From CNN -- Unions
push to oust Bank of America CEO Lewis -- The SEIU and Change To Win
Investment Group, a union pension fund that owns BofA shares, are making the
BofA effort a top priority for the next two weeks. SEIU is collecting
thousands of “taxpayer proxies” that call for BofA CEO Kenneth Lewis to
be fired. Organizers plan to deliver them to BofA headquarters in Charlotte,
N.C., on April 29 before the bank’s annual meeting that day.
► In today's LA Times -- Screen Actors Guild board narrowly OKs new contract -- In a split vote reflecting ongoing fissures within the union, the board votes 53% in favor of a new two-year deal that is largely modeled on one forged last year by other Hollywood talent guilds.
► In today's Wash. Post -- What if green jobs don't pay? (op-ed) -- It's not uncommon for workers in the green field to earn as little as $8.25 an hour. Wages at a some wind and solar manufacturers are far lower than those at their more traditional counterparts -- falling well below the income levels needed to support a single adult with one child.
► In today's Wash. Post -- In North Carolina, recession breeds a health-care crisis -- In North Carolina, more than any other state, the recession has triggered a burgeoning medical crisis. A steep rise in unemployment has fueled a commensurate increase in the number of people who do not have health insurance, including many middle-income families. Nationwide, about 22% of adults do not have health insurance. Here in North Carolina, 25% of adults -- or 1.8 million people -- have no coverage. An additional 9% are underinsured.
MONDAY,
APRIL 20, 2009
Public employee job cuts hurt our economy, too
Following is an excerpt from Friday's edition of the Washington State Labor Council's Legislative Update newsletter:
When Gov. Chris Gregoire unveiled the new task force designed to retain jobs at Boeing and other aerospace companies in Washington state, she reminded everyone that all of us have an interest in this issue because good-paying Boeing jobs support many other jobs.
This week, the business-lobbying echo chamber reverberated with a new Washington Research Council report that imagines the disappearance of all 72,000 Boeing jobs. (The WRC is a conservative think tank funded by Boeing and other large corporations.) The report suggests that every Boeing job supports another three jobs, so if Boeing were to vanish tomorrow, the state would lose 285,000 jobs. Unlike the Deloitte/Boeing report issued last week, which suggests that good family wages put Washington at a competitive disadvantage with low-wage Southern states, the WRC report cites Boeing's good family wages as the reason that additional jobs exist in Washington.
As Sen. Mike Hewitt (R-Walla Walla) puts it, "Even though you don't work at Boeing, you might work at a sandwich shop or grocery store where Boeing employees spend their paychecks. If those jobs go, yours could too."
Our state lawmakers should be just as concerned about the ripple effects in the private sector from disappearing government jobs. Every single day in this state, we read about recession-related job cuts at our state agencies, school districts, universities, prisons, and county and city governments. Advocates for public employees tend to talk about the negative effect those job cuts have on our children, our safety, our economic development, our workforce training, and our most vulnerable citizens who rely on the public services to survive.
But for those legislators who weigh each decision by how it affects private-sector businesses, please remember that public employees also buy sandwiches and groceries. They buy homes and cars and lots of other things at the same places that Boeing workers do -- at businesses in their communities. So if the negative impact that budget cuts have on public workers, their families, clients and students aren't enough to deter you "all-cutters" out there, perhaps you should spread around a little more of that Boeing-inspired compassion for businesses that suffer when people lose their jobs.
Maybe we could form a task force.
Copyright © 2009 -- Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO