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February 25, 2009 |
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Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Momentum
continues for Worker Privacy Act
Both
the House and Senate versions of the Worker Privacy Act passed out of their
respective policy committees this week and are available for floor votes at
any time. After some employers expressed concerns, HB 1528 and SB 5446 were
amended to clarify and reaffirm employers' First Amendment rights to all
forms of communication, even on issues of individual conscience. The
amendment also clarifies workers' First Amendment right not to listen. Read
more.
Reminder: WSLC Legislative Conference is tomorrow
All
members of unions affiliated with the Washington State Labor Council are
invited to get reports on the
Council's progress
and priorities on legislative issues at the WSLC's 2009
Legislative Conference beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 26 at the
Olympia Red Lion Hotel, with registration starting at 7:30 a.m. As
always, there will be a reception the preceding evening from 6:30 to 8:30
p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25 at the hotel with many legislators and other state
officials in attendance. Get more details
(including a tentative agenda).
► Today at TheNewsTribune.com -- Governor, legislative leaders to address Labor Council -- Among the things the Labor Council is going to talk about are "the issues surrounding balancing the state's budget." Big Labor has a seat at the big table, the one where they're talking about what kinds of taxes and what spending voters will support if asked to raise taxes.
Local news:
►
In today's News Tribune -- State
jobless numbers still climbing --
An estimated 303,570 people in Washington were unemployed and
looking for work last month -- the largest number ever in the state, the
Employment Security Department reports. The state’s seasonally adjusted
unemployment rate was 7.8%, up from 7.1% in December.
► More coverage of unemployment numbers in the (Everett) Herald, Kitsap Sun, (Longview) Daily News, the Olympian, Tri-City Herald, (Vancouver) Columbian, and the Yakima H-R.
►
In today's Everett Herald -- SPEEA
could strike in Wichita -- Engineers could strike
Boeing's defense site in Kansas after contract talks broke down again
Tuesday. "The company never had any intent to negotiate with us,"
says SPEEA's Midwest director. "There was no movement from their team
on anything -- none whatsoever." Members will vote next week on the
same contract they rejected last week. SPEEA is urging their 700 Wichita
members also to authorize a strike. (Also see AP
and Wichita
Eagle coverage.)
► In today's Tri-City Herald -- Bechtel National to lay off 80 vit plant workers -- Bechtel plans to lay off about 80 employees as more of the design and purchasing of materials for building the Hanford vitrification plant is completed and the focus shifts to more construction work.
► In today's Seattle P-I -- Bellevue OKs downtown tunnel for light rail -- City Council members, in a divided vote, tell Sound Transit they want the new East Link light rail segment to connect to their downtown via Bellevue Way and circle through the central business district in a tunnel.
► In the Aberdeen Daily World -- Senate bill includes $4.2 million for Port of Grays Harbor -- An omnibus bill before the U.S. Senate includes more than $4.2 million for Port of Grays Harbor projects, including extensive improvements to Port Industrial Road and a new research facility.
► From AP -- 28 immigrants arrested in Bellingham shop raid -- The feds say many of them obtained the jobs at Yamato Engine Specialists, an engine manufacturing plant, using fake Social Security numbers and other counterfeit documents.
► In today's Olympian -- State honors agencies, workers for savings -- State Productivity Board gives DOT the agency of the year award. Using employee ideas, it saved $2.1 million in 2008.
Legislative news:
► In today's Spokesman-Review -- Payday loan measure would help the poor (editorial) -- There are 729 payday lending locations in Washington, and a disproportionate number of them are in Spokane County. Spokane’s 3rd Legislative District, reputedly the poorest in the state, accounted for 140,532 payday loans in 2007, and coughed up more than $6.7 million in fees. “It’s the rich robbing the poor,” according to former Secretary of State Ralph Munro.
►
In today's Seattle Times -- Committee
guts Gregoire's emissions-cap plan -- The Senate
Committee on Environment, Water and Energy today passed a version of the
cap-and-trade bill that gutted the heart of the plan by making it voluntary
for businesses to participate.
► In today's News tribune -- Stimulus leaves out Pierce projects -- Federal money could be used to put Nalley Valley Viaduct construction back on track, but it won’t help any of the other state highway projects in Pierce County. The revised 2007-09 state transportation budget would spend the $342 million of additional money on paving and other highway maintenance and safety projects whose contracts can be awarded in as few as 120 days.
► In today's Seattle P-I -- State bypasses Seattle road projects -- An angry Mayor Nickels says it's baffling that they would not provide money for the Spokane St. Viaduct and Mercer St. projects.
► In today's Olympian -- State will receive $339 million for Medicaid today -- The first wave of money from President Obama's $787 billion stimulus package will arrive in Washington today.
► In the Seattle Times -- State lawmakers should keep their mitts off health-care stimulus money (Lynne Varner column) -- If only the stimulus money came with this warning: Mitts off. The money will sustain, barely, community-health clinics and health-care access until we regain our finances and our sense of what's important for our few budget dollars.
National news:
►
At AFL-CIO Now -- Senate
confirms Hilda Solis as Labor Secretary -- AFL-CIO
President John Sweeney: "(Her) confirmation is a huge victory: Finally,
Americans will have a secretary of labor who represents working people, not
wealthy CEO’s. It is also a historic moment as Rep. Solis becomes the
first Hispanic secretary of labor.
► At Murray.Senate.gov -- Sen. Patty Murray applauds Solis confirmation; she's "a terrific choice for the job" -- "For the last eight years, workers have felt like they were an afterthought of the previous Administration. I look forward to standing with Secretary Solis and President Obama to put working families first again. By fighting for expanded worker training, improved job safety, family-friendly work policies and many other issues, we can help working families feel secure and get ahead.”
► At AFL-CIO Now -- Obama puts jobs, health care at top of national agenda -- Ninety-two percent of those polled who watched President Barack Obama’s first address to Congress last night approved of the speech, in which he was both realistic in the assessment of the challenges we face and optimistic about the solutions to those problems.
► From AP -- Hudson hero Sullenberger: Pay cuts driving out best pilots -- US Airways pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot who safely ditched a jetliner in New York's Hudson River, told the House aviation subcommittee that pay and benefit cuts are driving experienced pilots from careers in the cockpit. His pay has been cut 40% in recent years and his pension has been terminated and replaced with a promise "worth pennies on the dollar."
► In today's Seattle P-I -- Yes to single payer (editorial) -- America is decades overdue for the universal health care enjoyed in other countries. There are a variety of ways to move gradually, including Montana Democratic Sen. Max Baucus' call for expanding Medicare eligibility to age 55. Combined with the broadening of health care for the young (Washington state is approaching universal access for children), that could arguably put full care within view.
WEDNESDAY,
FEBRUARY 25, 2009
Momentum continues for Worker Privacy Act
Amendment reaffirms First
Amendment rights for both employers, workers
Both
the House and Senate versions of the Worker Privacy Act passed out of their
respective policy committees this week and are available for floor votes at
any time. This legislation -- a priority for the Washington State Labor
Council and other advocates for privacy and First Amendment rights -- would allow
workers to choose whether to participate in employer communication unrelated
to job performance on private matters of individual conscience, including
politics, religion, unionization and charitable giving.
Download a fact sheet (pictured above) on the Worker Privacy Act. Read the WSLC Position Paper on Free Speech in the Workplace Previous Worker Privacy Act news: WPA: This ain't California (Feb. 20)AG's office offer flawed WPA analysis (Feb. 19)
WPA:
The difference between right and wrong (Feb. 13)
Strong start for WPA (Feb. 6) WPA is "simple, but profound" (Feb. 4) |
After some employers expressed concerns, both SB 5446 and HB 1528 were amended by the Senate and House labor committees to clarify and reaffirm employers' First Amendment rights to all forms of communication, including all issues of individual conscience. The amendment also clarifies workers' First Amendment right not to listen.
The amendment reads, "For example, employers may conduct employee meetings, disseminate literature, or send e-mails to employees regarding their political and religious views but shall not be able to require employees to attend these meetings, or listen to, or respond to, or participate in this communication." (See the substitute bill.)
In other words, absolutely NO employer communication is banned under the Worker Privacy Act. But when an employee chooses not to participate in communication on issues of individual conscience, it is the act of discharging or disciplining or threatening to do so -- not employer speech -- which is banned.
The WSLC has prepared an updated Worker Privacy Act Fact Sheet that explains the amendment, adds more information explaining why the measure WOULD NOT preempted by federal law, and more.
Background
Under current law, companies can force their employees to attend meetings to discourage union organizing or to press political views, as Wal-Mart did last year when it urged employees to vote against Barack Obama and Democrats.
Under the Worker Privacy Act, employers would retain their freedom of speech on all issues, including those of individual conscience. The only difference is that they would not be able to require employees to participate in such meetings and communications, or punish or fire those who opt out. This is a fair and reasonable minimum standard for protection of freedom and privacy in the workplace.
The Worker Privacy Act has strong support in both houses of the State Legislature, with 47 sponsors in the House and 21 sponsors in the Senate.
TAKE ACTION!
Please take a moment to look for your district's state legislators on the following list of sponsors, and CLICK ON THEIR NAMES TO SEND THEM AN EMAIL of thanks for sponsoring the Worker Privacy Act:
HB
1528, prime sponsored by Rep.
Mike Sells (D-Everett), is co-sponsored by:
(If the links don't work
with your mail program, click
here for your Representatives' email addresses.)
SB 5446,
prime sponsored by Sen.
Margarita Prentice (D-Renton), is co-sponsored by:
(If the links don't work
with your mail program, click
here for your Senator's email address.)
Copyright © 2009 -- Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO