WSLC Reports Today -- January 12, 2009

January 12, 2009

Jan. 9: Our weekly Legislative Update

Jan 8.: WSLC 2009 Position Papers

Jan. 7: Washington supports the EFCA

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Monday, January 12, 2009

APWU plans picket today at Olympia post office

The Olympia Local of the American Postal Workers Union will hold an informational picket today (Monday, Jan. 12) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Olympia Downtown Post Office to call for the reinstatement of fired Union President Clint Burelson and to bring the outgoing mail operations back to Olympia. Labor supporters and the community are invited to participate. Learn more.

State government news:

► In today's Olympian -- Lawmakers begin session today -- As the 105-day session begins at noon today, some lawmakers are confident they'll get their jobs done promptly and go home, despite the challenge of looming budget cuts.

► In Sunday's News Tribune -- No new taxes? We'll soon find out -- Democrats, who hold majorities in both chambers, have made it clear they’re not going to accept all the deep cuts that Gov. Chris Gregoire proposed last month in her no-new-taxes budget for 2009-11. Any tax increase most likely would have to be approved by voters. Says WSLC President Rick Bender: “We’re hoping there can be some type of package that we can sell to the people. If the deficit gets worse, “you’re talking about extremely deep cuts to programs that people rely on.”

► In today's Olympian -- DSHS warns clients of budget cuts -- The agency, working to complete $370 million in cuts by June, warns people who depend on its programs that change is coming.

► In today's Seattle Times -- Dems in control but not in sync as Legislature opens -- During her first four years in office, Gov. Chris Gregoire could count on Democratic lawmakers and their supporters to rally behind her budget plans. No longer. Gregoire has proposed billions in budget cuts that are getting a cool reception among some of her staunchest supporters.

► In today's Olympian -- Legislators hope to create stimulus plan that works -- Gregoire has given few details about how her stimulus plan will look, but she did ask Congress to put money into infrastructure projects, including highways -- saying that such federal aid puts people to work, unlike last year's federal tax rebates, which were put into savings or spent on foreign-made TVs.

► In today's News Tribune -- Business lobby battens down -- A procession of Rossi-Republican endorsing business lobbying groups (AWB, NFIB, Realtors... even the BIAW!) say they’re marshalling their forces to avoid new taxes and fees ands to protect the tax breaks they have. They also want to keep business from funding any portion of the state's family leave law, protecting their political revenue stream from the state workers' compensation system (retro), and even get some new tax breaks for car dealers.

► In today's Everett Herald -- Boeing wants state to boost training, trim labor costs -- Boeing's Linda Lanham says it wants to cut workers' compensation and unemployment insurance "burdens," and preserve aerospace tax breaks. The Boeing Machinists want the Legislature to ensure that the companies receiving those tax incentives are creating family-wage jobs.

Boeing news:

► In the Seattle Times -- 4,500 at Boeing to lose their jobs -- The company it is cutting more than 5% of its 76,400-person Washington work force and just shy of 7% of the total Commercial Airplanes roster. The cuts will be made largely through layoffs, though the figure also includes attrition. Those laid off will be people not directly involved in production -- administrative and clerical workers and other support positions such as facilities maintenance. Many of those losing their jobs could be long-term contractors rather than permanent employees. Reflecting its continuing need for production help, Boeing has continued to hire IAM mechanics for assembly work. The union said Boeing added 13 new IAM jobs last week and 19 more Friday.

► At IAM751.org -- Boeing Machinists react to layoffs -- Says IAM 751 President Tom Wroblewski: "Our expectation is that Boeing will do the right thing and release the many on-site contractors performing our facilities and maintenance work. We believe Boeing has many other options available, and we will push them to retain their valued employees."

► At SPEEA.org -- SPEEA: Layoffs show management is disconnected (PDF) -- Says SPEEA Executive Director Ray Goforth: "These announced layoffs are puzzling. With the company struggling to overcome problems from its failed outsourcing business model, this type of prophylactic layoff is counterproductive."

National news:

► At AFL-CIO Now -- U.S. House passes two major working family bills -- By a vote of 247-171, the House passes the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Act and also aims to add new teeth to equal pay laws by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act, 256-163. Both bills now go to the U.S. Senate. (Among Washington's delegation, the voting was on party lines with Democrats voting yes and Republicans voting no, except that Rep. Dave Reichert (R-8th) voted yes on the PFA.)

► In today's NY Times -- Dems look for ways to undo late Bush administration rules -- Congress has the authority to rescind an agency’s regulation by passing legislation to trump the rule. Democrats in both chambers are considering attaching amendments rescinding various Bush-era rules to the coming stimulus package, which is considered “must-pass” legislation.

► In today's NY Times -- A threat to McCain-Feingold (editorial) -- A Republican lawsuit challenging the ban on “soft money” contributions could seriously damage democracy if it succeeds.

Sign a statement
of support!

The Employee Free Choice Act is strongly backed by Washington's elected leaders. Community and religious leaders, and local officials, are urged to SIGN A STATEMENT of support for the EFCA. (Others are urged to send a message to Congress in support of it.)

Employee Free Choice Act news:

► At AFL-CIO Now -- Corporate greed behind opposition to Employee Free Choice Act -- The $200 million opposition campaign is filling the airwaves with lies about the EFCA taking away the secret ballot (it doesn’t), or creating an atmosphere in which unions coerce workers (in fact, a review of National Labor Relations Board decisions found only 42 cases of union fraud or coercion over more than six decades since the NLRB was established. Compared with the nearly 27,000 instances of company violations of workers’ rights in 2006 alone, it’s clear that corporate anti-union scaremongering is a ploy to disguise the anti-worker agenda.)

► In today's Minneapolis S-T -- Union bill gets renewed push -- The EFCA would make it easier for unions to organize, but business opposition, including Target and Best Buy, is already well organized.

MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2009
APWU plans picket today at Olympia post office

The following press release was distributed by the Olympia Local of the American Postal Workers Union. (For more information or to RSVP, contact Louie Mackay, Organizer, at 360-357-6231.)

The Olympia Local of the American Postal Workers Union will be holding an informational picket on Monday, January 12, 2009 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Olympia Downtown Post Office located at 900 Jefferson Street in Olympia, Washington. The informational picket is to call for the Postal Service to bring fired Union President Clint Burelson back to work and to bring the outgoing mail operations back to Olympia. The community is invited to join us in our efforts.

The Postal Service recently fired Local Union President Clint Burelson for his union activities and major role as a whistleblower in exposing the fact that mail consolidations would reduce service and not save money. The Postal Service’s plans for over 150 consolidations all across the country have been stopped once communities learned the truth about mail consolidation.

Clint is a strong advocate for workers in the Post Office and Management is firing Clint for performing his duties as a union representative. Despite many grievance settlements signed by the Postal Service in which they agreed to cease and desist in discriminating against Clint for his union activities, management continues to discriminate against Clint. The Postal Service needs to stop the discrimination and bring Clint back to work.

The Postal Service recently admitted in a required review of the consolidation that they have lost $1.5 million dollars in 6 months as a result of the transfer of outgoing mail operations from Olympia to Tacoma. The Postal Service had previously claimed that the transfer of the mail to Tacoma would save the Postal Service $1.2 million. The Postal Service therefore made at least a $2.7 million mistake in judgment. After the last picket held by the union, a Postal Service spokesperson told the media covering the picket that the Post Office saved money by the consolidation. However, despite information requests from the union, the Post Office has not provided any documentation in support of their spokesperson’s claims of savings. As it stands, the official documentation provided by the Post Office shows the consolidation to be a financial mistake.

The Post Office has said that they would bring the mail back to Olympia if the move were not cost effective. The reduction in mail service, the loss of the Olympia postmark, and the financial costs of processing local mail in Tacoma is clear evidence that it is now time to bring the mail back to Olympia.