Worker Privacy Act news:

►  In today's Everett Herald -- Labor wants vote on its worker privacy bill -- A second state agency (the PDC) has found no wrongdoing with an e-mail suggesting unions curb donations to Democratic groups until a workers rights bill is signed. The PDC concludes its review as the WSLC tries to revive the Worker Privacy Act, its most important legislation this session, which was set aside because of concerns raised by the e-mail. But Gov. Gregoire said Monday if the bill does somehow reach her, she wouldn't sign it unless Boeing is exempted from its provisions: "I made it clear before this took place that if the bill applied to Boeing, it will not get past my desk."

►  From AP -- Labor bill doomed from start -- Gregoire's comments surprised labor leaders and one of the bill's chief sponsors, Rep. Mike Sells: "She's always expressed concern about its impact on jobs. But she's never specifically said that to me or to anybody that I know of."

►  In today's News Tribune -- Governor: WPA would have died even without e-mail scandal (brief)

►  At HorsesAss.org -- The governor of Boeing state -- By clumsily calling off a vote on the Worker Privacy Act, the leaders of the Democratic Party in this state exposed themselves to quite justifiable accusations that they are kow-towing to a large corporation in a way that would make some Republicans blush. It would have been better if they had just killed the bill without the state patrol drama; at least we would know for sure where they stand.

Budget news:

►  From AP -- Where to get state money? Voters may say -- Voters could see two ballot measures this year -- one to raise taxes, another to sell school renovation bonds -- under separate plans being considered by lawmakers, interest groups and Gov. Chris Gregoire.

►  In today's Everett Herald -- State cuts to be revealed this week -- Senate Democrats plan to release their plan Thursday and the House a day later. Once each chamber passes its own version, budget writers from both houses and the governor's office will negotiate a final budget.

►  In today's Everett Herald -- Snohomish County deal with unions would avert layoffs -- If the County Council and union members approve the agreement, which include unpaid days off and a shortened work week, the majority of county workers would start taking the days off in April.

►  In today's News Tribune -- Puyallup schools brace for deep cuts -- School officials could slash the equivalent of nearly 160 full-time positions and are considering whether to close an elementary school to make up an $11 million to $14 million shortfall in next year’s budget.

►  In today's Bellingham Herald -- Bellingham council slashes 2009 budget -- No layoffs, despite about $2.5 million in cuts made Monday, but nine positions will be slashed through attrition.

►  In the Kitsap Sun -- State budget cuts will likely force layoffs in Kitsap schools -- Millions from the federal stimulus package won’t guarantee that teaching and staff positions can be saved.

UNITE SEIU?

►  In today's NY Times -- Union dissidents vote to secede and realign -- A splinter group claiming to represent 150,000 of UNITE HERE’s 400,000 members announced Monday that its delegates had voted to break away and merge into the SEIU. Former UNITE President Bruce Raynor says the merger has failed. John Wilhelm, president of UNITE HERE’s hotel and restaurant division and whose allies control the board, denounced the move, saying UNITE HERE’s constitution did not allow for secession. The two sides are already battling in court over that question. Tensions heightened Monday because the breakaway group and the SEIU announced that they would seek to unionize food service and hotel workers, who have fallen under the jurisdiction of Wilhelm’s division.

National news:

►  At AFL-CIO Now -- Proposal to gut EFCA written by CEOs for CEOs -- The CEOs of Starbucks, Whole Foods and Costco are floating an EFCA-alternative proposal as a “compromise,” but it’s not. It’s not good for workers, it’s good for CEOs, and it fails to address the problems that are keeping workers from being able to form unions. The CEOs' proposal wouldn’t put the choice about how to form a union in the hands of workers, and it wouldn’t guarantee that workers who form a union can get a fair first contract. It would also make it easier for corporations to initiate drives to get rid of a union, which should be up to workers, not management.

►  At Huffington Post -- The crack-up of business' united front against EFCA -- The EFCA has been portrayed by Big Business as the apocalypse that would destroy a civilization. Now, however, big and small business leaders alike are taking aim at each other's views of the corporate hard-line opposition to the proposed legislation.

►  In today's NY Times -- NAFTA's promise, unfulfilled -- Mexico’s former president, Carlos Salinas, used to promise that free trade would jump-start this country’s development, empowering a richer and more prosperous Mexico “to export goods, not people.” Fifteen years after NAFTA took effect, only the first part of that promise has been realized. Mexico’s exports have exploded under NAFTA, but the nation is still exporting people too, almost half a million each year, seeking opportunities in the United States that they do not have at home.

►  From AP -- Outsourcing condoms threatens U.S. jobs -- A U.S. agency that distributes 10 billion U.S.-made AIDS-preventing condoms in poor countries around the world plans to buy cheaper ones made in China, a move expected to cost 300 American jobs.

►  At Huffington Post -- Airline losses in 2009 will top 9/11 figures, report says -- World airlines will lose $4.7 billion this year due to the economic crisis, while revenues will drop by more than after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S., a major industry association predicts.

►  At Wonkette.com -- Geithner plan may lose remaining $1.21 in American wealth -- The stock market has rallied in response to the latest details on his plan to fix America’s Banks by giving them lots of money for their trash, which makes sense, because the new plan is good good GOOD for Wall Street! Imagine a world where the government put up like 85% of the financing for something that you wanted -- a robot, say -- and you only had to throw in 5%. But after realizing that the robot was, indeed a piece of crap, made from defaulted mortgage contracts instead of the usual metals, the government lost all of that 85% investment, and you only lost 5%, so whatever.