More health care news:

►  In today's NY Times -- Obama's push for health care cuts face daunting odds -- If history is a guide, industry cost-cutting commitments may not produce the promised savings. Their proposals are vague, none are enforceable, and none of the savings are guaranteed. At this point, cost control is little more than a shared aspiration. Still, the event was significant.

►  In today's Everett Herald -- Action must follow promises (editorial) -- The high cost and relative inefficiency of our health care system is a national disgrace that leaves businesses less competitive, governments overburdened and individual paychecks lower than they should be. We hope the drug and insurance companies are sincere about making the changes necessary to fix it. Their actions will be the proof.

►  At CQpolitics.com -- Obama's Medicare dodge -- While Obama courts the health care industry his administration is distancing itself from labor's plan to expand Medicare. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius completely ruled out making Medicare available to more Americans as part of the president's health reform package. But that is exactly what the AFL-CIO is calling for.

►  In the Wall St. Journal -- Unions call for foreign profits tax to fund health care reform -- U.S. labor unions are joining a push by Obama to raise taxes on the foreign profits of U.S. multinationals. An AFL-CIO official will urge a Senate committee today to use the proceeds from Obama's tax changes -- as much as $210 billion -- to help fund an overhaul of the U.S. health-care system.

►  In today's NY Times -- Change in estate tax suggested to pay for health care reform -- The Obama administration proposes to raise nearly $60 billion more over 10 years for health care reform, mostly from tightening rules for inheritance taxes affecting the wealthiest estates.

►  In today's NY times -- A moderate plan for health care (editorial) -- It should be possible to design a system in which public and private plans could compete without destroying private coverage.

►  In today's NY Times -- 45 centrist Democrats protest secrecy of health talks -- Members of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition say they are “increasingly troubled” by their exclusion.

Local news:

►  From AP -- Gregoire urges end to trucking dispute with Mexico -- She is urging the Obama administration to quickly resolve the dispute to aid export of certain Washington farm products. Gregoire wants Obama to move forward with a robust new trucking pilot program or another solution that resolves both commercial and safety issues of Mexican trucks.

►  In the (Longview) Daily News -- Perseverance pays off for WorkSource staff, clients -- Employment specialist Libby Odden is getting a rare treat -- a visit from a success story to her WorkSource office in Kelso. He’s Roman Mangum, a gregarious out-of-work union carpenter who just got hired to be a park ranger at a private campground facility in the Chehalis area.

►  In today's Olympian -- State workers get aid to traverse joblessness -- About 75 state and college employees sat through a three-hour crash course in unemployment Monday. The Department of Personnel has put on 10 of the events this year, answering questions from public employees as the recession eats away at state programs and jobs.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- Seattle school district says timing of letter to teachers was bad -- While defending its content, the district is embarrassed that the letter (notifying all teachers that their contracts for next year will not be renewed) went out when it did -- on the last day of Teacher Appreciation Week and before the district could explain its intentions.

►  In today's News Tribune -- Lack of workforce training can leave teens hurt -- or worse (op-ed by L&I's Steve Cant) -- Nick Perry was 19, just out of high school and working in a lumber yard. This job would earn him some money for a while, and then he’d go back to school. That is, until he was paralyzed when 42 sheets of plywood fell on him.

Legislative session redux:

►  In the News Tribune -- Revenue picture worsening, Gregoire warns -- She fears legislators might need to come back to Olympia later this year to adjust the 2009-11 budget to meet expected further drops in state revenues. “I don’t know if we can get through to next January,” Gregoire says. She points out the most recent monthly revenue collections for April were down $41 million over projected forecasts.

►  At Publicola -- BIAW: The check's in the mail (scroll down to Item #3) -- One group that’s happy with the Democrats is the BIAW, the arch-conservative building industry lobbying group. According to their latest newsletter, 70% of bills they opposed this session -- including the homebuyers’ bill of rights, retro reform and a universal health care bill -- didn’t pass.

►  In today's Tri-City Herald -- Stimulus, Legislature help boost unemployment benefit checks -- Laid-off workers started seeing more money in their benefit checks on Monday. Unemployed workers nationwide are getting an extra $25 per week from the federal stimulus package, and most claimants will see an additional $45 per week bump from a bill passed this session.

►  In today's tri-City Herald -- Columbia Basin College cutbacks detailed -- It will cut the equivalent of 55 full-time jobs and up to 1,000 students eventually as it hacks $3.4 million from its budget.

►  At TheNewsTribune.com -- State licensing officials won't close so many offices after all -- DOL has suspended plans to close offices in some rural communities -- Walla Walla, Poulsbo, Forks, Friday Harbor and Goldendale-- due to excessive driving distances. 

►  In the Daily News -- Longview schools to cut 8 more teacher jobs, implement pay-to-play -- The board cuts eight more elementary teaching positions and makes students pay to play sports.

►  At TheNewsTribune.com -- Gov. Gregoire needs a speechwriter -- desperately! -- It must be a desperate situation because her office is asking for (and got) an exemption to the hiring freeze.

National news:

►  In today's Washington Post -- Despite stimulus funds, states to cut more jobs -- Eleven weeks after Congress settled on a stimulus package that provided $135 billion to limit layoffs in state governments, many states are finding that the funds are not enough and are moving to lay off thousands of public employees. The state of Washington settled on a budget that will mean 1,000 layoffs at public colleges and several times that many in elementary and high schools.

►  In today's NY Times -- Workers pressure bank to keep clothier's U.S. plants open -- Hartmarx, known for making President Obama’s inauguration tuxedo and topcoat, has long been America’s leading clothier for men. Seeing a political and public relations opening, the workers and their union are arguing that Wells Fargo, which has received $25 billion in the bank bailout and is the main creditor for the bankrupt clothier, should keep a 122-year-old American company like Hartmarx in business and preserve some 3,600 jobs.

►  At CNBC.com -- GM CEO: Bankruptcy likely; firm may leave Detroit -- GM may move its HQ from Detroit, sell off its U.S. plants and renegotiate its restructuring plan with its major union. Just last year, GM purchased its glass-towered headquarter building known as Detroit's Renaissance Center for $625 million. (Anyone out there still blaming "those dang unions"?!) 

►  At Talking Points Memo -- Will unions back Green Party candidate against Sen. Lincoln? -- One senior labor official says a general election challenge of the EFCA-opposing Arkansas democrat could be in the works. "I think that's a line people are preparing to cross."

►  In today's Wash. Times -- ILA president returns some of $1.2 million pay -- The president of the International Longshoreman's Association, an East Coast maritime union dogged by declining membership and a racketeering suit, gives back much of his big payout after it's disclosed.

►  Today from AP -- Annual checkup for Social Security, Medicare is today -- The programs' trustees are scheduled to provide their annual report on the finances of both programs today.

►  In today's Wash. Post -- Tougher smoking policy puts federal unions in tight spot -- The GSA will no longer allow smoking lounges after June 19 in the 1,500 federal buildings it manages.