FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009
WSLC President Rick Bender: Labor will support champions of our values 

The following guest column by Rick Bender, President of the Washington State Labor Council, appears in today's edition of The Seattle Times:

REWARDING THE LEGISLATIVE CHAMPIONS OF LABOR'S INTERESTS

A shift in the political strategies of organized labor here in Washington seems to have exposed the reality of The Times editorial board's corporate agenda: dominance over a subservient work force ["Washington state's labor leaders don't get it," editorial, Nov. 15].

The labor movement makes no apologies for our mission to help workers find their voice in the workplace. We will continue to be a leader supporting progressive politics that give rise to better conditions for workers, including a strong minimum wage, defined benefit pensions, quality affordable health care, and safety in the workplace.

We believe that our fight is even more crucial in the face of the shaky moral compass with which business directs itself today. The huge disparity of income rising from the obscene salaries of executives, the collapse of the financial industry, the structure of corporate greed, and the destruction of our middle-class security exposed the business mantra — the end justifies any means, no matter who gets left behind.

Our political involvement is a way to inject fairness into the process. For years the Democratic Party stood beside us in our quest to help workers prevail over corporate interests. But over the past few years the Democratic caucus has watered down its positions on worker rights, and has tossed aside its responsibility to stand strong for the little guy.

We refuse to join them in the race to the bottom. We believe that what we have here in our state is good for workers and good for business and we won't give up our fight to keep it that way.

The Times is out of touch with the reality of the business climate here in Washington state. At the national level, we have consistently been recognized as a great place to do business. But locally, the business community and its lobbyists in Olympia ignore those high rankings and instead want our Legislature to follow South Carolina's lead.

South Carolina's low wages and lack of unionization were the primary lures for Boeing when the company chose to locate its second 787 production line there. If business climate had anything to do with it, the choice would have been different.

In the same Forbes Magazine poll, which ranks Washington as the second-best state in the nation for business, South Carolina was ranked 26th. The unemployment-insurance system in South Carolina — the linchpin of survival for a laid-off worker — is bankrupt. The education system ranks near the bottom of the nation. And when reading about scandals from the offices of South Carolina's governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, it seems the state's political leadership is bankrupt as well.

This is not the path that we at the Washington State Labor Council choose for the workers of our state. That is why we have made a change in our political program — why our affiliates have opted to evaluate our legislators according to how they champion the rights of working people — not merely by the "D" or "R" next to their names.

And that is why we will support champions of our values instead of giving in to corporate dominance over a subservient work force.

Rick Bender is president of the Washington State Labor Council.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009
Key points on Senate health care bill 

The following information has been distributed by the AFL-CIO:

Key Points on Senate leadership Health Care Bill:
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

November 19, 2009

• The Senate has taken a significant step toward passing quality, affordable health care for America by introducing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  This legislation includes far stronger provisions to bring down health care costs than other bills, it covers more Americans and it holds insurance companies accountable.
   

• Senator Harry Reid has worked to create a good bill.  But it is not a perfect bill. 
   

• A tax on middle class health benefits is the wrong way to finance health care reform.  The bill raises the threshold for taxation to $8,500 for individuals and $23,000 for families (and $1350/individual and $3000/family higher for coverage of workers in high-risk occupations, for retirees 55 years old and up, and for residents in 17 highest-cost states for a period of three years.) We will work hard to eliminate this provision as the bill heads to the Senate floor.  The House bill, which does not include a tax on health benefits, gets it right.
   

• The Senate bill does include an alternative that we believe gets us closer to the fair financing plan in the House bill.  It provides for a Medicare tax increase on the wealthiest Americans.  While the .5 % increase in the Medicare tax for those making $250,000 and up is a modest start at more progressive funding, it breaks the Senate’s months long opposition to new taxes. 
   

• It also includes a requirement that employers that offer no health coverage or inadequate health coverage pay a penalty equal to $750 per employee for their entire workforce if just one employee seeks and receives a government subsidy to buy insurance through the exchange.  We continue to press for a full employer mandate covering all workers in all firms, but this at least creates a serious penalty for free rider employers.
   

• The legislation would cover 94 percent of Americans while reducing the deficit by $130 billion over the next 10 years. 
   

• The legislation includes a public insurance plan option that will help bring down costs by keeping insurance companies honest and forcing them to compete.  The inclusion of the public option in both the House and Senate bills shows that Members of Congress believe the public option is an essential part of any final health care legislation.
   

• The legislation would also hold insurance companies accountable by ending the practice of denials and raising premiums because of preexisting conditions or gender.
   

• It includes a provision that will cut the rate of growth in Medicare spending in half, according to the Congressional Budget Office, through a powerful new Medicare Commission.  Besides being a strong mechanism for controlling Medicare costs, the Commission will set a path that private purchasers can, and likely will, follow to control private health care spending.
   

• The next step is for the Senate to get 60 votes.  We will be working hard -- mobilizing working families, calling and writing Senators in support of genuine health care reform.
   

• We are optimistic that we are closer than ever to achieving the goal of health care for all in America.  
   

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009
IAM helps win benefits for laid-off Boeing workers

The following news release was distributed today by the International Association of Machinists District 751. If you have questions, e-mail IAM 751's Connie Kelliher or call her at 206-764-0343. 

SEATTLE, WA -- Several thousand laid-off Boeing Co. workers have been granted additional federal assistance because of action taken by the International Association of Machinists.

Acting on a new petition filed by the Machinists Union District 751, the U.S. Department of Labor ruled that Boeing workers are eligible for benefits under the Trade Adjustment Act, which provides special assistance to workers who have lost their jobs due to foreign competition. This ruling covers Boeing workers at plants throughout Puget Sound and in Portland, Ore, who were laid off on or after May 22, 2008. The benefits will be extended to cover any workers laid off over the next two years.

The Machinists Union (with assistance from the Washington State Labor Council and SPEEA) filed the petition on behalf of all laid-off Boeing employees after additional benefits were enacted with passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 in May.

"The Machinists Union is dedicated to helping improve not just the lives of our members, but others throughout our communities. Even though only a small portion of our members (a couple hundred) will be eligible, TAA provides a substantial safety net for other Boeing employees impacted by layoff. We hope word gets out and those affected will take advantage of these tremendous benefits," stated District President Tom Wroblewski. "Just because our members aren’t drawing paychecks from Boeing right now doesn’t mean we’re not still fighting for them."

The ruling means that laid-off Boeing workers -- including those who aren’t Machinists union members -- may be eligible for a range of federal benefits, which can include:

• Up to $16,000 for training (if needed) for an in-demand industry;

• An additional one to two years of payments similar to unemployment insurance if a laid-off worker needs it to finish training or find employment (up to 156 weeks);

• An 80-percent tax credit on healthcare coverage premiums;

• Job Search assistance including help to cover travel expenses to a scheduled job interview and up to $1,500 in job search allowances.

• Support to help relocate to take a new job; and, 

• A partial wage subsidy for workers over 50 who are re-employed in a lesser-paying job. 

Fifteen orientation sessions have been scheduled throughout Puget Sound to educate laid-off Boeing workers on TAA benefits and options available (see the schedule).

In addition, WorkSource has scheduled ongoing TAA Intake Sessions, which must be attended to qualify for benefits (see schedules and contacts for specific dates).

Boeing’s Northwest payrolls have fluctuated since May 2008, but as of October, total employment in Washington was slightly under 73,000, which is roughly 3,800 people fewer than what the company employed a year ago. Boeing doesn’t report Portland-area employment separately.

Trade Act benefits are administered in Washington by local WorkSource offices. For details on how to apply, contact your nearest WorkSource office or go online at www.go2worksource.org. Information also is available from the Department of Labor online at www.doleta.gov/tradeact.

By ruling that Boeing workers are eligible for the Trade Act benefits, the Labor Department determined that Boeing reduced the portion of aircraft components it produced itself or bought from U.S. sources between 2007 and 2009, and lost U.S. market share in the single-aisle jet market to foreign competitors during the same period. Both these factors “contributed importantly” to industry layoffs, the Department ruled.

^{Copyright © 2009 --  Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO}