Employee Free Choice Act: 

►  From UPI -- Obama voices support for EFCA -- President Obama said he wants to build a future "where the success of all of us is built on the success of each of us. ... That's the future the AFL-CIO wants to build. That's the future the American people want to build." The president says he backs the EFCA "because if a majority of workers want a union, they should get a union."

►  At WashingtonPost.com -- Specter unveils new EFCA bill -- The most closely-watched man in America when it comes to labor law reform embraces his latest role: as a passionate Democrat declaring that a rejiggered EFCA will pass this year. He details the revised bill he has been crafting with Senate Democrats. It would not include the most controversial provision -- allowing workers to choose card-check elections. Instead, it would sharply limit the time between organizers' declaration that they have enough support to call an election and the day of the vote, to reduce the potential for employer intimidation. Organizers would also be guaranteed access to workers if employers held mandatory anti-union meetings on company time. And the penalties for employers who break labor law rules would be triple what they are today.

Health care news: 

►  In today's Washington Post -- Many employers to raise cost of health insurance, survey finds -- Though Americans who already have medical coverage may be wary of change, a new survey indicates that they may be hard-pressed to escape it -- even in the absence of health reform. About 40% of employers saying they are likely to increase workers' out-of-pocket costs for doctor visits. Almost as many said they are likely to raise annual deductibles and the amount workers pay for prescription drugs.

►  In today's Bellingham Herald -- Health insurance premiums in Washington doubled over 10 years -- The average annual job-based family health premium grew from $6,500 to $13,860 from 2000 and 2009, an increase of $7,360, or 113%. The figure includes employer and worker shares.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- Health-insurance premiums outpacing wages, inflation -- Over the past 10 years, premiums rose 131% nationally while wages increased 38% and inflation rose 28%.

Health care reform news: 

►  Today at NYTimes.com -- Sen. Baucus releases Senate bipartisan proposal -- The long-wrangled-over proposal is now public, only to be wrangled over some more. The result of more than a year of preparation and more than three months of intense talks between a small group of Democrats and Republicans, it has a slimmed-down price-tag of $856 billion over 10 years. Earlier versions of the legislation had come in costing $1 trillion or more.

►  In today's NY Times -- Senate bill draws fire from both sides -- The top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee says he can't support the Baucus bill because it still costs too much and it isn't tough enough on abortion or illegal immigrants. Several Democrats also oppose the bill because it does not include a public option to compete with private insurers.

►  In today's LA Times -- No Republican support for Baucus health plan -- The Senate Finance Committee Chairman pushes on with hope but no guarantee of bipartisan support down the line.

►  In today's NY Times -- Appealing to a core ally, Obama rallies labor to his policies -- Despite the thunderous applause Obama received, his mentioning the term “public option” only once during a 35-minute speech did not go unnoticed. Many carried signs and wore T-shirts declaring that a government-run insurance program was a nonnegotiable piece of health care legislation. One AFL-CIO delegate, a retiree from Grove City, Pa., said, “If he signs a bill without a public option, he won’t win a second term.”

►  At NPR.org -- Poll: Doctors among public option's biggest fans -- A new poll shows doctors are among the biggest supporters of a public option in the health care overhaul, with 73% percent supporting it. One reason: Many say they've had largely good experiences with Medicare.

►  In today's LA Times -- Health reform wins over doctors' lobby -- The AMA, once opposed to the overhaul, now has more to gain, including a proposal worth billions of dollars to physicians.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- State's jobless rate doesn't show how bad it is -- As bleak as the state's unemployment numbers were in August -- at 9.2%, it was the highest in more than a quarter-century -- they understate the actual level of dislocation among Washington's working people. Roughly 6.3% of Washington's working-age population are out of work but not counted in the official unemployment statistics, or are working part time involuntarily.

►  Regional unemployment coverage -- Benton/Franklin (6.5%-up); Clark (13.9%-up); Kitsap (7.3%-steady), Pierce (9.2%-up); Snohomish (9.6%-steady); Spokane (8.5%-up); Thurston (7.3-up); Walla Walla (6.1%-up) Whatcom (8.0%-up) and Yakima (8.6%-up).

►  In today's Tri-City Herald -- New rules for $150K Hanford comp proposed -- The federal government is considering easing compensation requirements for more Hanford workers who may have developed cancer because of exposure to radiation at the nuclear reservation. New rules being considered would increase the number of people who worked at Hanford from October 1943 through June 1972 who would be eligible to receive $150,000 compensation.

►  In the Daily World -- Grays Harbor County OKs sales tax increase -- Calling substance abuse and mental health issues a “scourge on us that we desperately need to do something about,” county commissioners unanimously approve the increase for programs to fight the problems.

►  At SeattlePI.com -- Seattle fire station controversy may soon end -- Legislation is being prepared to end a years-long controversy and move Station 20 from Queen Anne to Interbay.

►  In today's Columbian -- Unions worried (editorial) -- Striking Kent teachers have created wounded feelings. Boeing workers in South Carolina have voted to decertify the union. Although unrelated professionally and separated by 3,000 miles, these decisions by teachers and aircraft workers illuminate the growing irrelevance of labor unions as the American free market struggles to break the shackles of a devastating recession. (Click here to respond and here to unsubscribe.)

►  At SeattlePI.com -- Boeing backers amp up tanker fight -- Politicians from Boeing states are waging a loud, public campaign to get the Pentagon to consider a recent WTO ruling in the bid process for Air Force refueling tankers. "Much is at stake in this competition and I want to ensure the actions of the (Department of Defense) do not unintentionally penalize our domestic industry which has already lost market share, or for that matter, further injure our American workforce who has suffered job loss in this critical economic sector," U.S. Sen. Patty Murray writes in a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

►  In today's Everett Herald -- Policy conflict stands out (editorial) -- Few doubt that Boeing and its top-flight workforce can provide the Air Force with the most reliable, cost-effective tanker that can be built. Given that, it makes no sense for one arm of the U.S. government -- the Pentagon -- to hand the European rival of a U.S. manufacturer a business victory while another arm is making headway in an effort to show that rival has received illegal benefits.

►  From AP -- Airline trade group expects losses of $11B next year -- Global losses will be worse than expected and it's not clear when lucrative business travel will rebound, a trade group says.

State government news:

►  In today's Olympian -- Judge finds the state contracting rules aren't legal -- A state appeals court upheld the invalidation of three of the Department of General Administration’s rules for contracting out state services to the private sector. The effect of the ruling was unclear Tuesday. GA adopted the rules in question under terms of the major labor reforms of 2002, which gave state workers the right to bargain for wages for the first time. But in putting into effect the contracting-out portion, GA exceeded its rule-making authority by trying to define “displaced” employees who would lose jobs under the contracts, the appeals judge ruled. The WFSE considers the ruling a potential big victory for workers, who won on all three questions. “If it’s not appealed, it’s a really significant win to ensure their ability to have input in how the state saves money and runs more efficiently,’’ says one WFSE official.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- State won't be ready on time, delays start of tolling on 520 bridge -- Motorists won't have to pay tolls until as late as June 2011, instead of October 2010. Efforts to start electronic tolling are so complicated that the state wasn't going to be ready on time.

►  In today's Olympian -- State workers begin push for Combined Fund Drive -- About 50 enthusiastic state workers in red shirts kicked off the state's yearly Combined Fund Drive on Tuesday at the Capitol, hoping to raise about $6 million in pledges for charities in 2009.

►  In today's NY Times -- A long way down (editorial) -- Many, if not most, Americans gained little to nothing from the Bush “growth” years, so they are especially vulnerable to the recession.