►  At CrossCut.com -- Gathering storms for Democrats in Olympia -- Majority Democrats in the legislature are facing a miserable 60-day, election-year session come January. They’re likely to face another $1 billion budget hole, they’ll be under pressure from the business community to do something about rising workers’ compensation rates, and Boeing could either have announced or be about to announce that its second 787 line is going to Charleston, S.C. Meanwhile, labor unions will be watching to see what Democrats plan to do to repair tattered relations after this year’s session, when labor’s top priority bill was killed in dramatic fashion. The danger for statehouse Democrats, if they don’t kiss and make-up with labor, is that unions will sit out the 2010 election when all House members and about half of the senators are up for re-election.

►  In today's Olympian -- State needs to confront outsourcing possibilities (editorial) -- Given the bleak revenue forecast, it’s imperative that state officials find ways to cut expenses. One path is to reduce the state work force by contracting state services to private vendors. Yes, that’s a threat to state workers, but they have the right to compete for the job along with the private sector. That’s what lawmakers intended when they passed the reform legislation in 2002. A seven-year delay in getting a contracting out program fully in place is ridiculous.

►  At SeattlePI.com -- Are Microsoft back taxes the answer to state budget woes? -- Microsoft may be based in Redmond and does most of its development work there, but it reports its software-licensing sales in Nevada, where there is no licensing tax. Clever, huh? Well, one Washington resident and former Microsoft employee is pissed off. Jeff Reifman's solution to the state's budget shortfall? Enforce Washington's licensing tax law and make Microsoft pay.

►  At SeattleTimes.com -- Washington scores well on national wealth, opportunity scorecard -- Washington gets an A in the Assets and Opportunity Scorecard of economic development think tank Cfed, which measures 92 yardsticks of wealth, poverty and family financial security.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- Fix Washington's failing workers' comp system (column by GOP Sens. Holmquist, Honeyford and King) -- The state is recommending a $117 million workers' comp tax (premium) increase for 2010. Combined with an expected minimum-wage hike, this could drive more employers out of Washington. (Once again, the legislators who carry corporate lobbyists' water seek to cut injured workers' benefits rather than admit Washington employers pay some of the lowest premiums in the country. The State Fund just took a $1 billion hit due to recession-related investment losses and 8.5% health-care inflation, and it resulted in only a 7.6% proposed premium increase. They should be congratulating each other.)

►  In today's Everett Herald -- Machinists warn of Airbus "cheating" -- The day before the tanker contest is expected to begin, the Machinists echo Boeing supporters in Congress, arguing that the Air Force should give weight to a recent WTO ruling. “President Obama should not allow Airbus' ongoing illegal subsidies program to make a mockery of defense procurement and fair trade,” said Rich Michalski, IAM general vice president. “Airbus cannot be allowed to cheat and walk away with 44,000 U.S. jobs and $35 billion in taxpayer dollars.”

►  At SeattlePI.com -- King County budget assumes unpaid days off -- King County Executive Kurt Triplett will propose a 2010 budget that assumes additional furlough days for many county workers. But unionized workers so far are unwilling to accept the unpaid days off and Triplett may not be able to impose the furloughs on people with labor contracts.

►  In today's Yakima H-R -- Some state workers will picket (brief) -- State employment security workers are picketing today to protest what they describe as a hostile work environment in the Yakima office. According to a news release, employees are concerned about intimidation and changes new management has made to policies and procedures

►  In today's Bellingham Herald -- Union protests at WWU construction site -- Members of Laborers Local 276 urge the school to use contractors that better meet "community standards." They say Ebenal Construction, which is building the Buchanan Towers addition, shouldn't have been awarded the contract because it has safety violations and lawsuits in recent years.