WSLC to consider election endorsements May 15 (WSLC Reports

April 6, 2010

April 5: USW expresses deep sympathy

April 2: Sanitation strike averted

April 1: Health reform celebrated in Seattle

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Tuesday, April 6, 2010

WSLC delegates to consider election endorsements on May 15

The WSLC will hold its COPE (Committee on Political Education) Endorsing Convention on Saturday, May 15, starting at 8:30 a.m., at the Machinists 751 Hall, 9125 15th Pl. S. in Seattle. It is at this convention that delegates representing WSLC- affiliated unions will vote on endorsements for congressional, judicial, state legislative and statewide candidates, plus any ballot measures. Endorsements require a two-thirds majority vote. Read more.

Family-wage jobs rally TONIGHT in Wenatchee

The North Central Washington Central Labor Council will hold a rally in support of family-wage jobs starting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at Centennial Park on Wenatchee Avenue. "The current recession has been devastating for a large and growing number of families in the region," says NCWCLC President Leo "Buster" Ercanbrack. "Now, many local employers are attacking the wages and benefits of workers who are the heart and soul of our community." In addition to Ercanbrack, speakers will include WSLC President Rick Bender and UFCW Local 1439 President Larry Hall. For more information, call the NCWCLC at 509-662-7912.

Teamsters plan Neighborhood Trash Watch meeting this Sunday

Teamsters Locals 174 and 117 are in a very difficult fight with Waste Management, the largest garbage company in the world. The union is planning a Community/Labor Meeting this Sunday, April 11 at 1 p.m. at the Teamsters Hall, 14675 Interurban Ave. So. in Tukwila to train supporters on how to start a Neighborhood Trash Watch. (Download a flier.) When Waste Management locked out its workers in Oakland, many residents didn't get their trash picked up for a month. Protect your family, your neighborhood and stand with local workers by attending Sunday's meeting and setting up a Trash Watch in your neighborhood. To learn more about the dispute, see the union's April 2 news release which includes facts not being reported in the commercial media.

► In today's (Everett) Herald -- Waste Management haulers remain on job -- Garbage haulers continue to pick up trash even though no contract has been reached. Waste Management NW and the workers in Snohomish and King counties have been at odds since the contract expired last week. The company made what it termed its last offer late Thursday.

Local news:

► In today's Seattle Times -- Tesoro blast called fireball -- Five workers were killed and two badly burned in what was "more of a fireball than an explosion," even though residents in Anacortes reported that it shook their windows. One of the two survivors showed improvement Monday. Matt Gumbel, 34, of Oak Harbor, had been upgraded from critical to serious condition.

► From AP -- BMW, Gregoire making announcement today -- Companies planning to build a parts plant for lightweight BMW cars have scheduled a news conference Tuesday in Seattle with Gov. Chris Gregoire, who has been trying to locate the factory at Moses Lake. The factory would manufacture carbon fibers and employ about 180 workers.

► In today's Seattle Times -- Constantine readies to replace Brightwater tunnel contractor -- The King County Executive is close to jettisoning Vinci/Parsons RCI/Frontier-Kemper and replacing it with Jay Dee/Coluccio, which has promised to finish the job a year earlier and at a lower cost.

► In today's (Everett) Herald -- Farms: Back to the future (editorial) -- Farm employment in Washington increased in 2009, and that the number of farms grew 6% between 2000 and 2008. The confluence of the recession, the interest in local, sustainable and organic foods and the highly publicized incidents of contaminated foods, have helped farmers survive and even thrive.

Legislative news:

► In today's Olympian -- Tax plan eyes beer, candy -- A tripling in the tax on major-label beers emerges as a lubricant that might help the Legislature complete an $800 million tax package and ease out of Olympia by early next week. The Senate Democrats’ proposal raises nearly $58 million from a higher beer tax and about $29 million more by adding the sales tax to candy and gum sales. It raises $90 million more by imposing a smaller tenth-of-a-penny increase in the sales tax than previously considered, which is a stumbling block for the House and Gov. Gregoire.

► In today's (Everett) Herald -- Senate floats beer tax -- Beer, water and candy may be the elixir lawmakers are willing to swallow to help balance the budget. But a sales tax hike is still poisoning an agreement between majority Democrats that would end the 23-day-old session.

National news:

► From AP -- 25 dead in W.Va. mine blast; worst since 1984 -- A huge underground explosion blamed on methane gas killed 25 coal miners in the worst U.S. mining disaster since 1984. Rescuers have begun a dangerous and possibly futile attempt to rescue four still missing.

► At Huffington Post -- Mine company cited for 57 safety infractions in LAST MONTH -- The mine has a significant history of safety violations, including 57 infractions just last month for (among other things) not properly ventilating the highly combustible methane.

► In today's Pittsburgh P-G -- Rebuild U.S. manufacturing (by IBEW President Edwin Hill) -- Politicians need to get real. Research shows that every new manufacturing job spurs the creation of four or five other jobs and increases economic vitality for surrounding communities. As we have all seen with our own eyes, the reverse is true as well. It's time to get back on the plus side of the equation. When the land of opportunity becomes the land of lost dreams, America stops being America. Let's fix that before it's too late.

► In today's Denver Post -- Obama committed to completing trade agreements, trade rep says -- Pacts with Panama, Colombia and South Korea are progressing, said USTR Ron Kirk, who didn't offer a timetable for ending negotiations or sending the pacts to Congress.

► At AFL-CIO Now -- New Labor Dept. drive aims to stop wage theft -- In a 180-degreee turn from an agency under the Bush administration that tried to gut overtime rules, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis has unveiled a campaign to inform workers about their pay rights and to stop wage theft.

► In today's Wall St. Journal -- Workers roused to seek wage rights -- The Labor Department is encouraging low-wage and immigrant workers to turn in employers who are shortchanging their pay, as part of an expanding effort to enforce wage and hour rules.

► In today's LA Times -- Unemployment benefits expire as Congress debates extension -- Lawmakers are likely to take up the issue when they return from spring break next week.

TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2010
WSLC delegates to consider election endorsements at May 15 convention

The special session of the Washington State Legislature still hasn't ended, but union members should already be making plans to participate in the Washington State Labor Council's political endorsement process for this fall's election.

Unlike corporations and business groups, organized labor has an open and democratic process by which candidates and ballot measures earn union support, and rank-and-file members are encouraged to participate. Also unlike corporations and business groups, which outspend unions 15-to-1 on politics, labor's support doesn't just come in the form of a check. It also comes in the form of volunteers who do worksite leafleting and make personal (not automated) phone calls to fellow union members. Plus, it includes direct mail and other forms of political outreach intended to explain why endorsed candidates and ballot measures have earned labor's support.

Many regional central labor councils have already begun interviewing candidates and reviewing questionnaires in these races, the first step in the endorsement process. These interviews and questionnaires, plus voting records and a brand-new system of evaluating incumbent state legislators will be considered by delegates in choosing which candidates have earned organized labor's support.

At 7 p.m. on Friday, May 14, the evening before the COPE Endorsing Convention, the Statewide COPE Committee will meet to consider recommendations in each race. If this committee -- which, by Constitution, consists of members of the WSLC Executive Board, representatives of each Central Labor Council, the WSLC Political Director and a representative from AFSCME, IAM, IBEW, UFCW and IFPTE -- recommends a candidate, Saturday's convention action in that race will begin with a motion from Statewide COPE. Members of any affiliated organization may observe this meeting, but space is limited.

A block of rooms for out-of-town delegates has been booked at the SeaTac Red Lion Hotel. Make reservations and request the WSLC's group rate -- $99 plus tax for singles or doubles -- before April 15, when any remaining rooms will be released.

Convention calls have been mailed to all WSLC-affiliated unions indicating the number of delegates and alternatives to which they are entitled. If you are interested in serving as a delegate or alternate representing your affiliated union at the May 15 convention, contact your local union for information about how to serve.

For questions about the convention, call the WSLC at 206-281-8901 x14.