COPE Convention redux:

►  At Publicola -- More fallout from this weekend's labor revolt against Democrats --  The Washington State Labor Council’s rebelled against specific Democrats who have bucked union interests -- they symbolically refused to endorse Democratic leaders like House Speaker Frank Chopp (he doesn’t have an opponent) and strategically refused to endorse state Sen. Rodney Tom (D-48) (he’s in a tight race). The WSLC also endorsed a Democrat insurgent, Lillian Kaufer, who’s running against one of labor’s foes, state Sen. Steve Hobbs (D-44).

►  At Publicola -- Who didn’t get the WSLC’s endorsement (scroll down to Item #3) -- The WSLC’s relationship with the Democratic leadership has corroded over the last two sessions in Olympia, particularly this past session when state employees got hit by furloughs and, in labor’s opinion, were threatened by the so-called “Roadkill Caucus,” a crew of “corporate Democrats” who led efforts to kill unemployment insurance expansion, privatize liquor, whittle down state employee health benefits, and increase the regressive sales tax.

►  At The Slog -- Revenge of the Labor Council -- The council is not endorsing House Speaker Frank Chopp. WSLC spokesperson Kathy Cummings says delegates were looking to endorse only "champions," and that many still had hard feelings about Chopp "calling the cops on us."

►  See the entire list of election endorsements by WSLC delegates on Saturday. 

More election news:

►  At Publicola -- Seattle state Sen. Ken Jacobsen won't seek re-election -- Facing health problems with hypertension, the 46th District Democrat is not going to run for reelection this year. He has agreed to endorse Rep. Scott White as his replacement.

►  At SeattlePI.com -- Frockt changes seats with Jacobsen retirement -- Seattle attorney David Frockt will no longer seek Jacobsen's State Senate seat, and will run for the House seat Rep. White is vacating.

►  In today's Columbian -- Mielke: ‘Indecisive’ Rossi hurts GOP’s chance to beat Murray -- Clark County Commissioner Tom Mielke has created quite a stir within the state GOP with a memo accusing Republican Dino Rossi of “playing games with the Republican Party” by failing to make a decision on whether to jump into the race against U.S. Sen. Patty Murray.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- Gov. Gregoire has skills to be U.S. Solicitor General (editorial) -- Her considerable legal skills and accomplishments make her a natural to be on the shortlist for succeeding Elena Kagan, Obama's U.S. Supreme Court nominee.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- GOP candidate who bashes U.S. aid got thousands in farm subsidies -- Republican U.S. Senate candidate Clint Didier likes to bash bloated government as he courts support of the conservative tea-party movement for his primary-election campaign. He says Democrats want to create -- "where everyone is taken care of from womb to tomb." But Didier himself has cashed in on nearly $273,000 in federal farm subsidies since 1995.
 

Boeing news:

►  In today's Seattle Times -- Boeing will raise output of 737s in Renton -- It will increase production of the 737 single-aisle jets in early 2012 from the current 31.5 airplanes per month to 34 airplanes per month. Almost 10,200 worked at the plant at the end of 2008.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- Another 787 design flaw -- but no delays, says Boeing -- The flaw will require rework on the rear fuselages of almost all the 787s already built, but it will not delay the flight-test program or the scheduled first delivery, Boeing says. The detailed design of the affected sections was originally done by Vought in Charleston, S.C., and by Korean Air in South Korea. Last year, Boeing bought out Vought and took full control of the Charleston plant.

Local news:

►  In today's Spokesman-Review -- Sacred Heart growth OK'd -- State hospital regulators have approved a $54 million expansion plan for Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, allowing the addition of 75 patient beds. When completed in 2014, it will be a 719-bed hospital.

►  From AP -- Nearly 230 of 295 school districts in state seek federal "Race to the Top" money -- The statewide teachers union and the superintendent and principal associations have already expressed their support for Washington's reform plan, which calls for higher academic standards, more preschool education and an emphasis on science and math. 

Make Wall Street Pay:

►  At AFL-CIO Now -- Activists brave rain, tell K Street: "We're the face of democracy" -- Under a sea of bobbing umbrellas, some 2,000 union and community activists -- clad in a colorful array of T-shirts covered by rain ponchos, many improvised with trash bags -- showed K Street lobbyists and Wall Street’s Big Banks “the face of democracy” Monday in D.C.

►  In The Hill -- Labor groups descend on K Street to protest Wall Street lobby -- A chief aim of the group was to highlight the fact that Wall Street firms have spent more than $1.3 million a day to fight the legislation headed for a vote in the Senate this week. More than 1,500 lobbyists have been hired to weaken the bill’s provisions, according to labor groups.

►  At Huffington Post -- Back on the street to fight the STREET (Richard Trumka column) -- Today, we (were) back in the street to take on Washington, D.C.'s infamous K Street, haven for the big-monied Wall Street lobbyists. We in the union movement and our allies are building on our grassroots action last month on Wall Street -- where tens of thousands of mad-as-hell workers demanded Wall Street pay for the mess it made and start putting our taxpayer money back into generating jobs. We're also carrying out our promise to America's working people to make Congress prioritize passage of Good Jobs Now.

►  In today's Washington Post -- 'Anti-K Street' protest snarls traffic in downtown D.C. -- Hundreds of protesters snarled traffic on K Street and shut down a Bank of America as part of an "anti-K Street" protest sponsored by a coalition of community groups and unions.

Immigration news:

►  At SeattlePI.com -- Seattle votes to boycott Arizona over immigration law -- The City Council has unanimously passed a resolution directing departments not to send employees to Arizona and to refrain from doing new business with firms in that state to protest the new law.

►  In today's Tri-City Herald -- Illegal immigration on agenda for Kennewick City Council meeting -- A local resident wants to promote Initiative 1056, which would require noncitizens to have a valid Social Security number before being able to work, get a driver's license or receive public benefits. 

►  In today's Atlanta J-C -- Research shows that immigrants don't steal jobs from Americans (column) -- A coalition of groups that want to limit immigration, legal and illegal, has an ad claiming that illegal immigrants steal jobs from Americans. That’s a popular talking point among the build-the-fence, seal-the border types, but it’s just not so. Immigrant workers “create almost as many” jobs as they occupy, “and maybe more,” says the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute, which is funded by a range of foundations, corporations and international organizations.

National news:

►  From AP -- "Tweaks" might fix Social Security -- Social Security faces a $5.3 trillion shortfall over the next 75 years, but a new congressional report says the massive gap could be erased with only modest changes to payroll taxes and benefits. Some of the options are politically dangerous, such as increasing payroll taxes or reducing annual cost-of-living increases for Social Security recipients. Others, such as gradually raising the age when retirees qualify for full benefits, wouldn't be felt for years but would affect millions.

►  At Politico -- Whose clout is at stake in today's primaries? -- Today's primary elections in Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Arkansas offer a clearer look at who's shaping up to be a powerful force in 2010... The country's biggest unions picked favorites in many of this week's elections -- and in most cases their bets are looking riskier now than when they placed them.

►  From AP -- Airlines challenge new rule on union organizing --  A group of U.S. airlines sue to stop the Obama administration from enforcing a new rule making it easier for unions to organize workers at airlines and railroads. The Air Transport Association says the rule violates federal law and reverses a decades-old system that kept labor disputes from hindering commerce.

►  In today's Washington Post -- Mexico not worried about Obama pledge to renegotiate NAFTA -- His campaign promise set off alarm bells among protectionism-fearing free-trade advocates, but Mexican officials now say they never put much stock in his promise to begin with.