WSLC Monthly Report -- May 2003

WSLC Reports is a monthly summary of labor news and a preview of coming events. It is not intended to be comprehensive. More detail is available on these (and other) items online. If you would like to receive this via fax or mail, Get on the List!
(See previous editions of this newsletter.)

The Boeing Co. announced May 16 the criteria it will use to evaluate final assembly sites for the 7E7, its next generation of commercial jetliners. And with that, the formal competition between U.S. cities and states for the 7E7 work has begun (Boeing has ruled out overseas assembly). A June 20 deadline has been set for "interested communities" to submit proposals, and Boeing plans to announce its decision by year’s end.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18 -- PAC/SSF Training Session. In light of the recent state court decision restricting union campaign contributions (see story below), it’s more important than ever to make sure your union stays in compliance with state campaign finance and public disclosure laws. The Washington State Labor Council has scheduled a training session for labor organizations with PACs or segregated funds -- or those interested in setting them up -- that explains how to comply with state and federal regulations. The session will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Machinists 751 Hall, 9135 15th Pl. S. in Seattle. Learn more.

AUGUST 21-23 -- The Washington State Labor Council’s 2003 Convention at the WestCoast Wenatchee Hotel. (See story below.)

Based on the site-selection criteria, Washington state appears well-positioned. They include existing capacity in facilities and nearby suppliers; a skilled, trained and available workforce; community and government support; access to a deep-water port; and moderate weather. In addition, legislative progress has been achieved on transportation and permitting issues previously cited by Boeing as areas of concern. And as you read this, negotiations continue in Olympia on changes in the state’s unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation systems, as well.

"The Washington State Labor Council, the International Association of Machinists District 751, SPEEA and the rest of organized labor are strongly committed to winning the 7E7 work," said WSLC President Rick Bender. "We firmly believe Washington is the right choice for Boeing and we are working hard to make sure that happens."

Speaking of government support for Boeing, the Pentagon finalized a $16 billion deal with Boeing on May 23 to lease 100 767-converted air tankers, thanks to the dogged lobbying efforts of Washington’s entire congressional delegation led by Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Rep. Norm Dicks.

"This is the biggest thing that’s happened in the state of Washington since the Grand Coulee Dam," Dicks said. And he’s not exaggerating. The deal puts Boeing in a commanding position eventually to replace the entire tanker fleet, which would mean 500 new planes worth $100 billion.

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney has accepted an invitation to be keynote speaker Thursday, Aug. 21 at the Washington State Labor Council 2003 Convention at the WestCoast Wenatchee Hotel. The convention runs Thursday through Saturday, Aug. 21-23. Sweeney was scheduled to appear at the 2002 WSLC Convention in Spokane but had to cancel to attend a funeral.

The convention theme will be "And Justice for All." Attorney General Christine Gregoire will be the convention banquet speaker. An exciting list of international labor and civil rights leaders also have been invited and we will soon publicize which ones accept.

The convention call has already been mailed to WSLC-affiliated unions notifying them of the number of delegates/alternates to which they are entitled. As always, local unions are encouraged to promote attendance by rank-and-file members who have not attended before.

Proposed 2003 resolutions may now be submitted to Secretary-Treasurer Al Link’s attention at the WSLC office, 314 First Ave. West, Seattle, WA, 98119. Please direct your convention-related questions to his assistant, Karen White at (206) 281-8901.

The extended special session of the 2003 State Legislature continued with speculation, at press time, that lawmakers could reconvene the first week of June to consider a budget agreement.

To date, the home care workers’ contract has been at the center of an impasse in budget negotiations between House and Senate leaders. House Democratic leaders want to fund it and Senate Republican leaders don’t. Service Employees International Union Local 775 has offered to return to the bargaining table to renegotiate a contract that addresses some of the concerns of legislators who oppose its funding. But Senate Republicans have moved to block renegotiations with the state’s Home Care Quality Authority by arguing they haven’t formally rejected the contract yet. Their obvious goal is to hold out until it is too late and prevent home care workers from getting any contract.

Meanwhile, negotiations continue over changes in the state’s unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation systems to enhance business competitiveness. The WSLC is actively involved in these negotiations and is working hard to address the concerns of employers -- especially the Boeing Co. as it considers its 7E7 decision -- while protecting the systems’ integrity and worker rights.

AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Linda Chavez-Thompson was in Seattle this month to promote efforts to organize for immigrant justice. Specifically, she touted the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride scheduled for this September, where buses will leave nine cities -- including Seattle and Portland -- and make frequent stops throughout the nation on their way to Washington, D.C. to press the need for immigration reform. Inspired by the Freedom Riders of the Civil Rights Movement, thousands of immigrant workers and their advocates will board these buses, spearheading the struggle for a path to citizenship, family reunification and rights on the job regardless of citizenship status.

You and your union can get involved in this critically important project by contacting Bob Gorman at the AFL-CIO’s Seattle office at (206) 448-4888.

The Court of Appeals ruled May 13 that the Public Disclosure Commission interpretation of state campaign laws in effect the past decade has been incorrect and that different locals of the same union should not be allowed to make campaign contributions independently to the same candidate. If the ruling stands, all locals of a given union would share a single contribution limit to candidates. "(The) ruling is a stunning bit of history revisionism," said WSLC President Rick Bender. "It takes a vaguely written initiative approved 10 years ago and radically reinterprets the rules in a manner specifically intended to silence the voice of working families... Regardless of whether this decision stands, its effect will be to inspire even stronger, more effective political activism from organized labor." If you have questions about the ruling’s effect on your union’s political program, attend a June 18 training session by WSLC Political Director Diane McDaniel and labor attorney Jim Oswald. Call (206) 281-8901 for more info.

Members of the Washington Public Employees Association voted by a 3-to-1 majority to affiliate with the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. The new WPEA, UFCW Local 365 has approximately 3,000 members who join the more than 50,000 UFCW members here in Washington. "What an exciting time for WPEA," said WPEA President Linda Shaw, DNR. "This affiliation will preserve WPEA’s autonomy and give us the opportunity to build the union WE want for a brighter future as we go into full-scope collective bargaining."

The Voter Education Project is a bipartisan non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the integrity of the initiative system. After investigating petition fraud in Oregon -- leading to successful prosecution of forgery -- the organization has now come to Washington, and has the strong support of organized labor and other advocates for ballot integrity.

Lured by street prices of up to $2 per signature, mercenary petitioners from California and Nevada contractors have descended upon our state. A recently published report indicates petitioners for Initiative 841, the Building Industry Association of Washington’s attempt to repeal the state workplace ergonomics safety rule, have been instructed to tell outright lies about the rule to get signatures.

If you spot suspicious or fraudulent behavior by signature gatherers, please call the VEP toll-free at 1-866-628-2500 or visit their website at www.VoterEducationProject.org.

The Evergreen Freedom Foundation, an anti-union right-wing think tank based in Olympia, sent unsolicited e-mails this month to some 15,000 state employees urging them to lobby the Public Employment Relations Commission for burdensome new union disclosure rules. If state employees responded as requested using their work computer, they could be in violation of state ethics laws and face fines. So the EFF e-mail instructed workers on how to contact PERC using government computers and evade detection.

"These EFF people are outright enemies of all workers, especially public employees," said the WSLC’s David Groves. "They oppose state employees at every turn -- oppose their wages, their union rights, their very jobs. For the EFF to send spam pretending to be state worker advocates is reprehensible enough, but encouraging behavior that could get people in trouble is beneath contempt."