WSLC Reports is a bi-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) stories online.  If you want to receive this via fax or mail, Get on the List!
(See previous editions of this newsletter.)

MARCH-APRIL 2005
Workers win some, lose some in Olympia

The 2005 legislative session that just concluded was marked by some important victories for Washington’s working families, and some disappointments. Following is a brief summary of some of the successes and failures from the Washington State Labor Council’s legislative agenda:

Among the successes (in no particular order):

• Unemployment Insurance reform -- EHB 2255 undoes some of the particularly onerous changes of 2003. It restores two-quarter averaging and "liberal construction" language for the purposes of calculating UI benefits for two years. During that period a task force will study permanent changes that are fair to employers and workers. Despite support from labor, Boeing and certain agricultural interests, it took strong leadership from Democrats to push this through and stop the bleeding for unemployed workers.

• State employee master contract -- The final 2005-07 operating budget included funding for the historic first master contracts giving state employees a long-overdue raise.

• Transportation package -- Business, labor and others joined to promote desperately needed investment in our infrastructure. Legislators responded with a record package of more than $8 billion in transportation improvements.

• Apprenticeship -- Utilization requirements for apprentices on major public works projects, which have been in place under an executive order, were codified into law.

• Campaign finance reform -- A bill restored and fine tuned the decade-old "affiliation rule" set aside by a court ruling. It allows union locals to have separate contribution limits, thus keeping an independent voice on political issues.

• Other bills passed include insurance mental health parity, a study of offshore outsourcing, expanding access to the prescription drug consortium, extending Family Care Act protections, a child care wage ladder, expanding the Electrical Board, restricting noncompete agreements in broadcasting, and other issues.

Among the failures (again, in no particular order):

• Health Care Responsibility Act -- This would have required employers of 50 or more in Washington to take responsibility for providing basic, affordable health insurance to their employees. Employers would choose: purchase basic coverage on their own for employees or pay a fee to help expand public insurance programs for the uninsured.

• Retro reform -- Bills were introduced to restrict or limit fees business associations charge employers to receive safety incentive payments, or to send the payments directly to employers. The bills’ failure means millions of dollars will continue to be siphoned from the workers’ compensation system every year and spent on political contributions and other issues not related to work safety.

• Paid family leave insurance -- Under this bill, workers who must temporarily leave their jobs to care for newborn or adopted children, or to care for sick family members, would’ve gotten up to 5 weeks of job-protected paid leave.

• Other disappointments included a number of election reform measures (including moving up the primary election date), performance audits of tax breaks and incentives, authorizing simple-majority approval of school levies, and some other bills.

The WSLC 2005 Legislative Report will discuss these and other legislative issues in more detail, plus provide labor voting records of all State Representatives and Senators. It will be published in June. If you receive this newsletter via traditional mail, you will receive a copy. It will also be available online at this Web site.

STATE LABOR NEWS

Union makes a difference for Washington’s state employees

The final state budget that was approved by the legislature this month included funds for pay raises, stabilized health insurance premium rates, pay gap adjustments and other enhancements bargained by state employees in their historic first contracts. The budget did not, however, give the same pay and benefits package to non-represented state employees -- those not covered by a contract and those who decertify and give up their contracts. As legislators scoured the budget for cost savings to avoid program cuts, they decided to delay pay raises for nonrepresented employees by two months, saving about $10 million.

In recent weeks, some state employees -- egged on by the right-wing anti-labor group Evergreen Freedom Foundation which has been spamming them at their work e-mail addresses -- have balked at the "union security" clauses in their contracts. Some employees feel like they didn’t understand that this clause requires everyone who benefits from the contract to pay a representation fee to the union. A few state agencies have petitioned for decertification of the union and elections are pending.

Those workers should understand that everyone paying their fair share is a basic principle of unionism, commonly supported by workers to strengthen their bargaining power and as a matter of basic fairness.

Mourn the dead, fight for the living

Thursday, April 28 was Workers Memorial Day, a day working people throughout the world mourned the people who were hurt or killed on the job, and then renewed the struggle for safe workplaces.

WSLC President Rick Bender spoke at the Department of Labor and Industries’ annual ceremony in Tumwater, where bells were tolled for each of the more than 100 workers who died in Washington in 2004 as a result of on-the-job injuries or illnesses. Secretary-Treasurer Al Link spoke at the Spokane Regional Labor Council’s commemoration. Ceremonies were also conducted in Everett by the Snohomish County Labor Council, and in Bellingham by the Northwest Washington Central Labor Council.

Learn more.

NATIONAL NEWS

All WA Dems in Congress sponsor Employee Free Choice Act

Working families are pushing hard to pass legislation that would remove unfair obstacles employers routinely use to thwart workers’ freedom to form unions. The Employee Free Choice Act, introduced in Congress with bipartisan sponsorship on April 19, would reform the nation’s basic labor laws by requiring employers to recognize the union after a majority of workers sign cards authorizing union representation. It also would provide mediation and arbitration for first-contract disputes and establish stronger penalties for violation of the rights of workers seeking to form unions or negotiate first contracts. Among the co-sponsors of H.R. 1696 are Washington’s U.S. Reps. Brian Baird, Norm Dicks, Jay Inslee, Rick Larsen, Jim McDermott and Adam Smith. Both U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray have co-sponsored the Senate version, S. 842.

Learn more.

Bush, Charles Schwab still pushing Social Sec. privatization

Despite a two-month taxpayer funded campaign trip to sell the idea of private investment accounts, polls indicate that Americans still overwhelmingly oppose President Bush’s proposal to partial privatize the Social Security system. The Senate Finance Committee’s first full-scale debate on the issue April 26 raised new doubt about whether a majority of the committee would vote for Bush’s proposal. All the Democrats on the panel who spoke said they were resolutely opposed to Bush’s plan, and a number of Republicans also expressed reservations.

Meanwhile, the AFL-CIO continues its campaign to urge self-interested investment firms to withdraw their financial support for Bush’s plan. On March 31, a National Day of Action on Retirement Security included protests in dozens of U.S. cities outside of Wachovia and Charles Schwab offices to deliver the message: "Don’t pick our pockets to line yours!" In Washington state, protests were held outside Charles Schwab offices in Bellevue, Seattle, Spokane and Tacoma.

Learn more.

PREVIOUS EDITIONS

2005: January/February
2004: November-December -- July-August -- May-June -- April -- March -- January/February
2003: December -- November -- Sept./Oct. -- July/August -- June --  May -- April --  March -- February -- January
2002:  December --  November -- October -- Aug/Sept -- July -- June -- May -- April -- March

If you have news items regarding unions or workplace issues in Washington state that you would like to see included at the WSLC website, please submit them via e-mail to David Groves or via fax to 206-285-5805.

Copyright © 2005  Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO