Labor Neighbor Radio 8/013/08
Olympia Rally
State workers are slugging it out over the bargaining
table in two locations where the employees are becoming increasingly militant.
·
I
In Olympia, more than 500 members of the Federation of State Employees rallied to support their demand for higher
wages…….notwithstanding the Governor’s call for a freeze on hiring. Spokesman
Tim Welch minimized the Governor’s action, saying it is precautionary. Still,
he says, state employees must have cost of living increases..Those talks are for more than 30,000 state employees.
UW Bargaining
Meantime….there
was a little rally this week…and plans for a big one at the University of Washington campus next week (Aug 21) as tradesmen…and
a variety of other workers represented by AFSCME/WFSE complain about wages. A 2% wage increase is
not going to cut it, say bargaining members, especially when the UW is paying top dollar to executives
and comparing itself to other top notch institutions.
Machinists
With their contract expiring September 3rd,
Boeing Machinists are preparing to strike if need be. A so-called “Final Countdown Rally”
to mount additional pressure for a settlement happens Sunday, August 24th near Sea-Tac Airport.
Machinists say they sacrificed
to help Boeing through some tough times since 2002, but now, when the company is flush, they
need to make up wages and benefits.
United Air
Union Pilots at United airlines are calling
for the CEO to step down. They say Glenn Tilton steered the company down a flight path of poor customer
service and tough finances.
Verizon cuts deal
If there’s any good news on the labor front….it includes a contract settlement between the Communications
Workers and Verizon. 65,000 workers benefit from a new 3-year contract containing 10.5 percent increases.
Labor Neighbor Radio is funded, in part, by Branch
79 National Assn of Letter Carriers.
Labor Neighbor Radio 8/06/08
Labor Convention
We’re reporting this week from the Washington
State Labor Convention in Vancouver. President Rick Bender told delegates that they must work hard for
the election of Barack Obama and Governor Chris Gregoire…or working people face another 4 years under a Bush-like administration.
In an 18 minute speech, Bender chastised the Bush administration for a range of union setbacks ranging from safety
to the economy, and said candidate John McCain represents more of the same.
At the state level he ticked off scores of accomplishment by Governor Gregoire in
developing jobs, apprentice training, funding for education and a green economy. He warned union members
they cannot afford to allow her defeat. He urged unions to get out there and engage the electorate on foot,
by mail, by phone.
Forbes top List
Delegates in Vancouver were told that Washington is among the top three states in which to do business.
This, according to a Forbes survey in 50 states. We rank high for a skilled labor force and growth
prospects….high for environment and the economic climate The other states in the top three?
Utah and Virginia.
Weyerhauser
Layoffs
Weyerhaeuser joins the growing list of companies cutting jobs; 1500 of them for now…a
result of the housing market slowdown. Weyerhauser lost 96 million dollars in the first three months of
this year.
State Freeze
Similalrly, Gov. Gregoire has ordered a hiring freeze on state employees. And told state agencies to cut back on fuel consumption. She’s
trying to save 90 million dollars.
From Labor Neighbor
Radio 7/31/08
Starbucks Layoffs
One day after media reported that
Starbucks layoffs were rumored….they became real. The coffee giant is cutting 1000 jobs… 180 of them in this
area. This is on top of 73 locals that got the ax in February.
Radio Firings
KSBG
Radio in Seattle is reportedly firing practically its entire staff, estimated at 20 employees. Station
is owned by Bonneville, which indicates on the station’s website that the oldies music format isn’t
selling with listeners and a new talk format orgiginated at KIRO AM will be simulcast on KBSG starting August 12th.
Sources close to employees say they were put out of work with little or no warning.
Bargaining
Dockworkers are not revealing details of the contract deal they reached with west coast shippers….only that
they have one… after some long, tough bargaining. It’s a six year deal that still must be ratified by union and
management association members. At least the negotiating committee is saying good things about the
agreement…saying it meets their goals. Last time out….in 2002…there was a 10 day lockout
that caused 15 billion dollars in losses.
Over at Boeing. First indication that talks with Madhinists are not going swimmingly appears in the Seattle Times
under a headline that suggests the talks could be in deep trouble.
The source is the lead
negotiatior for the machinists Mark Blondin and the reason given is that Boeing is negotiating as if it does not have a huge
backlog of orders and impending profits.. Blondin accuses Boeing of talking about take-aways, while the
union has its mind set on advances. "
WSLC Conflab
The big Washington State Labor Convention starts Sunday in Vancouver….at least
for the golfers. Everybody else gathers Monday through Thursday to get down to business. And
the business is politics. Probably the reason two senators, one governor and several congressmen will speechify.
Sugar Fine
The Head of OSHA says Imperial Suger ought to pay 8.7 million dollars
for safety violations that resulted in a sugar dust explosion in February that killed 13 workers. Osha
says the company knew about safety hazards back in 2002 and did nothing.
Home Prices
Home prices continue to fall in the
Seattle area. On the other hand, while our prices are down maybe 6% last year, Several
states….say California, Arizona, and Florida are looking at 17 to 28% decreases.
From Labor Neighbor Radio 7/24/08
Early Learners and Meth
Methamphetimine abuse is rampant in Washington
State and early learning experts are concerned. At a recent seminar, the state’s new early learning
department Director, Joan Bosworth reported more meth lab seizures here than in surrounding states combined. She
said children from abusing families are unable to learn and teachers must develop ways to deal with them.
EPA Lead Rules
The EPA
is worried about lead poisoning in many sections of the country.\
Among 16,000 lead polluters nationwide….100
of them are in Washington State…it comes from smelters, refineries, cement kilns, airports. Public
health expert Avi Kar told Public News Service, "The science has progressed quite a bit. We’ve
learned that lead is dangerous at far lower levels than we previously thought. The last time EPA looked at the issue was 15
years ago, and they didn't make any changes to their rule then." With About 300,000 children in
the United States suffering from lead poisoning. Kar believes an update to federal lead pollution standards is long overdue.
From Labor Neighbor Radio 7/23/08
New Crane Rules
Washington State is moving toward a new set of rules on crane safety.
The attention of the nation turned to Houston this
past week, as another tremendous crane accident killed four workers and injured 7, when a 30 story tower crane collapsed at
an oil refinery.
Its
almost an epidemic. Twenty people have died in crane accidents in recent months: 9 in
New York, two in Miami, One in Las Vegas….three here in Washington state….the most infamous
when a tower crane collapsed in Bellevue, killing a man inside his apartment. That got the attention of
the 2007 legislature and resulted in a new law, requiring the state to have a crane safety program.
A crane safety manager was hired and year long discussions
have resulted in new rules ready for publication this week, followed by August public hearings.
Labor Settlements
Nurses at
Swedish Medical Center get 15% wage increases over a 3 year contract…other staffers a little less.
Hotel and Restaurant Employees have stopped their boycott of the Seatac Hilton and Doubletree at the airport, with
ratification of a new contract.
Light Rail
Looks like you will be voting whether to pay for 34 miles of light rail line, if
the Sound Transit Board has its way. Not official yet….but could be by the end of this week.
The rail would service Lynnwood, Overlake and Federal Way. The
Budget would require higher sales taxes….say a nickel for every ten dollar purchase.
WSLC News Rundown
For a good rundown of news being watched by labor along
with links to the publications, try the Washington State Labor Council Website by hitting the link below.
News from WSLC