Thursday, November 2, 2023
► From the (Everett) Herald — Snohomish & Island County Labor Council Recognizes Labor Leaders — The Snohomish and Island County Labor Council held its second annual Champions Dinner last month to honor the accomplishments of local labor leaders. The event, held Oct. 10 at the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center in Everett, was attended by 18 local unions, community leaders and a group of worker-friendly elected officials. The Mike Sells Labor Champion Award was presented to John Traynor, legislative director of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO.
stand (October 19) — Snohomish & Island CLC celebrates labor advocates
► From OPB — Portland teachers, families and students rally on picket lines on first day of strike — The Portland Teachers Association officially began its strike Wednesday morning. This is the first teacher strike in the history of Oregon’s largest school district. Actions are happening all over the city. This historic strike caused PPS to close more than 80 school campuses. It may last for days. It can last several weeks. The district announced at noon Wednesday that schools would remain closed Thursday.
► From Willamette Week — Legislative aides ratify nation’s first union contract — Aides who staff Oregon’s 90 members (60 in the House and 30 in the Senate organized by IBEW Local 89) have voted to accept a deal that would make Oregon’s members the first in the nation to unionize. This process took longer than many staff members would have liked. However, when votes were counted on October 31, approximately 80% of those who voted voted to accept management’s proposal.
Editor’s Note — The Washington State Standard newspaper, ICYMI, reported this week that the Washington State Department of Labor Relations ordered the state Legislature to allow certain legislative employees and aides to unionize, restrict other employees from unionizing, and impose a ban on strikes. It was reported that the government had announced a recommendation requesting the text. Among other things.
► From Cascadia Daily News — It’s Time to Start Buying Most Obamacare Insurance Plans — Affordable Care Act For millions of Americans who purchase their health insurance through the Marketplace, the end of the year marks a day of reckoning. Now’s the time to compare benefits and prices and switch to a new plan or enroll for the first time. ACA’s public offering on federal and state exchanges began on Wednesday, November 1st. Consumers can review their 2024 coverage options, calculate potential subsidies, or make changes to their plans online, by phone, or by seeking assistance from a broker or other advocate. can.
Editor’s note — In our state, visit Washington HealthPlanFinder.
► From Crosscut — WA launches health insurance exchange for illegal immigrants — The Washington State Health Insurance Exchange is expanding access to health and dental plans to all state residents, regardless of citizenship or immigration status.
► From Washington state standards — Washington rents are showing signs of stabilizing. — But housing advocates point to data showing people are still behind on their payments.
► From Reuters — Boeing announces “cyber incident will hurt parts business” after ransom threat — Boeing announced Wednesday that it is investigating a cyber incident that affected elements of its parts and distribution business and is cooperating with law enforcement investigations. Boeing announced on Friday that the cybercriminal organization Rockbit had stolen “vast amounts” of sensitive data from the U.S. aircraft maker and would destroy it online unless Boeing paid the ransom by Nov. 2. He later admitted the incident.
► From the world of the people — Labor Commission: “Common Law” and Common Sense Define Joint Employer — Seeking to end once and for all a controversy that has been swirling for more than a decade, the NLRB has issued what it calls “common law” and common sense rules for when joint employers have joint liability to follow. or violation of labor laws. The mandate, which goes into effect on Dec. 26, means that two employers (think your local McDonald’s franchise and McDonald’s headquarters in Chicago) must comply with policies ranging from wages and hours to jobs and work rules, hiring and firing, uniforms and training. It is stipulated that the labor affairs of workers shall be managed from start to finish. Both are responsible for complying with or violating labor laws. That means it should be easier for workers to organize and bargain without being bounced from pillar to post over who to bargain with and who to complain to. AFL-CIO President Liz Schuller used a similar “basic common sense” explanation, calling the new rules “an important victory” for workers.
► From HuffPost — Democrat Joe Manchin wants to block major pro-union reforms — Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia wants to repeal the NLKRB’s new joint employer rules announced last week and is working with Republicans to make that happen. The regulations make it even more likely that large companies like McDonald’s could be held accountable for unfair labor practices involving franchisees or subcontractors or forced to negotiate with labor unions. Mr. Manchin will need to rally at least one other non-Republican to his murderous resolve.
► From roll call — Senate passes three 2024 spending bills in a ‘minibus’ manner — The Senate voted 82-15 Wednesday to pass the first three fiscal year 2024 spending bills in a “minibus” fashion, and the House will begin voting on three of the seven remaining fiscal year 2024 spending bills this week. do.
► Gerrymandering from roll call upheld by Supreme Court today — Racial assessment: New map erases Democratic advantage in North Carolina — The races for three Democratic-held seats are currently rated as likely to go Republican. The state’s delegation could shift from seven Republicans and seven Democrats to just 10 to 11 Republicans and three to four Democrats starting in 2022.
► From LA Times — Impressive actors hold large gathering in Los Angeles as negotiations near agreement — As more than 3,000 striking actors and supporters unite in a massive rally in Los Angeles on Wednesday, the cast union, SAG-AFTRA, and Hollywood’s major studios move forward on key issues and inch closer to an agreement. It looked like it was. SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP have been meeting frequently over the past few weeks to reach an agreement that would end the months-long work stoppage that brought much of the entertainment industry to a standstill.
Editor’s Note — You can support striking SAG-AFTRA members by donating to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. Emergency assistance program available to SAG-AFTRA members in dire financial need due to a strike. Also, consider donating to the Entertainment Community Fund, which supports all workers in the entertainment industry and provides cost-of-living grants to those in need.
► From Reuters — Toyota raises wages for U.S. factory workers following UAW collective bargaining agreement — Toyota Motor Corporation announced Wednesday it will raise wages for nonunion U.S. factory workers, days after the UAW won significant wage and benefit increases from three Detroit automakers. The highest-paid manufacturing workers will see a pay increase of about 9% starting January 1, the company confirmed. Other non-union logistics and service parts employees are also seeing pay increases.
Editor’s Note — You’re welcome. Well, do you want to get it? genuine Wage and benefit increases, and how do I get them in writing? Learn more about working with colleagues to negotiate better wages and working conditions. Or contact a union organizer today.
► From Reuters — Uber and Lyft to pay $328 million to settle New York wage theft lawsuit — New York Attorney General Letitia James says Uber will pay $290 million and Lyft $38 million to resolve her office’s multiyear investigation into both companies, the largest wage theft case in her office’s history. He said it was a settlement.
► From Reuters — New York Times tech employees go on strike over workplace rules — New York Times technology employees are planning a half-day strike on Monday, accusing the publisher of unilaterally forcing workers back into the office.
► From the Guardian — United Nations accuses Amazon, Walmart, DoorDash of ‘shameful’ wages and union destruction — The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights urges the CEOs of Amazon, Walmart, and DoorDash and the U.S. government that top U.S. companies keep their workers in poverty by paying too low wages. He called on the government to address allegations that it is forcing people to rely on the government. -Support programs for survival. Olivier de Schutter has written to three major American companies and the US government, demanding answers to a number of allegations. Among them: Amazon and Walmart among the top 25 employers with workers dependent on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, or Medicaid, in the nine states surveyed. The 2020 Government Accountability Office report includes Walmart in first place and Amazon in second place. 6th.
Editor’s Note — When a poor wage worker requires public assistance to meet the basic needs of his or her family, We all subsidize these profitable companies and the billionaires who run them.
The Stand posts links to news of interest from Washington state and the nation every weekday morning by 10 a.m.
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