WSLC Reports Today
Updated DAILY... Almost Every Day!™ by 9 a.m. Pacific

Links are functional at date of posting, but sometimes expire. 
WSLC Reports Today links to stories of interest to organized labor; 
some positive, some negative. The intention is to inform.

Local news:
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Immigration initiative seeks state crackdown -- A proposed initiative would prohibit illegal immigrants in Washington from getting state driver's licenses and denied public benefits, and employers -- both public and private -- would be required to verify that new hires can legally work in the U.S. Supporters of I-409 are trying to collect 224,880 signatures by December to force the Legislature to either act on the proposal or place it before voters in the 2009 election.
▪  In the Olympian -- Union talks may continue into September (brief) -- "As long as it's finished by early September, I think we have plenty of time to ratify the contract," says WFSE Executive Director Greg Devereux said. "They're trying to figure out how to deal with the (budget) shortfall … and we're trying to deal with our members concerns with the gas pump, things like that."
▪  In today's Tri-City Herald -- Hanford B Reactor named National Historic Landmark -- Not only will that federal designation help efforts to preserve the reactor as a museum, but the growing interest in the reactor has led the Department of Energy to increase public access to it.
▪  In today's Everett Herald -- No merit raises for Reardon's staff -- County Council Chairman says the partial wage freeze could be expanded to all 3,000 Snohomish County employees to save money.
▪  In today's Columbian -- Aluminum plant not coming to Vancouver, at least for now -- An 800-job aluminum fencing and bike frame maker had earlier considered a move to the Port of Vancouver.

Election 2008:
▪  Today from AP -- Gregoire vs. Rossi close again -- With more than 90% of the vote now counted, Gov. Chris Gregoire is ahead of Rossi by an uncomfortably close 2 percentage points. 
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Michelle Obama: "American Dream endures" -- She introduces Barack Obama to a national audience as a loving husband and father and a dedicated public servant who shares the same values as other working-class Americans.
▪  From AP -- Unions push members, leaders to get behind Obama -- "There are still a chunk of union voters who are undecided, and there are some who are nervous about him," says Karen Ackerman, political director of the AFL-CIO. "We feel that (race) is an issue. It's not the only issue. It's complicated by other issues such as unfamiliarity and inexperience, but it is an issue."
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Biden, the solid choice (editorial) -- Joe Biden adds heft to the Democratic ticket and brings few liabilities. The senator from Delaware gives Barack Obama some things he does not have: long experience in the nation's capital and a deep knowledge of foreign policy.
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Blue-collar Biden raises the bar (Broder column) -- Biden brings a blue-collar sensibility that has been lacking in Obama's campaign. If Obama wants a vice president who will be direct in stating his views and not worry about offending the president, he's found the right man.
▪  In today's NY Times -- No one should have to stand in line 10 hours to vote (op-ed) -- In 2004, some students at Kenyon College in Ohio were forced to wait that long. That same day in Columbus, voters in black neighborhoods waited as long as four hours, often in the rain. Many voters there and in other urban areas -- including Toledo and Youngstown -- left their overcrowded polling places in disgust, or because they could not wait any longer, without casting a ballot. In many of Ohio’s white-majority suburbs, the lines were far shorter. In most states, too little is being done to make sure that polling places can accommodate all of the voters who show up.

National news:
▪  In the Foster Daily Democrat -- Remember who opposes Employee Free Choice Act (op-ed) -- When I saw the TV ads by the Employee Freedom Action Committee, I started to wonder: who are these crusaders for justice, so concerned about our rights as workers? It turns out to be a front group for Richard Berman, a Washington, D.C. lobbyist whose clients include the American beverage industry who paid him to attack Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. Forgive me for doubting that Berman is looking out for the best interests of working families. (More on scumbag-for-hire Richard Berman.)
▪  From Dow Jones -- Agent 99, others in Hollywood back EFCA -- Actress Anne Hathaway is among the Hollywood stars who offer their support in Denver for the Employee Free Choice Act. "There's only one way for a single voice to be heard, and it is for 10,000 others to be behind it," says Richard Schiff, who starred as Toby Ziegler on "The West Wing."
▪  In today's NY Times -- Hundreds of workers held in Mississippi immigration raid -- At least 350 workers said to be in the country illegally are held after ICE agents raid a factory belonging to Howard Industries Inc., which manufactures electrical transformers, among other products.
▪  In today's SF Chronicle -- U.S. court overturns mall limits on union picketing -- California shopping malls can't prohibit union members from carrying picket signs, standing on sidewalks or picketing during the peak holiday season, a federal appeals court ruled.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2008
L&I awards $1.2M in grants for safety, health improvements
Labor Neighbor Radio, SEIU 1199NW are among recipients

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