SEIU 925

SEIU 925 gives up raises, wants savings spent on parents - The Olympian

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:21:15 -0800

SEIU 925 gives up raises, wants savings spent on parents - The Olympian

Union drops contract lawsuit against Washington governor - Bellingham Herald

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:20:29 -0800

Union drops contract lawsuit against Washington governor - Bellingham Herald

UW staff: Forget the raise, and forget layoffs, too. KOMO News

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:17:11 -0800

UW staff: Forget the raise, and forget layoffs, too. KOMO News

Emmert says his own salary is on the table as UW decides on cuts --Seattle Times

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:04:45 -0800

Emmert says his own salary is on the table as UW decides on cuts --Seattle Times

State budget doom coming soon to the workplace

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:42:54 -0800

State budget doom coming soon to the workplace

State wins union lawsuit: Gregoire can shelve contracts, judge says

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:36:18 -0800

State wins union lawsuit: Gregoire can shelve contracts, judge says:

Gov. Chris Gregoire should have done things differently in negotiating with state employee unions, but her decision to shelve new contracts with the unions stands, Thurston County Superior Court Judge Anne Hirsch said Wednesday.

Gregoire: Combine small schools, overhaul biz tax

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:57:40 -0800

Gregoire: Combine small schools, overhaul biz tax:

Gov. Chris Gregoire pushed for more overhauls of state government today, asking business leaders for a plan to reform Washington’s main business tax and calling for consolidation of small public schools.

Poetry for a Recession

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:20:34 -0800

Poetry for a Recession:

There’s a Hole in the Middle of the State by Kurt Guenther

There’s a hole in the middle of the state/There’s a hole in the middle of the state/Where compassion used to be/Like fighting poverty/And making sure our kids are doing great

UW braces for 600 layoffs; deeper state cuts could mean 800 lost jobs

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 06:03:03 -0800

UW braces for 600 layoffs; deeper state cuts could mean 800 lost jobs:

The University of Washington says it will need to cut 600 jobs under the budget proposed by Gov. Chris Gregoire — a number that could rise to 800 if lawmakers make deeper cuts.

NYT: Throwing schools out the window

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:56:41 -0800

NYT: Throwing schools out the window:

So this is what the Senate seems to be coming down to: keeping bridges and throwing students out the window. The effort to prune the stimulus package to make it more palatable to Republicans is focused on slashing money for education.

Obama's stimulus plan to boost economy begins at home

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 10:13:54 -0800

Obama's stimulus plan to boost economy begins at home:

President Barack Obama is pushing a different type of first aid for the ailing economy through Congress — one that sees families and their daily worries about child care and education as a key to our economic recovery.

Aberdeen, Hoquiam, Elma SDs face budget ax

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:04:19 -0800

Aberdeen, Hoquiam, Elma SDs face budget ax:

Aberdeen School District is looking at losing $600,000 in levy equalization money and Hoquiam is looking at losing $430,000. Elma stands to lose $786,000 in a single year out of a budget of $17 million.

Report: State has options to widen health care

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:02:47 -0800

Report: State has options to widen health care:

Washington could save money on health care by implementing an approach that’s already used for public employees, according to a consultant’s report.

Welfare Aid Not Growing As Economy Drops Off

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:33:00 -0800

Welfare Aid Not Growing As Economy Drops Off:

Despite soaring unemployment and the worst economic crisis in decades, 18 states cut their welfare rolls last year, and nationally the number of people receiving cash assistance remained at or near the lowest in more than 40 years.

Washington pension fund loses a fifth of its value in '08

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:49:15 -0800

Washington pension fund loses a fifth of its value in '08 :

Washington’s public employee pension fund lost about a fifth of its value in 2008, bumping up the unfunded liability…likely requiring workers to pay more into the system.

Skyrocketing Health-Care Costs Could Double Premiums for Many Americans

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:24:04 -0800

Skyrocketing Health-Care Costs Could Double Premiums for Many Americans:

Left unchecked, the costs of employer-paid health insurance will jump from $11,381 to $24,291 in the next seven years, according to the report, which was released Wednesday by the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG).

Schools could get millions from federal stimulus plan

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:34:03 -0800

Schools could get millions from federal stimulus plan:

Whatcom school districts expressed optimism when they found out the U.S. House of Representatives had just thrown about $14 million their way.

"The House Democrats’ [2009 budget] plan would cut…less than Gregoire’s proposed budget...."

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:40:00 -0800

“The House Democrats’ [2009 budget] plan would cut…less than Gregoire’s proposed budget. …Lawmakers want to keep a children’s health care program, which Gregoire didn’t pay for.”

- The Daily News: State’s House Democrats unveil savings plan

Robert Reich: The union way up

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:49:00 -0800

Robert Reich: The union way up:

Go back about 50 years, when America’s middle class was expanding and the economy was soaring. Paychecks were big enough to allow us to buy all the goods and services we produced. It was a virtuous circle. Good pay meant more purchases, and more purchases meant more jobs.

Health Insurance Premium Sucker Punch

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 12:26:17 -0800

Health Insurance Premium Sucker Punch:

A quarter of officials from 350 large corporations said they had increased deductibles an average of 9 percent in 2008. And 30 percent of the employers said they expected to raise deductibles an average of 14 percent in 2009.