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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 2008)
SEPT. 5, 2008:NWLP 9/2/08 9:46 AM Page 9 In Washington State Labor-backed candidates make cut in ‘Top 2’ primary There were no surprises for or- ganized labor in Washington’s Aug. 19 primary. Incumbents outpolled challengers in statewide races, and in some parts of the state, the new “top two” election system will result in candidates from the same party fac- ing off in the November general election. Voter turnout was low — 37 per- cent. The biggest news was that the governor’s race was still very close, four years after Democrat Christine Gregoire beat Republican Dino Rossi by less than 400 votes. This time, Gregoire got 48.3 percent of the vote to Rossi’s 46.3; voters will choose between them in November. “[The closeness of the race] rein- forces the need for organized labor to get information to our members about why Gregoire is our recom- mended candidate,” said David Groves, spokesperson for the Wash- Machinists calls for Boeing strike Negotiators for the Machinists Union are urging their members to re- ject a contract offer from Boeing and go on strike Sept. 4. [The vote was sched- uled Sept. 3, after this issue went to press.] Machinists Lodge 63 represents ap- proximately 1,200 workers at the Boe- ing plant in Gresham. The union held voting at the football field at Mt. Hood Community College. Some 26,000 of the affected workers are in the Puget Sound region, and about 800 work at the defense-aircraft modification plant in Wichita, Kan. The Machinists Union cited several reasons for rejecting the offer, includ- ing the lack of job-security commit- ments, increases in medical insurance costs, and pay and pension increases that didn’t meet expectations. The union needs a two-thirds’ ma- jority vote to strike. In 2002, workers rejected the contract, but failed to get a two-thirds vote to strike. If that hap- pens, the contract is implemented. ington State Labor Council, AFL- CIO. WSLC is the premier labor federation in Washington, where union households make up roughly a quarter of the electorate. “Gregoire has been a strong advo- cate on our issues, including appren- ticeship, prevailing wage, and other bread and butter issues,” Groves said. “She’s successfully made the point that you can have worker- friendly policies and still be em- ployer-friendly,” Groves said. On its Web site, www.wslc.org, the state labor council compares Gregoire’s and Rossi’s records and positions. The two candidates’ cam- paigns could hardly have been more different: Gregoire’s theme was “One Washington,” while Rossi sup- porters blanketed some parts of the state with billboards saying, “Don’t let Seattle steal this election.” “We felt that was emblematic of the divisive campaign Rossi is wag- ing,” Groves said, “pitting business against labor, Eastern versus Western Washington, and rural vs. urban.” Under the new Top Two system, the primary serves to winnow the field of candidates down to two for the general election, in partisan of- fices. Non-partisan positions, such as seats on the state Supreme Court, are unaffected. So far there’s no sign that an anti- Republican mood on the national scene is affecting state and local races in Washington: Republicans got the most votes in four of the eight statewide offices up for elec- tion. “Washington voters have an inde- pendent streak and don’t often vote party line,” Groves said. The WSLC supported incumbent Republican Secretary of State Sam Reed. Reed won 59 percent of the primary vote. In all other statewide partisan races, the WSLC endorsed a Demo- crat, who advanced to the general election. Incumbent Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen, a Democrat, polled at 52 percent, more than twice his near- est opponent. Incumbent Insurance Commis- sioner Mike Kreidler soared above Republican challenger John Adams. For state treasurer, WSLC-backed Democrat Jim McIntire polled six percentage points behind Republican Allan Martin, but a third candidate in the race, now eliminated, was also a Democrat and got 15 percent of the vote. In the race for attorney general, WSLC-backed former Pierce County executive John Ladenburg got 43 percent to incumbent Repub- lican Rob McKenna’s 57 percent. WSLC-endorsed incumbent State Auditor Brian Sonntag, a Democrat, got 59 percent to Republican Dick McEntee’s 34 percent. Republican incumbent Doug Sutherland outpolled WSLC-en- dorsed Democrat Peter Goldmark for commissioner of public lands. In the non-partisan race for super- intendent of public instruction, WSLC-endorsed incumbent Berge- son got the most votes and will face Randy Dorn in the November gen- eral election. In Southwest Washington, en- dorsed Democrat Tim Probst, run- ning for House Seat 1 in District 17, captured 48 percent of the vote to Republican runner up Joseph James’ 33 percent. A third Republican can- didate took 18.5 percent of the vote. In other 17th District races only Roger G. Worthington, P.C. leads the fight to find a cure for Mesothelioma cancer caused by asbestos exposure Since 1989, we have been dedicated to helping asbestos cancer patients get justice in the courtrooms and help in the hospitals. 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