Washington State Labor Council issues political endorsements
SEATTLE — Several hundred dele-
gates to the Washington State Labor
Council (WSLC) met at the Machinists
751 Hall in Seattle in June to determine
endorsements for the August 2014 pri-
mary elections. Endorsement requires
a two-thirds majority vote.
For Southwest Washington, WSLC
endorsed Democrat Bob Dingethal in
his challenge to unseat Republican
Jaime Herrera Beutler for the 3rd U.S.
Congressional District. Herrera Beut-
ler was first elected to the House in
2010. Since that time she has operated
in near lock-step with John Boehner
and the Republican leadership.
In 2013 she voted for a bill that
Low Prices!
Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9:30-5:30, Sun 12-6
would have effectively shut down the
National Labor Relations Board. The
NLRB is the one agency workers
whose rights have been violated can
turn to for relief. The agency remedies
unfair labor practices and defends the
right of employees to join a union.
Herrera Beutler supported Wiscon-
sin U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget plan
that called for large cuts in Medicaid,
ending Medicare as we know it by con-
verting it into a voucher program, and
repealing the Affordable Care Act. It
was estimated the plan could give tax
cuts as high as an average of $330,000
for households with incomes of more
than $1 million a year, and for house-
holds with incomes more than
$200,000, the tax cut would be nearly
$34,500. Families with children and in-
comes under $200,000 would have
seen their taxes go up by an average of
more than $3,000. In addition, it would
have required deep cuts to job training,
education, food, housing, legal services
and advanced technology vehicles
manufacturing programs.
She also supported the so-called
Working Families Flexibility Act, leg-
islation that was all about flexibility for
employers, not employees. The bill al-
lowed employers to provide workers
with compensatory time off in lieu of
time and half overtime pay. The “comp
time” could only be used at the em-
ployer’s discretion, and the bill pro-
vided no protection for workers who
would rather be paid overtime instead
of “comp time,” from employer dis-
crimination, or for workers whose em-
ployers cheat them out of earned comp
time.
This year, Herrera Beutler joined
other Republicans in voting against an
amendment to an appropriations bill
that would have discouraged the fed-
eral government from giving contracts
to companies that have committed
wage theft. The amendment would
have disqualified certain federal con-
tracts to any corporation that commit-
ted wage theft or had other violations
of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The
idea was to ensure public dollars don’t
go to companies that have documented
histories of denying workers their right-
fully earned pay. The amendment was
defeated on a 196-211 vote, with all
Democrats and 10 Republicans voting
“yes.”
During consideration of a 2014 Mil-
itary Construction/Veterans Adminis-
tration appropriations bill, Herrera
Beutler voted in favor of an amend-
ment to bar the use of funds to enforce
Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wage re-
quirements. The Davis-Bacon law en-
sures that workers on public construc-
tion projects funded by taxpayer dollars
are paid a wage comparable to the local
standard or “prevailing” wage. It pre-
vents unscrupulous contractors from
low-balling bids and undercutting com-
munity wages with cheap, unskilled la-
bor. The amendment failed by a vote of
192-231.
As Herrera Beutler wraps up her
third term in Congress, she has com-
piled a 17 percent voting record as
tracked by the national AFL-CIO on is-
sues it deems important to working
people.
Other endorsements by the Wash-
ington State Labor Council included:
S TATE S UPREME C OURT
Mary Yu, Pos. 1; Mary Fairhurst,
Pos. 3; Charles Johnson, Pos. 4; Debra
Stephens, Pos. 7.
Delegates opposed Initiative 1325,
sponsored by Tim Eyman, which
would amend the state constitution to
require a two-thirds supermajority of
the Legislature in order to increase
taxes of any kind.
They resolved to support Initiative
1351, which would dramatically re-
duce class sizes in K-12 schools.
Delegates will consider additional
endorsements at the WSLC’s 2014
Constitutional Convention July 22-24
in Wenatchee.
IRS PROBLEMS?
District 49
Position 1 Rep. Sharon Wylie (D)
Position 2 Rep. Jim Moeller (D)
• Haven’t filed for ... years?
• Lost records?
• Liens - Levies - Garnishments?
• Negotiate settlements.
• Prepare offer in Compromise.
D ISTRICT 17
Position 1 Rep. Monica Stonier (D)
Call Nancy D. Anderson
Enrolled Agent
NPTI Fellow/America’s Tax Expert
LTC-1807
D ISTRICT 18
Position 1 Rep. Michael Briggs (D)
Position 2 Rep. Maureen Winning-
ham (D)
www.nancydanderson.com
503-244-2577
THANK YOU!
Labor Appreciation Night Contributors
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757; Multnomah County
Employees (AFSCME) Local 88; American Income Life;
ciation Local 43; Roofers Local 49; Sunrise Dental;
Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers & Grain
Teamsters Local 162; Teamsters Local 223;
Millers Local 114; Creative Designs by Becky;
UFCW Local 555; Unions For Kids; United Steel-
IBEW Local 48; Ferguson Wellman Capital Man-
workers Local 330; Dave Davalos; U.S. Senator
agement; Heat & Frost Insulators & Allied Work-
Jeff Merkley; and John & Shirley Vandermosten.
ers Local 36; Hilton Portland & Executive Tower;
Hollywood Impress Printing; I.A.T.S.E. Local 28; Bambi
Ooley, I.A.T.S.E. Local B20; IBEW & United Workers Federal Credit
Union; Operating Engineers Local 701; Laborers Local 296; Machinists
District Lodge W24; Machinists Local Lodge 1005; Machinists Local Lodge
1432; Machinists Local Lodge 63; Northwest Labor Press; Office and
Professional Employees Local 11; Oregon Alliance for Retired Americans;
PCC Federation of Classified Employees Local 3922; Portland Federation
PAGE 8
of School Employees Local 111; Portland Fire Fighters Asso-
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
VOLUNTEERS
Belinda Reagan, Portland Federation of School Personnel
Local 111; Michelle Batten, Local 111; Kathy Muir, Local 111; Eryn
Byram, Labor’s Community Service Agency; Vickie Burns, Labor’s Com-
munity Service Agency; Lori Vaughn, American Income Life; Jenny & An-
thony Gray, Bakers Local 114; Bob & Deborah Petroff, Machinists District
Lodge W24; Will & Jill Lukens, Machinists District Lodge W24; Leanna
Hakala, American Federation of Teachers, Oregon Retirees, and Karen
Carlson, Northwest Oregon Labor Council.
JULY 4, 2014