September 2002

Executive Secretary’s Report: Dock Opera?
What have Seattle Opera singers and West Coast longshore workers got in common? Each has a boss who is failing to respect the collective bargaining process. That's why they're protesting together this Wednesday, September 18th, at the headquarters of Stevedoring Services of America on Harbor Island. (See rally details below.)

The longshore story is well known. Instead of bargaining, the stevedoring companies ran to President Bush asking him to send in the troops. This effectively put the ILWU in a position where they could only bargain against themselves.

Similarly, the Seattle Opera (the beneficiary of lots of public dollars) twice lost a court ruling to the American Guild of Musical Artists that requires the Opera to pay all choristers, not just some of them. Angry at the paid singers' standing tall for their formerly unpaid coworkers, the Opera said something like "Fine, all the paid choristers must accept a wage freeze." Further, the Opera said it wouldn't bargain again until the union agrees to the freeze. Once again, the union can only bargain against itself. And that is the unifying tune, if you will.

No, you won't hear longshore workers crooning arias or see opera singers operating cranes, but you will experience old-fashioned solidarity on Wednesday because basic rights are under attack. In defending collective bargaining we must show solidarity with all our sisters and brothers even if that means sisters and brothers to whom we didn't even know we were related. That's Dock Opera, a powerful drama in song of workers defending the unfettered right to bargain.

Don’t forget to vote on Tuesday, September 17th!
Here are KCLC’s primary endorsements. If you would like a printable version, follow the link listed below in Online Resources.

STATE
Legislative District 1 … House Pos. 1: Al O’Brien, House Pos. 2: Jeanne Edwards
Legislative District 5 … House Pos. 1: Katrina Culp Ladopoulos, House Pos. 2: Loren Skaggs
Legislative District 11 … House Pos. 1: Zack Hudgins, House Pos. 2: Velma Veloria
Legislative District 30 … Senate: Tracey Eide, House Pos. 1: Mark Miloscia, House Pos. 2: Greg Markley
Legislative District 31 … Senate: Yvonne Ward, House Pos. 1: Mike Connor
Legislative District 32 … Senate: Darlene Fairley, House Pos. 1: Maralyn Chase, House Pos. 2: Ruth Kagi
Legislative District 33 … Senate: Karen Keiser, House Pos. 1: Shay Schual-Berke, House Pos. 2: Dave Upthegrove
Legislative District 34 … Senate: Erik Poulsen, House Pos. 1: Eileen Cody, House Pos. 2: Joe McDermott
Legislative District 36 … Senate: Jeanne Kohl-Welles, House Pos. 2: Mary Lou Dickerson
Legislative District 37 … Senate: Adam Kline, House Pos. 1: Sharon Tomiko-Santos, House Pos. 2: Eric Pettigrew
Legislative District 41 … House Pos. 2: Judy Clibborn
Legislative District 43 … Senate: Pat Thibaudeau, House Pos. 1: Ed Murray, House Pos. 2: Frank Chopp
Legislative District 45 … House Pos. 1: Dave Asher, House Pos. 2: Laura Ruderman
Legislative District 46 … Senate: Ken Jacobsen, House Pos. 1: Jim McIntire, House Pos. 2: Phyllis Kenney
Legislative District 47 … Senate: Rebecca Clark and Debbie Jacobson (dual), House Pos. 1: Geoff Simpson, House Pos. 2: Pat Sullivan
Legislative District 48 … Senate: Steve Van Luven, House Pos. 1: Ross Hunter

COUNTY
King Co. Prosecutor … Norm Maleng

JUDICIAL
State Supreme Court, Pos. 3 … Michael Spearman
State Supreme Court, Pos. 4 … Charles Johnson
State Supreme Court, Pos. 7 … Bobbe Bridge
State Appeals, Div. 1, Dist. 1, Pos. 5 … H. Joseph Coleman
State Appeals, Div. 1, Dist. 1, Pos. 6 … Ann Schindler
King Co. Superior Court, Pos. 5 … Steven Gonzalez
Seattle Municipal Court, Pos. 2 … Kimi Kondo
Seattle Municipal Court, Pos. 7 … Fred Bonner

U.S. CONGRESS
District 1 Representative … Jay Inslee
District 7 Representative … Jim McDermott
District 8 Representative … Heidi Behrens-Benedict
District 9 Representative … Adam Smith

BALLOT MEASURES
Vote YES on the 2002 Seattle Housing Levy: A vote on September 17th to renew the Seattle Housing Levy will help create affordable housing for low-income families and safe homes for victims of domestic violence, as well as provide assistance for seniors and low-income home buyers.

Machinists accept contract, avoid strike
IAM members rejected Boeing’s “last, best and final” contract offer on Friday, but failed to muster the 66.6% majority required to strike the company. Members rejected the proposal by 62%, but only 61% voted to authorize a strike. Under provisions of the IAM Constitution, Boeing’s proposed contract automatically took effect at 12:01 A.M. on Saturday. For more coverage, visit the IAM 751 web site.

Labor Day Celebration
Woodland Park was home once again to this year’s King County Labor Council’s Annual Labor Day Celebration. The crowd of approximately 800 union members and supporters enjoyed music by Musicians Local 76-493 members Project LA. Hot dogs and condiments were donated by Sodexho and Associated Grocers thanks to coordination by Teamsters Local 174. Fair Trade Coffee was donated by Larry’s Market and coordinated by UFCW Local 1105, who also donated and served ice cream. Pop was donated by Pepsi via the Seattle/King County Building & Construction Trades Council and served by James Davis and Peter Coates. The generosity of these union companies and the willingness of our affiliates to help secure donations are what make our Labor Day celebration a success year after year.

There were also volunteers on hand throughout the day who helped us make sure the celebration went off without a hitch. Whether they were rolling out table cloths, filling balloons or picking up garbage to return the park to its original condition, the volunteers were an integral part of the day and are so appreciated.

The King County Labor Agency’s raffle was a huge success, bringing in over $8,000 and raffling off over 70 excellent prizes. Proceeds from the raffle will help the Labor Agency continue to serve union and community members through their many assistance programs.

Online resources
The KCLC endorsements for tomorrow’s primary election are posted on our web site. Click here to access the page, which also offers a downloadable version for printing.

To help meet the needs of laid-off workers, the AFL-CIO has launched www.laidoffworkers.org, a new website that provides resources for surviving unemployment, meeting working family challenges, learning what went wrong and protecting retirement security.

Upcoming Events
Wednesday, September 18th, 12:00 noon Join the ILWU and supporters in front of the Stevedoring Services of America headquarters, 1050 Spokane Street on Harbor Island, for an action calling for fair collective bargaining and further negotiations. The action will feature a performance by American Guild of Musical Artist members from the Seattle Opera, who are also involved in a contract struggle.

Wednesday, September 18th, 7:00 p.m. KCLC Delegates meeting, Hall One, Seattle Labor Temple.