labor

With changing immigration policies, Northwest farmers say they're leaning more on the H-2A visa program to fill labor gaps. Domestic workers say they're losing ground.

The number of students enrolled in Bates Technical College’s carpentry program has just about doubled over the past year. Bates has had to hire more faculty and begin offering an evening course to meet the demand. Dr. Brett McCarthy, the associate dean of instruction for Bates, said with that growth, the college needed more resources.

There are six people running to be the next mayor of Tacoma. On Aug. 5, voters will decide which candidates will advance to the general election. Ahead of the August primary election, Tacomans had a chance to hear from five of those mayoral candidates. Community groups including Tacoma For All, Common Good Tacoma, the Tacoma Ministerial Alliance and the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 367 held a forum for candidates running to be the city’s next mayor. All candidates except Tom Ginn participated in the forum.

The Yakima City Council is trying to fill a substantial budget gap. According to a March statement from the city, Yakima City Manager Vicki Baker said that by 2026, Yakima will bring in about $9 million less in tax revenue than it will cost to provide basic services. Washington state law requires cities to pass a balanced budget, meaning council members have to determine whether to make cuts, bring in more revenue or a mix of both to fill the hole.

Earlier this month, TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, announced it would be laying off 65 employees in Washington.

A number of Boeing employees who were wrongfully let go, according to their union contract, are returning to their jobs and getting compensated for the time they were laid off.

The doors to the Washington State Library in Tumwater could close to the public later this year. That’s because the Washington Secretary of State’s Office will likely be reducing staff; 47 employees have received notices that they could be laid off due to reductions in state and federal funding. If that happens, the public won’t be able to access rare items stored in collections at the library.

Washington hospitals must start complying with a new staffing law by July 1, or eventually face financial penalties from the state.

A discussion with host Phineas Pope and NWPB reporter Lauren Gallup about Washington state's budget deficit.

Joining a growing trend, physicians at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma are trying to unionize.“ We really want to be able to have a voice, have a seat at the table and work with them and be a little bit more collaborative. And we think this unionization effort is the best way to do that,” said  Derek Tam, a pediatric emergency physician at the hospital.