labor unions

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.

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.

A state budget deficit is normally nothing to sing about. But, workers with the Washington Federation of State Employees have turned their frustration over potential budget cuts into a song, “Washington For All.” The refrain, “Washington’s for all, not just for the rich,” evokes the union’s stance that instead of making cuts to state services and workers, lawmakers should increase taxes on Washington’s wealthiest residents.

People traveled from across Washington state to rally outside of a Tacoma Safeway store in support of farm workers Monday afternoon. The United Farm Workers and their supporters are calling on Windmill Farms in Sunnyside to recognize the unionization efforts and give workers a contract. The union said workers have been trying to get recognition for two years.

There are only so many things employees get to have a say over in their jobs. Which laptops or messaging app your office uses might not be your call. For a while, decisions on the use of technology in the workplace have been up to management for public workers in Washington state, thanks to a law passed in 2002. But now, some lawmakers want to pass an exemption that would allow public sector employees to bargain on one broad and ever-changing technology — artificial intelligence.

A union that represents Boeing employees is taking issue with how the company handled the layoff of 660 of its members last year. The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) believes contract violations occurred during last year’s layoffs. The union said they have notified Boeing and are investigating further.

(Runtime 1:02) Nearly a year after Starbucks recognized its workers’ union, negotiations with Starbucks Workers United have stalled. A collective…

For workers in Washington state, there are a number of bills being brought forward this legislative session that labor leaders hope will make working life better in the state.The Washington State Labor Council has introduced its legislative agenda for 2025, which focuses on improving child labor laws, bargaining over artificial intelligence in public sector jobs and improving wages and benefits.

When workers go on strike in Washington state, they don’t earn a dime. A new piece of legislation could change that. This bill would allow workers to eventually access unemployment benefits, starting the second Sunday after they began withholding their labor. Workers could claim up to four weeks of benefits through the state’s unemployment insurance, according to co-sponsor of the bill, state Sen. Steve Conway.

Aerospace company Boeing has announced another round of layoffs, this one impacting 396 workers in Washington state. About half of the Boeing employees in Washington laid off in this round of cuts are members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace. Bryan Corliss, a spokesperson for SPEEA, said in recent months, his union has seen over 3% of its members across the U.S. laid off from Boeing, as the company faces serious financial trouble in the wake of incidents on its aircraft.