Unions in Washington trying to lock workers into dues, prevent them from leaving – again

With the U.S. Supreme Court possibly set to strike down forced union membership for government employees, public unions are scrambling to keep members locked into paying dues. The unions are seeking to lock workers into “irrevocable” agreements to keep the dues money flowing. (Shift WA)

State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said yesterday Washington, along with a group of states, will sue the Trump administration over its “zero tolerance” illegal immigration policy. “We’ll allege that the administration is violating constitutional due process rights of the parents and children by separating them as a matter of course and without any findings that the parent poses a threat to the children,” Ferguson said of the lawsuit. (Seattle Times)

Former State Auditor Troy Kelley was denied a bid for a new trial after a federal judge denied his appeal. The Tacoma Democrat was convicted on nine “theft, fraud, tax evasion and money laundering charges” last year. A lawyer for Kelley said his defense team “respectfully disagrees with the court’s order, and plan to appeal after Mr. Kelley is sentenced.” (Seattle Times)

The Snohomish County Council voted unanimously to put a sales tax hike on the November ballot. The tax would be used to fund communication improvements for the county’s first responders. (Everett Herald)

The Seattle Community Police Commission is requesting the city council postpone any confirmation hearings for the Seattle’s next police chief. The commission tweeted yesterday that the request was due to “significant community concerns that a highly-qualified local candidate, and only woman candidate, was eliminated from the final pool.” (My Northwest)

Seattle Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda said she is backing a “Domestic Workers Bill of Rights” with a minimum wage, shift breaks, and a Domestic Workers Standards Board. “In this time, under this administration at the national level, we know that we have to do everything we can at the local level to be the last line of defense for our most vulnerable workers,” Mosqueda said. (My Northwest)

The City of Kent will help pay for the $2 million extension of Veterans Drive and a new State Route 516 interchange after the city council approved an agreement with the state Department of Transportation. “If we are not participating in this, we lose our ability to make requests about how that connection is made,” Mayor Dana Ralph said. (Kent Reporter)

Yakima taxpayers could be looking at a $50,000 price tag to operate the Yakima Central Plaza if voters approve the measure this November. Councilman Jason White said that would be just a fraction of the cost to run the plaza, siting estimates of operation costs as high as $400,000. (Yakima Herald-Republic)

Do you like The Morning Briefing? Forward this to a friend! It helps us grow our community and serve you better.

If you feel we missed something that should be covered, email us at [email protected].

If you don’t want to receive this email each morning, click here to opt-out of The Morning Briefing.