Looks like the shameful concessions made by UW administrators to antisemitic protestors at the end of the last school year didn’t help lead to an end to the protests – who would have possibly guessed? A meeting of the University of Washington (UW) Board of Regents held today was cut short after activists from the UW Divest for Palestine campaign disrupted the session. The protesters, upset over the Board’s decision to delay a vote on divestment from Israel, refused to leave after public comments, chanting until the meeting was adjourned. In a laughable move, the entitled protestors then took over the Regents’ seats and formed their own “people’s board,” passing motions to divest from Israel, sever ties with Boeing, and raise workers’ wages at the university.

As KTTH’s Jason Rantz points out, organizers of the protest have brought in non-students to bolster their numbers, sneaking them onto campus, which—of course—poses a host of security risks. Mainstream media outlets have painted these protests as student-driven, but the facts increasingly point to outside groups heavily influencing the campaign. The raises the question of the legitimacy of outsiders influencing UW policies – and UW administrators kowtowing to their demands, as they did at the end of the 2023/2024 school year. Read more at KTTH.

Boeing machinists just overwhelmingly rejected a contract that would’ve given them a 25% raise over four years—94% voted no, and 96% said they’re ready to strike. Even though the deal promised to bump the average salary to over $106,000, lower healthcare costs, and boost retirement contributions, the union wasn’t having it. Boeing even offered to build its next plane in Washington if the contract passed, but that wasn’t enough to sway the vote. Now, 33,000 machinists across Washington, Oregon, and California are prepping to walk off the job, throwing another wrench into Boeing’s rough few years, which have already been marred by crashes, safety issues, and production blunders.

With Boeing’s stock dropping and more uncertainty ahead, the company’s not in a great spot. Boeing is facing an uphill battle, and this strike could make a bad situation even worse for both the company and – ironically – the workers themselves. Read more at Center Square.

State agencies and the LTSS Trust Commission are progressing toward setting qualifications and payment caps for providers under the long-term care program. As Shift WA readers know, if many opt out, the long-term care program will likely collapse, despite the state collecting over $1.3 billion so far. As the Washington Policy Center points out, the program offers a lifetime benefit of $36,500, which may only cover a few months of care. Meaning, it falls short of addressing long-term needs. At a recent meeting, discussions focused on approving caregivers and setting payment limits, especially distinguishing between family caregivers and professionals. Of course, the program is too restrictive, forcing workers to pay without a guaranteed return. Ultimately, voters will decide whether to repeal the already failing program in November. Read more at the Washington Policy Center.

Kitsap Transit will receive $13.5 million in federal funds to replace an aging, mechanically troubled ferry on the Kingston-Seattle route. The new ferry will address service disruptions caused by the backup vessel, M/V Finest, which is near the end of its lifespan. The total cost of the replacement is expected to be $17.5 million, but Kitsap Transit still needs $4 million to fully fund the project. The new ferry will feature diesel engines. Of course, the necessity for this costly, last-minute upgrade highlights just how badly Jay Inslee has mismanagement the ferry system as we all continue to wait for his dream of electric ferries to come to fruition. Read more at the Washington State Standard.

Seattle commuters, congratulations! You’ve won second place for the worst congestion and third for the most miserable traffic in the nation, according to a 2023 Consumer Affairs report. With nearly seven hours of daily gridlock, Seattle drivers now spend almost double the national average stuck on the roads. Seattleites also earned seventh place for fatal crashes. And, to top it all off, the city saw the biggest traffic delay increase nationwide. Welcome to Seattle, where losing 58 hours in traffic a year is your “new normal.” Want a solution? Perhaps we can finally stop pumping millions into failing transportation projects and into infrastructure expansion and improvements. Read more at MyNorthwest.com.

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