Thursday, March 6, 2025by Jeff Noedelaudio by Jeremy Tyler A 45-MINUTE PODCAST AND TRANSCRIPT ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE Late Wednesday afternoon, SanJuans.Today interviewed Chuck Berry, President of Local 1909 of the Guild of the Pacific Northwest, and Steve Fraga, Staff Representative of Local 1909. Local 1909 has been negotiating for months with…
Thursday, February 27, 2025by Jeff NoedelVideo by Jeremy Tyler A SanJuans.Today VIDEO IS BELOW This morning, Friday Harbor Mayor Ray Jackson spoke with SanJuans.Today about the ongoing attempts to reach agreement with the Town’s waged employees represented by Local 1909. The negotiation process has stalled locally because the union filed a charge of an unfair…
ORIGINAL: Friday, February 14, 2025 @4:01 p.m.UPDATED: Saturday, February 15, 2025 @9:28 a.m. (quote from Denice Kulseth added)by Jeff Noedel In a press statement today, Guild of the Pacific Northwest Local 1909 leaders accused the Town of Friday Harbor of bad faith bargaining. The union claims that Town Administrator Denice Kulseth “has employed a strategy…
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: Thursday, September 26, 2024REPUBLISHED: Thursday, February 6, 2025 The union representing Washington State Ferries’ engine room crew members (Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association) and state negotiators reached an impasse in bargaining their new contract in early August. The parties entered into an interest arbitration hearing Friday, August 23. The hearing ended Friday, August 30. …
Wednesday, February 5, 2025by Jeff Noedel Two Thursdays ago, attorney Nicholas Power, who works for Bellingham-based Guild of Pacific Northwest Employees (PNWE) Local 1909, took to the podium at the Friday Harbor Town Council to implore Town leadership to do everything in their power to prevent the Town’s 29 union-represented employees from becoming “the working poor in a…
Friday, January 24, 2025by Jeff Noedel Citing his First Amendment right, Nicholas Power, attorney for Bellingham-based Guild of Pacific Northwest Employees (PNWE) Local 1909, walked up to the podium facing the Friday Harbor Town Council last Thursday. With four rows of Town employees in their day-glow orange work clothes sitting behind him, he said, “It…
Thursday, November 21, 2024by Jeff Noedel In Saturday’s Fix Our Ferries legislative summit, the following two graphics were mentioned several times. State Senator Marko Liias described them as “something even a legislator can understand.” Developed by Washington State Ferries with the help of labor unions, these two graphics show the many steps, and years needed,…
Friday, August 23, 2024 Washington State Ferries’ engine room crew represented by their union, the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association, and state negotiators in the Washington Office of Financial Management reached an impasse in bargaining over terms and conditions of their contract. They begin interest arbitration today, Friday, August 23. Arbitration is expected to be complete by next Friday,…
The following is a statement from Western Washington University. Bellingham, WA — As the Western Academic Workers United (WAWU) begins its strike today, Western Washington University will be meeting with its WAWU bargaining partners to reach a swift and sustainable agreement that minimizes the impact on WWU students and their academic pursuits. WWU’s campus is open…
