NEWS GLEAMS | Striking Boeing Union to Vote on Wednesday; Seattle Forest Week Starts Oct. 26

Summary

Striking Boeing Union Members to Vote on New Contract Terms on Wednesday

Low-Cost Public Health Plan Option Open for Enrollment Nov. 1

Annual Seattle Forest Week Takes Place Oct. 26 to Nov. 2

On Saturday, striking Boeing workers from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 751 and District W24 announced that they had received a new contract proposal from Boeing and will vote on it this upcoming Wednesday, Oct. 23. The vote comes over a month after more than 33,000 IAM workers voted to strike and a week after Boeing announced plans to lay off 10% of its workforce.

The new contract offer from Boeing retains the company’s previous offers of annual cost-of-living wage increases and 50-cents-per-hour increases every six months for any employee not already at a maximum pay grade. The largest change is that the new contract proposes a 35% wage increase over four years — which is an increase from its previous offer of 30% but lower than the union's original request of 40% during that same time period. The 30% offer was not put up for a vote, as internal voting suggested it was not likely to pass among union members.

Regarding the latest contract, Jon Holden, president of IAM 751, said on Saturday, “It’s our job to get the best agreement that we can. And that’s what we achieved. There’s a lot of positive things here … it would be irresponsible of us not to place it in front of our members.”

The contract still does not offer pension, which Boeing took away 10 years ago and union members have requested. Boeing has said unequivocally that it would never be able to accommodate a pension because they are “prohibitively expensive.”

The likely outcome of the vote is not yet known, but if the union members accept the offer, the Boeing strike may officially end. IAM first began its strike on Sept. 14, in response to what it considered an inadequate four-year contract proposal from Boeing. The strike is the first to take place at Boeing in 16 years. 

Strike updates can be found on the websites of IAM District 751 and IAM District W24.

Washington State is the first state nationwide to have a public-option health plan, which is called Cascade Select. It was created in an attempt to make health insurance accessible and was a multi-agency effort among the Washington Health Benefit Exchange, the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, and the Washington State Health Care Authority.

Starting in 2025, 100% of interested Washington State residents will be eligible to enroll in Cascade Select, should they choose to. Open enrollment for the low-cost option has been expanded to serve every Washington State county and will go live on Nov. 1.

“Cascade Select has grown significantly since it launched in 2021, with more than 75,000 Washington Healthplanfinder customers enrolled today,” reported Ingrid Ulrey, CEO for the Washington Health Benefit Exchange, via press release. “In 2025, Cascade Select will be the lowest premium in 26 [of 39 Washington State] counties for silver health plans.”

The monthly premiums for Cascade Select plans also increase at a very small percentage annually, unlike most other plans.

Interested applicants can enroll via Washington Healthplanfinder.

Centered around the theme of “Nurturing Forests and Futures: Youth Engagement in Seattle’s Urban Forest,” a number of programs during the annual Seattle Forest Week will take place from Oct. 26 to Nov. 2. With programs for all ages, this year’s participants will enjoy programming around gardening, forest bathing, birds, plants, and the future of Seattle Forest Week.

Most events are free; some require RSVP or charge a fee. A full list of events can be found on the Seattle Parks Foundation’s website.

A few select programmatic offerings include, but are not limited to:

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
2024 Urban Forest Symposium
Join the Urban Forest Symposium at the Intellectual House (4249 Little Canoe Channel NE on the University of Washington campus). This year’s theme is “Native Forests and Health: Living in Relationships.” The cost is $85 for in-person, $30 virtual. Free for Indigenous attendees. Discounts are available for students, corps members, and financial aid requests.

Saturday, Oct. 26
Green Seattle Day
A number of events citywide allow the public to join in on activations for Green Seattle Day. Some on the South End take place at Kubota Garden, Seward Park, Lincoln Park, Colman Park, and Rainier Beach Urban Farm & Wetlands.

Sunday, Oct. 27, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Forest Week at Daybreak Star: Land & Community Tending
Futures Rising: Restoration & Co-Creation and Seattle Parks and Recreation are partnering to offer this land-based arts, food sovereignty, community care practice space centering BIPOC community. This space offers an opportunity to practice land restoration, stewardship, plant identification, field experience, tools and safety, food sovereignty, plant medicine, art, community, survival skills, culinary skills, and space and time to connect with the land and each other.

Saturday, Nov. 2, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
Seattle Forest Week: Tree Planting & Giveaway at Be’er Sheva Park
Serve Ethiopians Washington (SEW) invites you to help plant trees and shrubs at Be’er Sheva Park as part of its mission to make Seattle greener and cleaner. Plus, it will be giving away free trees to community members! Don’t miss this chance to make a positive impact on our city’s environment!

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