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InFocus: Employment, rent control, state budget & the $10 bill

Transportation trumps rent control

Josh Feit at PubliCola points out a poll from EMC Research that asked likely Seattle voters about affordable housing policy. Apparently they were asked whether they would support a candidate who supports either (a) “strict rent control, capping costs to protect affordability” or (b) “a variety of policies for affordable housing, including developer fees, increasing […]

West Coast ports labor contract ratified

Today the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) voted to ratify the contract that union leaders and the Pacific Maritime Association had tentatively agreed to earlier this year. (See here and here for more.) The ILWU says that 82 percent of its members voted to approve the five-year contract. Also, The new agreement provides approximately […]

How to get goods to market

The current Puget Sound Business Journal cover story is titled: “Knocking on the world’s door: Here are five key steps to making the region a global center for the 21st century.” They are: (1) Move people and goods; (2) Fully fund education; (3) Fix the waterfront; (4) Develop the workforce; and (5) Keep land for […]

Policy Today: Transportation Update

In Focus this week: Ports agreement, Expedia to Seattle, state finances report

More on the impacts of the ports slowdown, and problems in Portland

Although the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union reached a tentative deal in February (which is making its way through the approval process at the union), the effects of the slowdown reverberate. The Tri-City Herald reports that while shipping has improved, there are still backlogs, which has affected the agricultural industry: […]

West Coast ports agreement moves along

According to the Wall Street Journal, a caucus of 90 delegates of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union has voted to recommend to its full membership the agreement the union reached with the Pacific Maritime Association in February. The contract next will be put to a secret ballot of the union’s 20,000 workers at 29 […]

New report: Senate Transportation Package Would Begin to Address State’s Significant Infrastructure Needs

We’ve published a new special report on the Senate’s transportation budget. Briefly: The Senate’s transportation package would increase spending by $13.8 billion through 2031. It would increase the state gas tax by 11.7 cents over three years, bringing in $5.6 billion through 2031. It assumes bonding authority of $3.4 billion. Of the spending, $1.3 billion […]

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