Tag Archives: Ports

13th District lawmakers react to West Coast ports deal

This past weekend, full operations resumed at all West Coast ports after the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association finally came to an agreement Friday, Feb. 20, on a five-year labor contract. U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez had imposed a deadline on both entities to come to an agreement by Friday. Had they failed to do so, a shutdown could have occurred, which would have cost the U.S. economy an estimated $2 billion a day.

The ports are now working to clear the biggest cargo backlog they’ve seen since 2004, which port officials and logistics experts believe will take months to recover from.

Thirteenth District Reps. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake and Matt Manweller, R-Ellensburg, along with Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake wrote a letter to President Obama last month asking him to intervene in order to bring the labor dispute to an end. Rep. Dent also sponsored the bipartisan House Joint Memorial 4005 to request assistance from the federal government to minimize the impacts of the West Coast ports slowdown. Thirty-four cosponsors signed on to the bill, including Manweller.

“I am pleased the West Coast ports slowdown has been resolved after a nine-month labor standoff that cost our state tens of millions of dollars,” said Dent. “I thank my fellow 13th District lawmakers for standing with me and working to put pressure on the White House to intervene in the dispute, as well as for helping to open dialogue with local labor leaders to encourage a resolution to this serious issue. I do, however, wish a deal would’ve come much sooner.”

Many businesses in Washington state were hit hard by the slowdown. National Public Radio recently reported apple producers have lost out on millions of dollars in sales, and “some of the region’s beef producers are running low on freezer space, meaning they could end up just giving the meat away.”

“We have a number of ag producers and manufacturers in the 13th District who are relieved the port dispute has reached a resolution,” said Manweller. “It is unfortunate the president and federal government waited so long to get involved. We could have saved millions of dollars in product losses, saved jobs, and lessened the impact on consumers had we acted earlier.”

The West Coast ports are responsible for 43.5 percent of U.S. trade, and experts say the dispute will cost retailers an estimated $7 billion this year due to lost sales and higher shipping costs.

“The effects on our state’s economy and our community are significant and I’m very pleased the parties have found a solution,” said Warnick. “I’m disappointed the federal government didn’t recognize the seriousness of the port slowdown sooner given that our state is so trade dependent. Although the state is limited in what it can do regarding the labor dispute, we need to focus our efforts now on rebuilding the areas of our economy negatively affected by the months-long dispute that hurt families, jobs and our state’s economy.”

Sen. Warnick’s E-newsletter – Feb. 24, 2015

February 24, 2015

Greetings Friends and Neighbors,

It is hard to believe that we are nearly half-way through the 2015 legislative session. We reached a first milestone, Feb. 20, which was the first cut-off. This means that bills must have had a public hearing and be voted out of committee. This week we will be taking bills for a full vote in the Senate.

Thank you for allowing me to serve as your state Senator.

Sincerely,

Judy Warnick

13th District State Senator

First Bill Passed

I recently had the opportunity to have my first bill pass out of the Senate. It is a tradition that a Senator’s first bill be given a hard time. I had colleagues get up and voice opposition to my bill, but in the end it passed unanimously. Another tradition is giving gifts from the district. I gave members Central Washington University scarfs, lolly hops (a lollipop made from hops), and honey from a local producer and a plaque that says, ‘Wheat is King.’ It was an exciting and fun opportunity. Please click here to watch a video of the days events.

The Legislative Process

Many times I use words and phrases that make sense for people very familiar with the legislative process. I want to touch on some terms that are good to know when engaging with the Legislature.

A popular term is “dropping a bill.” This means that a Senator has filed the necessary paperwork for a piece of legislation to be introduced.

I mentioned earlier in this newsletter about a “cut-off.” There are several of these during the legislative session. They are deadlines that we have to keep the process moving. Our state has a part-time Legislature that alternates between long and short sessions. Long sessions occur on odd- numbered years.

During long sessions, like the one this year, we work on the state’s two-year budget, called a “biennial budget.” The long sessions are scheduled for 105 days. Our first cut- off was Feb. 20. This means that bills must have a public hearing and voted out of the committee to keep moving along in the process. I will be providing updates on the legislative process in future e-newsletters.

Our state does a great job at engaging the public on legislative issues. Please click here to see some of the online resources available to understand and engage in the legislative process.

Ports Memorial

Washington is a very trade dependent state and the impacts of the port slowdown has had an effect on our local economy, hitting agriculture producers, workers and families hard.

Thankfully, over the weekend, both sides in the dispute reached an agreement for a tentative five-year contract. You can read more about the agreement by clicking here.

At issue were concerns by workers over increased automation at the ports and how disputes are settled, particularly the arbitration process. The details of the agreement are not yet available but you can click here to read a recent article about the dispute resolution.

I took every step possible to bring this issue to light among the media and my colleagues because if affects us all. My seatmates, Rep. Matt Manweller and Rep. Tom Dent, and I sent a letter to the President because only the Federal government can intervene in this labor dispute.

Please click here to read the letter.

The Senate introduced SJM 8009. The Senate Joint Memorial emphasizes the importance of trade to our state, and the importance of ports in our economy.The memorial urges action by the President and federal leaders to find a solution to the port slowdown.

Stay Connected!

Please forward this e-newsletter to friends and family who may be interested in receiving information from the Capitol. Visit here to sign up.

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IN THIS ISSUE

My first bill
Addressing gang violence
The legislative process
Ports memorial and letter

Contact Me

Olympia Office:

103 Irv Newhouse Bldg.

P.O. Box 40410

Olympia, WA 98504

Olympia Phone:

360.786.7624

E-mail:

Judith.Warnick@leg.wa.gov

Website:

Click Here to Visit my Website

Video Update

This session I am working on different ways to connect with people in my district. Every other week I sit down and discuss issues in the Legislature. Please click here to see my latest video update from Olympia.

Su Gobierno

Es un honor servirles como su senadora. Estamos en la septima semana de la sesión legislativa del 2015 y estoy trabajando para representar sus prioridades al invertir en la educación, mantener los impuestos bajos y mejorar la economía para incrementar las oportunidades de trabajo en nuestra comunidad.

Este año tenemos que hacer el nuevo presupuesto para los siguientes dos años. Afortunadamente tenemos $3 billones de dólares más del presupuesto anterior y creo que debemos utilizarlos de manera responsable. Por lo tanto, la conversación para aumentar impuestos debería ser nuestra última opción. Esta sesión legislativa será un reto, pero estoy lista para colaborar con mis colegas del senado para llegar a una solución colectiva.

Your Government

It is an honor to serve as your senator. We are in the seventh week of the 2015 legislative session and I am working to represent your priorities like investing in education, keeping taxes low and bettering the economy to encourage job opportunities in our community.

This year we have to make a new budget for the next two years. Thankfully we have $3 billion more than in our last budget and I believe we should utilize those dollars responsibly. Raising taxes should be our last option. This session will be a challenge but I am ready to work with my colleagues in the Senate to bring collaborative solutions.

Combating Gang Involvement

I signed on to a bill that would find creative ways to address gang problems in our communities. The bill makes changes to prevailing wage requirements set by the Department of Labor and Industries.

This bill would allow for an exemption on public works projects for youth centers and programs that are geared toward gang prevention. Please click here to read a story on the bill.

13th District lawmakers ask President Obama to intervene to bring West Coast port labor dispute to an end

With thousands of jobs and billions of dollars on the line for Washington state, lawmakers representing the 13th District say the time for the president to act is now.

The three lawmakers signed a letter to President Obama this week, asking him to intervene in the West Coast port labor dispute. In the letter, Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, Rep. Matt Manweller, R-Ellensburg and Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, cite the “devastating effect” the slowdown is having on Washington state employers, employees and the state’s economic stability.

The slowdown is currently costing U.S. agriculture millions of dollars, as representatives from the Pacific Maritime Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union have not come to an agreement on a new contract for dockworkers.

“If a resolution is not reached quickly, not only will the national economy suffer, [but] our state’s operating budget could be well short of the tax collections expected from our trade and manufacturing sectors,” wrote the lawmakers.

Washington is the most trade-dependent state in the nation, and exports $15.1 billion annually in food and agriculture products through Puget Sound ports.

“We need immediate action if we are to salvage what remains of our market share for trade around the globe and to ensure our manufacturers can continue to produce high-demand products.”

To read the lawmakers’ complete letter, click here.