Olympia Business Watch

Christmas convoys

As U.S. military convoys leaving Iraq made their way south and crossed into Kuwait, semi-trucks fanned out across American with Christmas wreaths to place at the base of white headstones of graves of service men and women who died for our nation. 

More than 7,500 American and allied troops from 20 nations lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Iraq alone, nearly 4,500 of our men and women in uniform died and more than 30,000 U.S. soldiers and air men women were wounded.  More than 100,000 Iraqi citizens lost their lives.

Meanwhile, men, women and children will have unloaded over 400,000 wreaths this Christmas and laid them next to tombstone of fallen Americans in U.S. military cemeteries as part of the Wreaths Across America.

Wreath laying ceremonies will occur at over 400 state, national and local cemeteries and monuments all across the United States and 24 Veteran Cemeteries overseas. Wreaths Across America's mission is to Remember the fallen; Honor those who serve; and Teach the children the value of freedom.

Here is how Wreaths Across American started.  In 1992, the Maine's Worchester Wreath Company found themselves with an excess of wreaths nearing the end of the holiday season. Seeing an opportunity to make a boyhood dream a reality, Morrill Worchester's efforts to do something special with those wreaths began in earnest. With the help of Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, arrangements were made for the wreaths to be placed at Arlington in one of the older sections of the cemetery, a section which received fewer visitors with each passing year. 

The rest is history.

Even though Operation Iraqi Freedom has concluded with the last convoy moving into Kuwait over the weekend, we still have American troops in Afghanistan and other parts of the world which threaten us.  We need to remember them and their families who will be apart this holiday season.

Merry Christmas and please don't forget!

Don C. Brunell, President, (DonB@awb.org).

 

Brunell: Stories of hope shine all around us

After years of a bad economy, political bickering in our nation's capital and raucous protests here in Olympia,it may seem difficult to get into the Christmas spirit this year.

But if you look closely, you will find many examples of generosity, courage and hope, AWB President Don Brunell writes in his weekly column.

A few examples:

• The 33rd annnual Olympia Toy Run. Leather-clad motorcyclists brought in approximately $85,000 worth of toys and $7,200 in cash donations for The Salvation Army.
• AWB's own Holiday Kids' Tree Project. Attendance was down a bit at the annual tree lighting in the Capitol Rotunda, perhaps due to a week of demonstrations by Occupy Olympia protesters, but discord melted away during the event and the spirit of the season prevailed.
• KOMO television reporter Travis Mayfield told the story of Asha and Omar Ahmed, siblings born in war-torn Mogadishu in the early 1990s who are taking a talent for computer repair and succeeding as entrepreneurs in Seattle's Rainier Valley.

"These stories should remind us that, whatever the bleak news of the day, the remarkable spirit that makes this a great nation -- for those of us who were born here and those who come here -- still survives," Brunell writes. "It is all around us."

Tree lighting ceremony on TVW

If there's one (24-foot tall) bright spot in the grumbling over special session, perhaps its that more people are available to see the beautiful Noble fir tree in the rotunda of the Washington State Legislative Building.

Donated by AWB member company Port Blakely Tree Farms to the state, this tree serves as the official holiday tree for Washington and a reminder of the true spirit of the season.

If you can't make it to Olympia to see the tree in its glory, the team at TVW was there Dec. 2 to capture the tree lighting ceremony. Special thanks to them and to all who contributed to the AWB Holiday KIds' Tree Project, which has ensured a merrier Christmas for children and families in seven rural counties. 

 

Holiday Kids Tree

A week ago, the Capitol Holiday Kids' Tree was lighted in the Rotunda of our state capitol.  Today, The Olympian carried an  editorial capturing the meaning of the AWB project which was started in 1989. The Olympian said:

Thumbs up: For nearly a quarter of a century, the Association of Washington Business has sponsored a Christmas tree in the rotunda of the domed Legislative Building......Called the Holiday Kids’ Tree Project, the AWB donated 5,000 new LED lights for this year’s 24-foot noble fir, which was donated by Port Blakely Tree Farms. Over the years, the AWB event has raised $320,000 which was passed on to rural fire departments to purchase gifts for needy children. “AWB has sponsored the Capitol’s Christmas tree since 1989 and it is one of the best things we do each year,” said AWB President Don Brunell. We agree and are very pleased to see this worthwhile holiday tradition continue

Sen. Kastama makes the case for a sustainable budget

Cutting programs and raising taxes might solve the state's immediate budget crisis, but it won't do anything to address the long-term problem.

Namely, expenses are rising faster than income.

Sen. Jim Kastama, D-Puyallup, explains the situation and -- and offers some solutions -- in a video to constituents. It's one of the best explanations we've seen for the state's seemingly never-ending budget woes.

He proposes eliminating some programs that have yet to be funded, addressing health care costs and making government more efficient. Whether or not you like those ideas, he makes a compelling case for doing something different.

"Even if we pass more taxes or make the cuts this year, the long-term projection in the state budget basically has to be dealt with, or else we will be in deficits every single year for the next five years," Kastama said.

Undone deal!

Yesterday's Boeing announcement that it will build the more fuel efficient version of the 737 in Renton was welcome news. 

The unwelcome news came today when Kimberly-Clark said talks to sell the plants in Everett have failed over environmental issues. Most of the 750 employees will soon be out of a job after negotiations with Atlas Holdings Inc. broke down.

According, The Herald, Everett, the company’s pulp and tissue mills will be operated by a skeleton crew and closed in the first three months of 2012. Eventually the waterfront site will be razed and sold for development, said Bob Brand, a Kimberly-Clark spokesman.

Kimberly-Clark anticipates the last day of operations for the Everett mill will be by the end of March 2012 with significant scale-down activities beginning in the next two weeks. Company officials said they will continue working with union leadership to assist employees through the transition.

The mill now owned by Kimberly-Clark was built on Everett’s waterfront in 1931 as Puget Sound Pulp and Timber Co., the mill helped build the city’s reputation as a prime pulp producing center. It became Soundview Pulp Co. in 1935 and was purchased by Scott Paper in 1951. Scott merged with Kimberly-Clark in 1985.

Since the merger, the company has invested about $300 million in the Everett operation, installing major wastewater treatment systems, adding a new effluent outfall and switching its pulp-making system from one based on chlorine to chlorine dioxide, which is considered more environmentally friendly.

The governor, state legislators and agencies should stand up and take notice of WHY--with all the environmental investments that Kimberly-Clark made--that a deal falls through because of environmental reasons.

Don C. Brunell, President (DonB@awb.org)

 

Done Deal......Welcome 737 MAX!

It is an early Christmas present for Washington state.  Boeing machinists ratified a four-year contract clearing the way for the new 737 MAX to be built in Renton.....and for all Americans it settles the unfair labor suit filed by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

The Boeing contract is welcome news to our state and region.  The Renton plant has three 737 production lines aimed at producing 42 737s each month.  It is also producing the Navy's new P-8A submarine chaser.

According to AP reports: Dozens union members sounded their approval with cheers Wednesday night as Tom Wroblewski, president of Machinists District Lodge 751, announced that 74 percent of voting members chose to approve the deal. The union represents 28,000 workers in Washington, Oregon and Kansas. Machinists went on strike in 2005 and 2008. The latter strike helped delay delivery of Boeing's first 787.

The deal extends the Machinist's contract to September 2016. It calls for annual wage increases of 2 percent, cost-of-living adjustments, an incentive program intended to pay bonuses between 2 percent and 4 percent, a ratification bonus of $5,000 for each member, and improvements in the pension program. But it also would raise worker's share of health costs.

That is a pretty good deal and thankfully three of four machinists saw it that way too!

Don C. Brunell, President, (DonB@awb.org)

Who are the advocates for local control of public schools?

When it comes to local control, Washingtonians have remained steadfast in their "local is best" mindset -- except, it would seem, for K-12 accountability.

While most people in our state would likely agree local control is better, Washington has deferred our public school accountability system to the feds. Under No Child Left Behind, Washington is required to have a plan that conforms with the federal requirements, leaving the decisions over poor performance and those in need of corrective action up to the federal Department of Education. This is truly unfortunate, according to Donna Steward, AWB's government affairs director for education, because with the current governance structure in Washington, no one is really responsible -- or accountable -- for making sure students succeed. 

Remember, the governor may advocate for stronger education policy through the Legislature, but she has no control over OSPI. OSPI may advocate for policy but has no clear accountability for school performance, no control over the education budget and no real way to improve school performance. And the State Board of Education has weak laws and few tools to assist in school oversight responsibilities and no clear lines of authority to intervene in a persistently low-performing school.

This situation was exemplified last week when OSPI's Bob Harmon testified before the House Education Committee. As Harmon notes in his testimony (begins at 47:57), Washington, has “enjoyed being able to blame” the feds and the state should carefully consider whether it wants to assume responsibility for its own accountability system. One of the downsides to seeking a waiver from federal education laws, Harmon says, is that the state would have to develop and be responsible for its own accountability system.

AWB believes the key to improving school performance is to develop clear lines of governance and accountability. Currently no one is truly in charge, Steward said. 

Perhaps the answer to our performance concerns, Steward said, would be best addressed by fixing this systemic problem first, and then finding the leadership with the courage necessary to implement the accountability requirements our students deserve.

Capitol Kid's Tree Donations top $23,000

More than 130 Association of Washington Business (AWB) members and citizens from across our state have donated over $23,000 this year for the Capitol Holiday Kid's Tree project..,..and donations continue to come in. 

The donations fund the holiday tree at the capitol each December.  Port Blakely Tree Farms donated the 26-ft Noble fir this year.

As part of the annual project which started in 1989, 17 rural fire departments will receive $1,000 checks to purchase Christmas gifts and food baskets for needy families. 

Gov. Chris Gregoire will award the checks to the firefighters at the tree lighting this evening in the rotunda of our state capitol in Olympia.

Since the project started nearly $350,000 has been donated by AWB members and citizens to fund the project. 

Don C. Brunell, President (DonB@awb.org)