Week in Review: Roe v. Wade, unionization, and policing

Bill Radke discusses the week’s news with PubliCola’s Erica Barnett, Geekwire’s Mike Lewis, and The News Tribune’s Matt Driscoll.

Week in Review: Roe v. Wade, unionization, and policing Bill Radke discusses the week’s news with PubliCola’s Erica Barnett, Geekwire’s Mike Lewis, and The News Tribune’s Matt Driscoll. Microsoft said Monday that it will “support employees and their enrolled dependents in accessing critical health care — which already includes services like abortion and gender-affirming care — regardless of where they live across the U.S.” Amazon made a similar move the previous week. How do they weigh politics and worker recruitment?

Workers have filed paperwork to hold union elections in at least 20 other Starbucks locations nationwide. At Amazon however, only one other facility had filed since the successful Staten Island facility vote, and ended up withdrawing the petition. How are our big local corporations responding to unionization?

Law enforcement agencies are trying to do a better job of hiring officers who reflect the communities they work in. But even when they do, it takes a lot to change culture. What’s the latest on local cities’ attempts to reform policing, attract new cops, prevent crime, and please voters? The city of Seattle agreed to pay nearly $200,000 and improve its public records process in a settlement with The Seattle Times this week after the newspaper filed a public records suit over the over 2,000 text messages that were deleted from Mayor Jenny Durkan’s phone. Will any individuals be held accountable for deleting?

A homeless tent and RV camp in Woodland Park was removed by Seattle Parks and Recreation workers this week. Which homeless encampments are swept, and who’s responsible for what’s left behind? Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier put a stop to efforts to expand the number of safe parking spots for the homeless in Pierce County. Why?