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In Washington, billion-dollar labor negotiations are now officially none of your business—just hand over the taxes and don’t ask questions.
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WA Supreme Court to Taxpayers: “Mind Your Business” on Billion-Dollar Union Deals
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In a jaw-dropping 8–1 ruling, the Washington State Supreme Court just gave its blessing to the ongoing charade of secret union negotiations that determine how over a billion taxpayer dollars are spent on public employee compensation—without the public ever seeing the offers until after the deal is signed. Because apparently, transparency is now optional in Olympia.
In his blistering op-ed, Jason Mercier of the Mountain States Policy Center calls out the ruling for what it is: a massive gift to union execs and government insiders who prefer to make big-money deals behind closed doors. Since 2004, these negotiations—once open and accountable—have been deliberately hidden from public view, all thanks to laws passed by Democrats and quietly protected by union-friendly contracts that forbid public discussion of bargaining details.
Remember last year when state employees walked off the job, claiming Gov. Inslee’s wage offer was “disrespectful”? Yeah—no one knew what that offer even was. The unions sure weren’t saying, and the press and public weren’t allowed to know. Now, the court says that’s just fine.
Mercier rightly highlights the lone voice of reason, Justice Salvador Mungia, who dissented, warning that the ruling guts the state’s Public Records Act and turns the idea of open government into a punchline.
Other states—like Idaho and even cities in California—have figured out how to keep the public informed without derailing labor negotiations. Washington, meanwhile, just doubled down on a system that allows unions to posture in public while cutting sweetheart deals in private.
If you ever wondered why labor unrest keeps growing and trust in government keeps falling—look no further than this sham. Washington taxpayers are paying the bills, but thanks to this ruling, they’re not allowed to see the receipt. Read more at Center Square.
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ICE Agents Do Their Job—Media and Democrats Stunned, Confused
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Over the weekend in White Center, ICE agents arrested an illegal immigrant with a criminal history—including a DWI and skipping town on a prostitution charge. But, as KTTH’s Jason Rantz points out, instead of reporting the obvious, local media outlets like KING 5 and columnist Danny Westneat fumbled through the story, acting like a routine immigration arrest was some cloak-and-dagger operation. Westneat even called it “mass deportation” and “cruel theater,” because apparently enforcing immigration law now qualifies as performance art.
Meanwhile, Rantz did what the so-called journalists wouldn’t: he asked ICE Seattle and got the facts. The arrested woman isn’t a victim—she’s someone who broke the law and fled accountability. But to Democrats and their media mouthpieces, that’s not a deportable offense—it’s practically a résumé booster.
Here’s what’s actually cruel: letting illegal immigrants flood across the border for years, ignoring the law, and then clutching pearls when one gets arrested for actual crimes. But sure, let’s pretend the real problem is… transparency in tactical vests. Read more at KTTH.
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Jay Inslee’s “Gender-Inclusive” Prison Disaster Ends Exactly How You’d Expect
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It took four years, a federal lawsuit, and multiple reports of abuse before Washington state officials finally transferred Christopher Scott Williams—a 6’4″ biologically male inmate with a rap sheet full of brutal violence against women—out of a women’s prison and back into a men’s facility. Why was he there in the first place? Thank Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee’s 2020 “gender-inclusion” policy, which let inmates choose their housing based on gender identity instead of biological reality.
Williams, convicted of child rape and domestic assault, landed in the Washington Corrections Center for Women in 2021—after assaulting a corrections officer in a men’s prison. Once in the women’s facility, he allegedly harassed and sexually assaulted his female cellmate, Mozzy Clark-Sanchez, a survivor of childhood abuse. Her repeated warnings were reportedly ignored by staff more afraid of violating woke doctrine than protecting actual women.
Williams didn’t stop after being removed from her cell—he allegedly continued to stalk her around the yard, while prison staff turned a blind eye. Her lawsuit now accuses the Department of Corrections of deliberately ignoring threats to her safety and allowing a known predator to terrorize vulnerable inmates.
And he wasn’t alone. Williams was one of dozens of male offenders, including rapists and child molesters, housed in women’s prisons under Inslee’s policy. One even got caught having sex with a 25-year-old inmate—then had the gall to sue the state for “cruel and unusual punishment” after being sent back to a men’s facility.
Meanwhile, DOC is blowing taxpayer money on gender-related medical treatments and hiring six-figure “Gender Affirming Medical Specialists” while supposedly under a hiring freeze. But sure—this was all about compassion and inclusion. The only problem? It came at the expense of the women they were supposed to protect. Read more at the PostMillennial.
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Seattle Delivers Another Dose of Dumb—DoorDash Hikes Fees to Survive City Hall
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Starting this month, Seattleites ordering from DoorDash will pay more, thanks to yet another brilliant policy concocted by the leftist City Council. This time it’s the “Deactivation Rights Ordinance,” a feel-good, bureaucratic mess designed to make it harder for companies to remove underperforming or fraudulent gig workers. Now, companies like DoorDash have to give two weeks’ notice and document their every move—unless the worker commits “egregious misconduct” (whatever that means in Seattle these days).
DoorDash, which hilariously admitted it’s been losing money in the city, calls Seattle “the most expensive market in the country” for delivery—thanks to the city’s extreme regulations. So, to keep operating, they’re raising fees. Again.
This new law is the latest in a string of burdens from Seattle’s progressive overlords, who also shoved through a minimum wage law for gig workers last year—leading to service delays, fewer tips, and companies slapping even more fees on customers. Unsurprisingly, DoorDash now reports rising fraud and longer delivery times, and Uber and Instacart are still fighting the city in court.
Meanwhile, the city’s Office of Labor Standards is patting itself on the back for “thousands of outreach contacts” and publishing cherry-picked thank-you notes from grateful workers—because nothing says good policy like anecdotal PR spin.
The message from Seattle City Hall is loud and clear: if you like fast, affordable delivery… move. Read more at Geek Wire.
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