After months of seeing the number of unemployed workers trend upward, July saw the number of those seeking work in the Tri-Cities decline to levels not seen since last year. However, the improvement was accompanied by a contraction in the region’s overall labor pool.
The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from 22 states sued Amazon on Aug. 31, claiming the online retail company used artificial bids to inflate costs for advertisers, bringing in tens of billions of dollars.
Washington marked a milestone Aug. 28 with the final structural beam placed on a new psychiatric facility on the Western State Hospital campus in Pierce County. A few yards away, on the other side of a 6-foot chain-link fence, a different group of workers was not there to celebrate. The handful of state employees loudly chanted their displeasure with the progress of talks on a collective bargaining agreement with negotiators from Ferguson’s budget office.
Looking forward to your long Labor Day weekend? If you’re traveling, expect traffic congestion and plan accordingly, state transportation officials warn.
This year’s Washington State Teacher of the Year – a Pasco High educator – is the keynote speaker at Washington State University Tri-Cities’ annual Education Summit.
