One of Washington state’s industry advocacy groups says a bill being considered in Congress has the potential to remove employers and employees from contract discussions in exchange for quicker development of a deal.

Unemployment in the Tri-Cities continued its regular seasonal decline in May and more people have jobs than a year ago, but the number of unemployed workers also has grown.

Nurses at Tri-Cities Community Health will get wage increases as well additional pay for those moved to new worksites on short notice under a new contract.