News roundup: labor and prisons

Labor issues and prison reform highlight the morning news.

Seattle Times has an op-ed arguing that it’s not in the best interests of Uber drivers to unionize. Also today, as GeekWire reports, Uber rolls out UberHOP, its carpool sharing service, in Seattle.

In other labor news, Seattle Times reports that the board of the Seattle police guild has rejected a negotiated contract offer with the city. There had been hope that the City Council might have the chance to approve a new contract before the end of the year, but it seems that will not happen. The article highlights the internal divisions within the police guild.

The Seattle Medium reports on the new prisoner and community corrections re-entry work group the City Council established this week.  The City Council has recognized that both the over-reliance on incarceration and the issues with prisoner re-entry into society have contributed to a high prison population and a high recividism rate.  Also, the UW Daily reports on UW law students’ efforts to block the creation of a new juvenile detention center in Seattle.

Crosscut reports on the Planning, Land Use and Sustainability Committee’s forum yesterday on backyard cottages. I also reported on the session yesterday. Seattlish also covers the meeting.

TruthOut has an article on the Bernie Sander phenomenon, his unique brand of “socialism,” and how the socialist community in the United States is reacting. It includes discussion of Socialist Alternative, the organization behind Council member Kshama Sawant’s successful run for re-election this year.