WEST

BOEING MACHINISTS VOTE TO STRIKE

SEATTLE – Boeing machinists voted yesterday to strike as union members overwhelmingly rejected a three-year contract proposal their leaders had deemed “insulting.”

Union members voted 86% in favor of a strike beginning at 12:01 a.m. local time Friday. Under union rules, the contract would have been automatically ratified – and workers would have stayed on the job – unless two-thirds of the union members voted to strike. The strike will affect about 18,400 Machinists who assemble Boeing’s commercial airplanes and some key components in the Seattle area, Gresham, Ore., and Wichita, Kan. Company officials said earlier in the week that a strike would be devastating, forcing the company to slowly shut down commercial airplane production.

Leaders of the Seattle-based Machinists Lodge 751 had urged its members to “reject this insulting Boeing proposal,” saying it fell woefully short on top issues including pension payments and increased health care costs. District Lodge 751 is negotiating for employees in all three states, although some terms differ based on location.

– Associated Press

CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE APPROVES GAY MARRIAGE BILL

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The state Senate approved legislation yesterday that would legalize same-sex marriage in California, a vote that makes the chamber the first legislative body in the country to approve a gay marriage bill.

The 21-15 vote sets the stage for a showdown next week in the California Assembly, which narrowly rejected a gay marriage bill in June.

“Equality is equality, period,” one of the bill’s supporters, Democratic Senator Liz Figueroa, said. “When I leave this Legislature, I want to be able to tell my grandchildren I stood up for dignity and rights for all.”

Massachusetts became the first state to recognize gay marriages when the state Supreme Court legalized same-sex weddings there in 2003. That prompted a number of states across the nation to pass constitutional amendments banning gay marriage. Other states offer civil unions, which provide many of the same legal benefits without the status of marriage.

Governor Schwarzenegger’s office had no comment yesterday on how the governor would respond if the bill reached his desk, a spokeswoman, Margita Thompson, said.

– Associated Press

FOUR CHARGED WITH PLOTTING TERROR ATTACKS IN L.A.

LOS ANGELES – Four men, including the head of a radical Islamic prison gang, were indicted on federal charges of plotting terrorist attacks against military facilities, the Israeli Consulate, and synagogues in Los Angeles. Named in the indictment were Levar Haley Washington, 25; Gregory Vernon Patterson, 21; Hammad Riaz Samana, 21, and Kevin James, 29.

– Associated Press

WASHINGTON

PASSPORTS REQUIRED FOR TRAVEL BETWEEN AMERICA, CANADA, AND MEXICO

The government upheld plans yesterday to require travelers from Canada, Mexico, and other allied nations to show a passport or other secure document to enter the country. The departments of State and Homeland Security said they expect to officially adopt the new policy – which drew complaints from travelers, the affected nations, and even President Bush – by the end of the year.

Under the new timeline, all who travel by air or sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Bermuda, and South and Central America will have to show a passport or one of four other secure documents by December 31, 2006. Travelers crossing land borders, namely from Mexico and Canada, will have to comply with the rules by December 31, 2007.

– Associated Press

MIDWEST

MUSLIMS CALL ON BUSH TO ATTEND CONFERENCE

PLAINFIELD, Ind. – The secretary-general of the Islamic Society of North America, Sayyid Syeed, said efforts to help Muslims gain broader acceptance will be a focus at its annual meeting in the Chicago area, which starts Friday and is expected to draw about 40,000 Muslims from around the country. Mr. Syeed compared the plight of American Muslims to that of other immigrant religious groups, including Jews and Roman Catholics, who faced discrimination when they arrived in America. Mr. Syeed, a native of Kashmir who is now an American citizen, has asked President Bush to show his support for the community by attending the convention.

– Associated Press