Boeing union machinists will vote Saturday whether to ratify a new 4-year contract with Boeing Co.

Tentative agreement on that deal was reached Monday night in Washington, D.C. where company and union negotiators had met for five days with federal mediators.

In a nutshell, that new contract would give machinists a total of 15 percent in raises over four years, would keep member medical insurance costs at 2005 levels, would give machinists a total in $8,000 in one-time payments and would raise pensions to $83 per month per year of service by the end of the contract.

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Pacific Lutheran University and MultiCare received awards this month for sustainable buildings.

Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance gave the two organizations the “Betterbricks award” for “their support, use and design of sustainable, high performance commercial buildings,” a news release stated. The awards were presented Oct. 17 in Seattle.

Sheri J. Tonn, vice president for Finance and Operations atPacific Lutheran University, was recognized for three buildings on campus – the Morken Center for Learning and Technology, the Martin J. Neeb Center and the University Center.

“Sheri is a real advocate for change at PLU,” the judges said in a

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CB Richard Ellis is out with its third-quarter review of industrial and office space in the Puget Sound area. In a tight economy, it’s gratifying to note that not much has changed lately.

In Tacoma and Fife, the firm notes a total vacancy rate of 9.8 percent for industrial space. (With 27,003,261 sq. ft. of rentable space, 2,639,615 stood vacant during the quarter.) For space under construction, the firm counts 900,000 square feet. The monthly asking rate for industrial space was 36 cents per square foot.

By comparison, the asking rate in Seattle, with a 2.4 percent vacancy

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By the time most of us attend the grand opening of a new shopping center or development, the decisions have all been made for us.

A mix of tenants is already in place that we may like or may find boring or uninviting.

Tacoma developer Mike Cohen wants to turn that tenant selection process on its head.

He’s asking Tacomans what kinds of activities, what merchants or services they’d like to see in his new 97-acre Point Ruston near Point Defiance Park.

Cohen is already building a mid-rise condo building on the tract, the former

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A 15 percent wage increase over four years, annual bonuses totaling $8,000, no new medical plan costs, an enhanced pension plan, new wage rates for entry level workers and specific job protections for workers receiving parts at Boeing plants are all part of the tentative deal reached late Monday between Boeing and its Machinists Union.

The union today released those broad details of the accord as it prepares to ask members to vote on the new deal.

If a majority ratify the agreement, which enjoys the unanimous endorsement of the union negotiating committee, a nearly eight-week old strike will be over.

Here is the union’s synopsis of those contract changes:

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American Airlines announced this week it will soon end minimum mileage awards for most of its frequent fliers.

Those were the awards that credited you with 500 miles even if your flight was only 185 miles.

Under the new American scheme, if you fly 223 miles, you’ll get a 223-mile award.

The policy change is get another revenue enhancer for airlines who’ve spent much of the last year eliminating perks and imposing charges for formerly free services such as baggage checking, pillows, telephone reservation service and sodas.

Only members of American’s most elite frequent flier level

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The Boeing Co. and its largest union, the Interational Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, have reached a tentative contract settlement that could spell the end of a nearly 8-week-old strike by next week.

That agreement, reached after five days of talks in Washington, D.C. with federal mediators, will be voted on by union members in three to five days, the union said.

The union claimed the deal solves the union’s key issue of job security while giving union members better wages and improved benefits.

The new contract would be for four years

The union

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Bucking a trend statewide in August, hotel occupancy rates in Pierce County rose 2.1 percent from August, 2007. In August, 80.8 percent of rooms were occupied.

Statewide, the occupancy rate fell 0.3 percent, according to a monthly report prepared by Bellevue hospitality consultant Wolfgang Rood. Across the state, 86 percent of available rooms were occupied.

The Tacoma-area increase rated as the state’s highest, with downtown Seattle, SeaTac and Spokane showing more modest gains. Five other regions in Washington saw declines in the number of rooms occupied.

The average daily room rate in Pierce County, $90.86, was up

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