Washington employers and workers will save $315 million over the next six months as the Department of Labor & Industries declares a “rate holiday” for certain premiums paid to a workers’ compensation fund.

Letters will be sent to Washington employers on Monday detailing the reductions and new rates for specific businesses.

The reduced rates – with reductions averaging 34 percent – will be in effect through Dec. 31.

The reduced rates will include those paid on third-quarter and fourth-quarter workers’ compensation reporting forms.

L&I spokesman Robert T. Nelson on Friday said the department chose the rate reduction “as the simplest way to return some of the money.”

The savings come at time when the state’s economy is robust, which has led to increased employment, which has led to increased cash entering L&I accounts. Also, Nelson said, the return on investments has grown.
“The State Investment Board has done a good job of investing our money,” he said.

For more information, visit www.lni.wa.gov.

A new, upscale grocery store is coming to Gig Harbor at the end of this month.

HarborGreens will offer shoppers the produce section of a Tacoma Boys with the deli and high-end grocery departments of a Metropolitan Market.

Wine lovers take note: "We will probably have easily 1,500 different labels in our wine section," said Chad Roy, co-president of the company. Roy worked at Tacoma Boys for 12 years and ran the Sixth Avenue store for the last nine years.

Roy says the 9,000-square-foot grocery store will have a full deli and meat department as well as flowers, perennials and seasonal items such as Christmas trees.

The store, located at 5225 Olympic Drive, opens June 29.

Less than halfway through the year, Boeing has opened up a huge lead over Airbus in the annual commercial airplane derby.

As of the end of May, Boeing orders totaled 407. Airbus checked in with 201. Since then, Boeing has added 22 more to a 429 net total.

The best-seller in the Boeing line is the 737 with 192 new orders including 15 new orders last week from AirTran Airways of Orlando and seven 737 orders from an unidentified customer.

Boeing's popular 787 Dreamliner is second with 136 orders. The 777 is in third place with 60 net orders followed by the 767 with 36 and the 747 with 5.

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Former NBC Nightly News Anchor Tom Brokaw will emcee Boeing's July 8 rollout of its 787 Dreamliner, Boeing announced today.

The signing of Tom Brokaw for the ceremonial debut indicates just how much importance Boeing places on its premiere of the composite, super-efficient airliner.

Already Boeing has booked Qwest Field and its 50,000 plus seats for a remote television venue for Boeing employees, families and retirees to watch the ceremony. That's in addition to the 30,000 787 workers, customers and journalists expected to watch the debut in person in Everett.

And the company has arranged for satellite feeds to its own and its supplier plants for those who want to view the ceremonies there.

Don't be surprised if the company brings in some name entertainment to enhance the usual soaring music that accompanies such a rollout.

Just last week in Vancouver, for instance, Boeing and Air Canada hired Canadian diva Celine Dion to sing half a dozen tunes during a Boeing-Air Canada-sponsored dinner for international airline executives.