ASUO prepares for upcoming policy changes
The group is focusing on issues
such as setting housing code
standards and increasing
freshmen involvement
By Jan Montry
Oregon Daily Emerald
The ASUO has been hard at work
this summer, focusing on specific
summer issues and getting ready for
next year's policy making.
One of the most prominent is
sues for student government this
summer is the Leadership Develop
ment Program, which is also a ma
jor issue for next year. In prepara
tion, ASUO Vice President Ben
Buzbee is reviewing plans to relay
leadership information to students
I 'll HI...
in the best possible way. The Stu
dent Activities Resource Office, a
campus leadership program origi
nally designed for this purpose,
was cut in January.
“There needs to be a central hub
so students can find out opportuni
ties,” Buzbee said.
The ASUO also took advantage
of IntroDUCKtion, a freshman ori
entation event that gave the ASUO
a chance to make their presence
known among students. As a result,
70 freshmen voiced their interest in
interning this year.
The ASUO also took advantage
of IntroDUCKtion to begin the “get
out-the-vote” campaign and started
approaching freshmen old enough
to vote. The campaign will be a ma
Adam Jones Emerald
Representatives from two local unions say they will picket The Register-Guard booth on
Sunday, during the paper’s Family Day event.
Unions plan to picket
Register-Guard during
Lane County Fair event
The Eugene Newspaper Guild
and the Local 206 Teamsters
Union plan to protest the local
paper during its Family Day event
By Jillian Daley
Oregon Daily Emerald
On Aug. 18, the Eugene Newspa
per Guild and the Local 206 Team
sters Union will picket the Lane
County Fair from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30
p.m., the same time The Register
Guard hosts its Family Day event.
The two union groups said they
decided to protest at that particular
time to assert that the Baker family
paper has a shady side, and that
they think the public should know
about it.
The Guild and the Teamsters
said that they expected a turnout
of 30 to 50 workers at the fair pick
eting event.
Guild members, who represent
the news, circulation, advertising
and business offices, said that the
picketing is in response to The Reg
ister-Guard’s labor law violations,
which the group and the Teamsters
Union filed with the National La
bor Relations Board this summer.
The event is also inspired by the
fact that the 150 workers in the
Guild have not had a contract since
the old one expired in 1999, they
said.
Eugene Newspaper Guild presi
dent Adele Berlinski said that the
Guild would be passing out flyers
and balloons, some of which will
say, “R-G Be Fair,” which is one of
the Guild’s ways of reminding peo
ple of the workers’ labor situation.
Berlinski added that the situation
Register-Guard delays and cancels
meetings to negotiate a new con
tract.
The Register-Guard denied the
allegations.
“We wouldn’t purposely or
knowingly commit unfair labor vio
lations,” Human resource director
Cynthia Walden told the Emerald
July 2.
The majority of the employees in
the Guard’s distribution center
signed papers stating that they
would like to be represented by the
Teamsters Union, but union mem
bers said that the attorney repre
senting The Guard, L. Michael
Zinser, canceled a labor negotiation
meeting on false pretenses.
Teamster members said that
Zinser was hired specifically to
break union resistance.
“We want the community to let
The Register-Guard know it’s not
acceptable in our community to be
corporate law breakers,” Teamsters
Union representative Stefan Ostra
ch said.
Ostrach said he was disappoint
ed by the way The Guard has been
handling the issue, and that the
policy decisions reflect poorly on
the company’s current owner, Tony
Baker.
The Guard said that it is trying to
work with the Teamsters, and that
there are a few outstanding issues
that the paper and the Guild dis
agree on, which is why the contract
negotiations have taken so long,
Waden said.
“I’m always hopeful that we can
come to an agreement soon,”
Berlinski said.
Contact the reporter
at jilliandaley@dailyemerald.com.
jor undertaking for the school year
as the ASUO has set a goal of 6,000
new voters. Student government
members will set up booths, can
vass and go to student neighbor
hoods in a massive campaign to
reach their goal.
Another major issue next year for
the ASUO is a city housing standard.
Work is already starting where last
year’s administration left off.
Student government officials
have been talking with City Coun
cilor David Kelly, Ward 3, to get the
I
Buv. Sell. Trade.
ball rolling on the anticipated code.
“We’re finishing up a great start by
Nilda and Joy,” Buzbee said. “We’re
hoping to tweak it a little bit so it will
be more reasonable.”
Kelly said he wants to establish a
list of fundamental standards, such
as adequate heating and power, and
hopes the city council will hear the
issue in fall.
“(The ASUO and I have) been
working to get information back
and forth and to suggest strate
gies,” Kelly said.
To accompany housing code
changes, the ASUO hopes to de
velop a “renter’s guide” pamphlet
and a Web-based database of real
estate to replace the rental info
office.
The renter’s guide will include
tips for students on subjects like
renter’s rights and signing leases.
The web-based database will in
form students on housing possibili
ties around the community.
Contact the reporter
at ianmontry@dailyemerald.com
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