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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 2006)
L ABOR What’s Happening Retired Americans slates convention at Teamsters Hall The Oregon Alliance for Retired Americans will hold its third annual convention on Saturday, March 25, at the Teamsters Hall, 1860 NE 162nd Ave., Portland. All retirees and “pre-retirees” are invited to attend. Registration is $25 and includes lunch. U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer will be honored by the Alliance for his support on senior issues, including his opposition to the privatization of Social Security. The group also will honor Nellie Fox Edwards for her many years of service on behalf of labor retirees. Speakers include ARA Executive Director Ed Coyle, Oregon AFL- CIO President Tom Chamberlain, Oregon Labor Commissioner Dan Gardner and State Rep. Brad Avakian. A panel discussion on health care will include State Sen. Ben West- lund, former AFL-CIO President Tim Nesbitt, State Reps. Steve March and Mitch Greenlick, and Maribeth Healey of the Oregon Health Forum. Check-in and late registration be- gin at 8:30 a.m. with the convention convening at 9:30 a.m. For more information, call Verna Porter at 503-284-8591. Motorcycle event set June 10 to benefit hospital Tickets are on sale to win a 2006 Harley-Davidson low rider FXDLI, part of a fundraiser for the fourth an- nual “Unions For Kids” motorcycle poker run and chili cookoff. Tickets went on sale last month. Only 3,000 tickets will be sold. at a cost of $10 each. The winner will be AND drawn on the day of the poker run Sat- urday, June 10, at the IBEW Local 48 hall, 15937 NE Airport Way, Portland. Since its inception in 2003, the poker run has raised $16,000 for Do- ernbecher Children’s Hospital. This year the group hopes to raise $20,000. “It’s been growing every year, we’ve brought in a lot of new partners; it should be the best year yet,” said Lee Duncan, a business representative of Electrical Workers Local 48 who helped found the event. A poker run consists of riders going from checkpoint to checkpoint over a nearly 100-mile course and drawing a card at each of five places. The high and low hands win a cash prize. Motorcycle raffle tickets are on sale at several union halls, credit unions and area businesses. The motorcycle is on display at the IBEW and United Workers Federal Credit Union, 9955 SE Washington St., Portland, through April. For more information, call Duncan at 503-260-5905 or go to their Web site at unionsforkids.org . WashCo contract ratified; no strike Members of the American Federa- tion of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3913 have ratified their first contract with Washington County. Local 3913 represents about 30 employees at the Washington County Community Corrections Facility in Hillsboro. The union had been negoti- ating for over a year and workers had given 10 days’ notice and were prepar- ing to strike March 6. But a final round of bargaining with a mediator on March 3 resulted in a tentative deal. The proposal — an 18-month pact that extends through Sept. 30, 2007 — was ratified 3-to-1 by the membership on March 5. Commissioners Tom Brian, chair; Dick Schouten, John Leeper, Vice Chair; Roy Rogers and Andy Duyck will vote on the deal on March 21. The contract includes union secu- rity and seniority language, and the sides agreed to a wage comparison study for future reference. In exchange for a shorter contract (the county wanted a four-year deal), the correc- tions officers gave up seeking a cost- Zachary Zabinsky • Social Security • SSI - Disability Claims Personal Attention To Every Case Working For Disability Rights Since 1983 NEWS FR OM AR OUND THE P A C I F I C N O R T H W E S T Tualatin. Keynote speaker will be Doug Holden of Milliman Inc. He will talk about the impact of pension reform bills that recently passed in Congress. Registration is $20 for members, $30 for non-members and $10 for stu- dents. Annual membership to join LERA is $25. LERA is a group of professionals from labor, manage- ment, academia and government that meets regularly to discuss issues of in- dustrial relations and human re- sources. For more information, or to register for the workshop, call Connie Weimer at 503-326-2167. Golden Gloves ‘champ’ Bob Childers (left), an organizer for the International Association of Plasterers and Cement Masons, received the 2006 “Service to Youth” award from the Oregon Golden Gloves Boxing Association during a break at the Oregon championships on March 4. Presenting the plaque is ring announcer Mike Holmes, a member of Plumbers and Fitters Local 290. Childers was recognized for his support of Golden Gloves boxing in the region. A former Golden Gloves and U.S. Army boxer, Childers, a member of Portland-based Cement Masons Local 555, helps promote Golden Gloves through ticket sales and sponsorships. Building trades unions have been strong supporters of the program for years. The unions also were recognized at the championship bouts. of-living adjustment retroactive to July 1, 2005, when all other county em- ployees received one. The corrections officers’ got a COLA increase Jan. 14. Because of the work they do, AF- SCME believes the officers should be certified as a non-strikable bargaining unit, and the union will seek that status with the Oregon Employment Rela- tions Board in 2007. As a non-strik- able bargaining unit, an independent arbitrator would be called in to settle any disputes. Labor bowl for MDA scheduled Sunday, April 23 The 17th annual Labor Bowl Challenge to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) will be held Sunday, April 23, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Cascade Lanes, 2700 NE K 82nd Ave., Portland. Portland area labor unions have raised $257,000 for the charity. The money helps provide wheelchairs and braces for youngsters, medical care, research and summer camps. Pledge packets are available at the Northwest Oregon Labor Coun- cil or by calling MDA at 503-223- 3177. March 24 breakfast to explore pension reform legislation “Puzzled About Your Pension?” will be the topic of a breakfast work- shop sponsored by the Labor and Em- ployment Relations Association (for- merly the Industrial Relations and Research Association), on Friday, March 24, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. at Sweetbrier Inn, 7125 Nyberg Road, St. Patrick’s Day barbecue to aid Congressman Baird VANCOUVER — The fifth annual St. Patrick’s Day Barbecue for Con- gressman Brian Baird will be held Sunday, March 19, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Fire Fighters Hall, 2807 Fruit Val- ley Road. The event is sponsored by Friends of Baird. A suggested donation of $25 will be accepted at the door. Hamburg- ers, hot dogs, salads, beverages and dessert will be served. The event is endorsed by the Labor Roundtable of Southwest Washington, the Northwest Oregon Labor Council and the Columbia-Pacific Building Trades Council. Workers Memorial Day set for April 28 at Portland church Mark your calendars for Friday, April 28, Workers Memorial Day, the day the AFL-CIO remembers workers who have been killed or in- jured on the job. The first Workers Memorial Day was observed in 1989. April 28 was chosen because it is the anniversary of the Occupa- tional Safety and Health Administra- tion and the day of a similar remem- brance in Canada. This year, the event will be held at 7 p.m. at Tabor Heights United Methodist Church, 6161 SE Stark St., Portland. ramers/metro mailing service 3201 N.W. YEON PORTLAND, OREGON 97210 (503) 274-1638 FAX (503) 227-1245 THE ONLY UNION MAILER NO FEE WITHOUT RECOVERY IN OREGON 621 SW Morrison, Portland Visit our Web site at www.kramersmailing.com 223-8517 PAGE 4 P OLITICAL MEMBERS OF TEAMSTERS LOCAL 223 — Eric Brending, Owner — NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS MARCH 17, 2006
