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
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NEWS FR OM AR OUND THE
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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.
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223-8517
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— Eric Brending, Owner —
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
MARCH 17, 2006