Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 2006)
...Is a third labor federation in the works? (From Page 1) agreement to allow all unions to apply for Solidarity Charters. “It is ludicrous to think that Change to Win would have entered an agreement on the Solidarity Charter program that would exclude any of our affiliates,” CTW Chairwoman Anna Burger wrote in a memo to all AFL-CIO organizations. Burger said CTW unions would sus- pend per-capita payments if Sweeney didn’t rescind the eligibility rules. Oregon’s largest central labor coun- cil, the Portland-based Northwest Ore- gon Labor Council, passed a resolution in March opposing the restrictions. The labor council sent a letter to Sweeny asking that he rescind the restrictions. In response to Burger’s memo, Sweeney told AFL-CIO union officials he was “determined to resolve the out- standing issues regarding Solidarity Charters. One of those issues, he said, includes payment of a national “fair share solidarity fee” by the disaffiliated unions. “Misrepresentations and reck- less threats to hold the state federations and central labor councils financially hostage do not advance our goal of unity and strength,” Sweeney wrote. In March, Associated Press reported that the five breakaway unions had paid the AFL-CIO $9.9 million in unpaid per-capita taxes prior to their disaffilia- tion. All of the unions except SEIU set- tled up in early January, with UFCW paying $3.7 million, the Teamsters pay- ing $2.8 million and UNITE HERE paying $180,000. The AFL-CIO filed a lawsuit against SEIU seeking $10 million in back per capita taxes. In March, the sides settled on a payment of $3.9 million. Talk of a Third Labor Federation As the May 1 deadline neared, sev- eral newspapers reported an exchange of letters between Sweeney and Burger in which Burger proposed creating a third labor federation — the “Alliance for Worker Justice.” In an April 26 statement, Burger said she had not proposed a third federation, but rather “a structure that would enable all organizations supporting a workers’ rights movement — the AFL-CIO, Change To Win, and organizations not affiliated with either — to work together on issues of common concern. “It would enable us to bring the best of all of our organizations together at critical times. It also recognizes our dif- ferences and would enable us to imple- ment our different strategies,” she added. Burger said the new structure CTW seeks “deals with the reality that the Sol- idarity Charter program is legally and structurally insufficient to developing true permanent national and local coop- eration between Change To Win, the AFL-CIO, and other non-aligned labor organizations.” Sweeney rejected CTW’s new struc- ture idea. “The last thing we can imag- ine doing less than a year after (the dis- affiliation) is investing time and re- sources into co-founding yet a third la- bor federation, with all the bureaucracy, expense and additional staffing that would entail,” he said. Oregon AFL-CIO President Cham- berlain said that despite the setback at the national level, “we’ll continue work- ing with Change to Win unions in areas of common interest.” Gene Hallman for Supreme Court The Choice for Oregon’s Working Families Gene Hallman’s combination of qualifications, integrity and experience has earned the bi-partisan support of people and organizations from every corner of Oregon. Gene Hallman has been endorsed by: “Gene Hallman’s experience in Gradine Storms Real Estate Broker E-Mail: gstorms@equitygroup.com www.equitygroup.com/gstorms Q } 7886 SE 13th Ave. Portland, Oregon 97202 Branch: 503-233-8883 Direct: 503-495-4932 Each Office Independently Owned and Operated Quest Investment Management, Inc. Serving Multi-Employer Trusts for Twenty Years Cam Johnson Adrian Hamilton Doug Goebel • AFSCME working people through the • American Federation of Teachers justice system has earned him • Columbia Pacific Building Trades Council • Joint Council of Teamsters No. 37 the support of Oregon’s • NW Oregon Labor Council unions. Gene understands the • Oregon Council of Police Associations impact our courts have on • Oregon Education Association everyday Oregonians. That’s • Oregon State Building Trades Council • Oregon State Fire Fighters' Council, an important perspective to • SEIU, Local 503 OPEU have on the Supreme Court.” • United Food & Commercial Workers, Local 555, • 26 current and senior judges; Tom Chamberlain, President, Oregon AFL-CIO • 10 Past Presidents of the Oregon State Bar • 39 former and present Oregon Sheriffs, District Attorneys and Police Chiefs For All Endorsers visit: www.hallmanforsupremecourt.com Greg Sherwood Monte Johnson Bill Zenk To learn more about Gene Hallman visit www.hallmanforsupremecourt.com One SW Columbia St., Suite 1100 Portland, OR 97258 503-221-0158 Paid for by Gene Hallman for Supreme Court, PO Box 308, Pendleton OR, 97801 www.QuestInvestment.com PAGE 12 • Oregon AFL-CIO fighting for the interests of NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS MAY 5, 2006
