Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (July 6, 2006)
Labor agency will help Oregon war veterans find jobs Community Solutions for Clacka- mas County has been awarded a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Depart- ment of Labor primarily to help Ore- gon’s combat veterans transition back into the civilian workforce. The Veterans Workforce Investment Program (VWIP) will serve over 480 veterans from Oregon, assisting them with training, retraining, job placement and support services, including coun- seling. The grant is good news for Labor’s Community Service Agency, AFL- CIO, which will be a contract partner helping to provide services to veterans. The Oregon State Employment De- partment also is a partner under the new grant. Labor’s Community Service Agency is a non-profit agency funded in part by United Way of the Columbia- Willamette in partnership with the Northwest Oregon Labor Council, AFL-CIO. Part of its mission is to help workers who have lost their jobs to plant closures and layoffs get plugged into organizations that will help retrain them for new employment. The agency has been working under an existing grant with Community So- lutions helping returning veterans in Clackamas County find jobs. “Through collaborative efforts with Oregon’s workforce development part- ners, Labor’s Community Service Clatskanie ethanol plant to be union built Hundreds of local construction trades workers will have an opportunity to put their skills to work on the development of an ethanol plant being built in Clatskanie, Oregon — the re- sult of a project labor agreement reached between the Co- lumbia-Pacific Building and Construction Trades Council and general contractor JH Kelly. Cascade Grain Products at Port Westward on the Colum- bia River will be the largest ethanol plant on the West Coast, producing 113.4 million gallons of corn-based dry mill fuel- grade ethanol per year. It will serve markets in Oregon, Washington, California, Alaska, Hawaii and the Pacific Rim. Approximately 70 full-time jobs will be created when the plant opens in early 2008. Ethanol is an alternative fuel that is considered a sustain- able resource, and its production warrants special tax incen- tives granted through a bill passed in 2005 by the Oregon Legislature. Berggruen Holdings Inc. of New York owns the facility. Cascade Grain is the first facility in the corporation’s strat- egy to construct a series of strategically located ethanol plants. JH Kelly LLC Ethanol will self-perform the site prepara- tion; concrete; structural steel erection; multiple structure erection; tank, vessel and equipment installation; pipe fabri- cation; and piping installation. “This project represents more than 400,000 hours and all the work will be performed by local building trades employ- ees,” said John Mohlis, executive secretary-treasurer of the Columbia-Pacific Building Trades Council. “Construction will inject more than $100 million into the local economy, and those wages will stay right here in Oregon and South- west Washington.” The project labor agreement ensures that all workers in- volved in the project will receive health insurance benefits, an employer-paid pension and have appropriate training to ensure safe working conditions on the job, in addition to the wages they are paid. “We are glad to be working closely with the community on this project and appreciate the opportunity to employ local craftspeople to build this plant,” stated Chuck Carlson, pres- ident of Cascade Grain Products. “We plan to be a part of this area for many years to come, and supporting working families is important to Cascade Grain.” Construction work is set to begin in August. Agency staff has worked with employ- ees from virtually every craft, every trade and every professional organiza- tion represented by a union contract, helping to write appropriate training plans and resumes, solving problems, and answering questions,” said Mau- reen Thompson, executive director of Community Solutions. LCSA Executive Director Glenn Shuck has made program presentations to union organizations, conducted mailings to distribute veterans program information, staffed informational booths at veterans events and referred veterans to appropriate services. He also has been meeting regularly with apprenticeship training coordina- tors and military personnel to help plug in veterans to training programs in the field of construction. Construction has been the fastest growing source of new jobs in Oregon and entry and journey-level construc- tion trades jobs are considered hard to fill, according to the Oregon Employ- ment Division. “Apprenticeships range from electri- cians and plumbers to carpenters, painters and laborers,” said Shuck. “Ap- prenticeship training can provide a path to more stable and better-paid jobs in construction ‘careers’ rather than sim- ply dead-end manual labor jobs.” Labor’s Community Service Agency also has agreed to provide support serv- ices for at least 10 veterans and their families through its Emergency Fund. Contact us today to inquire about our LOW, LOW, LOW RATES!!! How much of this can we help you save? New & Used Vehicles Mortgage Loans Home Equity Lines of Credit Recreational Vehicles Classic & Platinum Visa Personal Lines of Credit Contact our loan department directly at (503) 253-8193 or (800) 356-6507 ext. 340 or apply online at www.ibewuwfcu.com In doing so, the agency will receive a $1,500 match from Community Solu- tions under the federal grant. The labor agency’s Emergency Fund provides utility bill assistance, food banks, legal assistance, crisis interven- tion, consumer credit counseling and in- formation on local family health pro- grams. Eligible veterans for any of the serv- ices include veterans with service-con- nected disabilities, veterans who have barriers to employment, veterans who served on active duty in the armed forces during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized, and recently sepa- rated veterans. For more information about Labor’s Community Service Agency and the Veterans Workforce Investment Pro- gram, call Shuck at 503-231-4962. For more information about Com- munity Solutions for Clackamas County, contact Maureen Thompson at 503-655-8842. Bureau of Labor & Industries Wage & Hour Compliance Specialist (Multiple Vacancies) These full-time positions are located in Portland and will investigate allegations of unlawful practices related to wages, work- ing conditions, the employment of minors, prevailing wage rates, and/or licensing re- quirements through interviews, on-site in- spections, evidence evaluation, and fact- finding. Duties also include preparing investigative reports and enforcement remedies; negotiating settlements; working with Department of Justice to prepare cases for administrative hearings or court of law; and providing technical informa- tion/interpretation of laws, rules, and regu- lations governing wages and working con- ditions to individuals and groups. One of the available positions requires the ability to speak, read, and write in Spanish and in English. Salary is $2,717-$3,772/month. For Announcement #LE060247 and appli- cation materials, call 971-673-0783 or visit www.oregonjobs.org. Closing date for all applications is July 10, 2006. (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) Established in 1900 at Portland, Oregon as a voice of the labor movement. 4275 NE Halsey St., P.O. Box 13150, Portland, Ore. 97213 Telephone: (503) 288-3311 Fax Number: (503) 288-3320 Editor: Michael Gutwig Staff: Don McIntosh, Cheri Rice Published on a semi-monthly basis on the first and third Fridays of each month by the Oregon Labor Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non- profit corporation owned by 20 unions and councils including the Oregon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 120 union organizations in Ore- gon and SW Washington. Subscriptions $13.75 per year for union members. Group rates available to trade union organizations. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT PORTLAND, OREGON. PO Box 16877 9955 SE Washington Portland, OR 97292 www.ibewuwfcu.com CHANGE OF ADDRESS NOTICE: Three weeks are required for a change of address. When ordering a change, please give your old and new addresses and the name and number of your local union. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS, P.O. BOX 13150-0150, PORTLAND, OR 97213 Member Press Associates Inc. “Your Preferred Financial Institution......Exceeding Member’s Needs and Wants” JULY 7, 2006 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS WESTERN LABOR PRESS ASSOCIATION PAGE 3