Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2006)
What’s Happening Tim Nesbitt joins Gov. Kulongoski’s campaign staff Former Oregon AFL-CIO Presi- dent Tim Nesbitt has joined the re- election campaign of Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski. The announcement was made July 11. Nesbitt will serve as senior political adviser to the governor, advising him on policy initiatives. Kulongoski also announced that Josh Kardon, chief of staff to U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, will work part- time as political director of his re-elec- tion campaign. “I’m pleased to add these two strong leaders to my team at the cam- paign,” said Kulongoski, who is facing a tough re-election fight. “Tim and Josh both bring years of experience in Oregon politics and a depth of knowl- edge on the policies that impact and shape our communities.” Sheet Metal group plans summer party July 30 at West Linn Sheet Metal Workers Local 16, SMACNA and the HVAC & Metals Institute will host a Summer Blast and Cruise-In on Sunday, July 30, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at West Linn Willamette Park. Hot rods, cars, trucks and motorcy- cles will be on display and will com- pete for prizes in several categories. Buster’s Barbecue will supply ribs and chicken. Beer and other cold bev- erages will be served, along with live music by Fairly Honest John, plus games for kids and raffle prizes. The event — and cruise-in — is open to anyone associated with the sheet metal industry. Vehicles must register for the competition by 10 a.m. on July 30. All proceeds will go to the Sheet Metal Workers Local 16 Food Bank. For more information, call Ric at 503-257-1022 IBEW member is new investigator for contract monitor Jennie Kordenat has been hired as a new compliance investigator for the Oregon and Southwest Washington Fair Contracting Foundation. She will cover the Northern Oregon Coast, the Portland metro and Southwest Wash- ington areas. PAGE 4 L ABOR AND P OLITICAL NEWS FR OM AR OUND THE P A C I F I C N O R T H W E S T FCF is a non-profit labor-manage- ment organization that provides assis- tance to workers, contractors and con- tracting agencies to promote comp- liance with prevailing wage laws. Since its inception in 1989 it has helped to recover more than $5 mil- lion. Kordenat has been in the construc- tion trades as an electrician since 1993 and is a member of IBEW Local 970 in Longview, Wash. She has served on the union’s executive board and as recording secretary since 2001. She also has served as a labor representa- tive on the Washington State Public Hospital District Project Review Board since 2004. Kordenat is married to Keith Kor- denat, a member of Iron Workers Lo- cal 29. They live in Longview with their two daughters. Kordenat can be reached at 503- 319-6165, or by e-mail at jkorde- nat@fcffair.org . Government labor officials will meet in the Rose City Portland will host the National As- sociation of Government Labor Offi- cials Sunday, July 23, through Wednesday, July 26, at the Marriott Downtown Waterfront. NAGLO is a professional associa- tion consisting of the chief official in each state and territory of the United States responsible for overseeing the laws that protect and serve working men and women. Third-generation Iron Workers Shawn Sawyer (photo left) and Mike Rush (photo right) are third-generation Iron Workers working for Carr Construction at Kaiser Permanente’s Sunnyside Medical Center expansion project in Clackamas. Mike is the most senior of the two, having been with Iron Workers Local 29 for 18 years, compared to Shawn’s 10 years. Mike, 37, lives in Gresham with his wife and two sons. Shawn, 28, lives in LaPine with his wife and two sons. Mike’s father is Ray Rush Sr. of Estacada, a retired 39-year member of Local 29. His grandfather, the late John “Shorty” Rush, joined the Iron Workers in 1949. Shawn’s father is Kent Sawyer, of Prineville, a retired 33-year member of Local 29. His grandfather, the late William “Buzz” Sawyer, was a 64-year member of the union. Both Shawn and Mike are connectors. Both men followed in their families’ footsteps as apprentices, and both men’s fathers helped train them. Some of the more prominent projects they have worked on include the Federal Building, the Fox Tower and the Rose Garden Arena, all in Portland. At the Portland summer confer- ence, labor commissioners will dis- cuss prevailing wage laws, independ- ent contractor issues, illegal immigration and more, said Oregon Labor Commissioner Dan Gardner. The conference opens at 9 a.m. each day. Nursing home workers, operators agree to cooperate Top apprentice from Bricklayers Local 1 Matt Hall of Portland-based Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 1 captured first place in the 2006 Western States Brick and Tile Contest held last month at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. Hall, an 80 percent apprentice bricklayer, competed against 28 contestants, including Jacob Amos of Local 1, who finished third. The project was to build a park bench in six hours. The bench is judged for accurate dimensions, square, level and plumb. After the contest the benches, which contained a brick with the apprentice’s name in it, were donated to the city for placement in area parks. Hall’s first- place trophy will be on display at the union’s hall in Northeast Portland for the remainder of the year, said apprenticeship coordinator Joe Luna. NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS After collecting more than 125,000 signatures for a ballot measure that would increase minimum staffing lev- els at nursing homes in Oregon, the union collecting the signatures de- cided not to submit them. Instead, Service Employees Local 503 joined Gov. Ted Kulongoski and representatives of the Oregon Health Care Association at a press conference July 10 to announce the formation of a Nursing Home Patient Safety Com- mission. Kulongoski said the commission creates an opportunity for “thoughtful collaboration on how best to provide quality care and safety without a costly ballot measure fight. Patients and their families are the winners here.” Linda Tolston, a certified nurses’ aide and Local 503 member, said, “We consider this to be a victory and are hopeful that we will be seeing sig- nificant improvements in resident care.” The commission will examine: • The relationship between the quality of care in Oregon nursing fa- cilities and Oregon’s current staffing standards. • National comparative data and re- search about nursing home staffing levels and the quality of patient care. • Data on the nursing shortage, both in Oregon and throughout the nation. • Information that highlights the unique challenges facing rural facili- ties in Oregon. The commission — which will include two members representing Oregon’s skilled nursing facilities, two members representing front-line nurs- ing staff, and two members represent- ing organizations that advocate for seniors — will meet three or four times before presenting a final recom- mendation to the governor by Sept. 30. Aug. 24 is Building Trades Night at the Portland Beavers The Columbia-Pacific Building and Construction Trades Council will have a labor night at the Portland Beavers AAA Baseball game on Thursday, Aug. 24, at PGE Park. Gates open at 6:05 p.m. and the first pitch will be thrown at 7:05 p.m. The Beavers take on the Las Vegas 51s. Aug. 24 is Miller Lite Thursday, with discounted prices for beer. Affiliates of the CPBCTC have purchased a block of tickets along the first base/right field line at $9 each. Contact your local union for infor- mation about how to obtain a ticket. JULY 21, 2006