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