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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 4, 2006)
Let me say this about that —By Gene Klare ...Goodsell’s career (From Page 1) award from the ILPA. He published a number of special editions of the Labor Press devoted entirely to the strike and printed hundreds of thousands of copies which were delivered door-to-door by teams of strikers. This helped the striking unions to persuade tens of thousands of people to cancel their subscriptions to the struck-but-still-publishing newspapers which were produced by strikebreakers. JIM SERVED as an ILPA vice president and executive council member from 1958 to 1965. He was a member of Portland Newspaper Guild Lo- cal 165 and Portland Machinists Lodge 63. In his years in Port- land, Goodsell served on the governing boards of the mayor- appointed Commis- sion on Public Docks, the City Club, the Ur- ban League, the Ore- gon chapter of the American Civil Liber- ties Union, the Junior Symphony Associa- tion and the Press Club of Oregon. He JIM GOODSELL also was a member of a blue-ribbon citizens committee that produced a change-making report on racial policies in the Port- land Public Schools. JAMES W. GOODSELL was born on March 7, 1920 in Madison, Wiscon- sin. His father was the Reverend Henry Guy Goodsell, a Methodist pastor; his mother was Anna Catherine (Tyler) Goodsell. Jim spent his early years in Denver and Colorado Springs, Colorado, places where his father’s career took the family. In 1934, the Rev. Guy Goodsell moved his family to Portland when he accepted the pulpit of the First Methodist Church where he stayed until retiring in 1946. JIM ATTENDED Lincoln High School when it was in a building that later became part of Portland State University and is called Lincoln Hall. He served as editor of the student newspaper and president of the student body. After gradu- ating in 1937, he studied for a year at Willamette University in Salem, which was connected with the Methodist Church. He won a scholarship to Columbia College in New York City and studied there for three years. At Columbia he was elected editor of the campus literary magazine, the Columbia Review. BEFORE PEARL HARBOR, Goodsell worked at a plant in Pasadena, Calif., that made parts for the B-24 bomber. After the Japanese attack that brought the U.S. into World War II, Jim joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and saw duty as a sergeant with the Air Transport Command in India and China. After the war, Goodsell took a job as a reporter for the Astorian-Budget daily newspaper in Astoria on the North Oregon Coast and next became news editor of radio station KAST in Astoria. He was elected chairman of the Clatsop County Democratic Party in 1948. That quickly led to him being hired as the Portland- based executive secretary of the Democratic Party of Oregon. During his tenure, the Democrats became Oregon’s majority party in voter registration for the first time. This led to the victories of Democratic candidates for state and federal of- fices in the elections later in the 1950s after Jim had moved to the Labor Press. One of those winning Democrats was Richard Neuberger, Jim’s brother-in-law, (Turn to Page 11) PAGE 2 Labor, greens come together By DON McINTOSH Associate Editor If unions could join forces politically with environmental groups, what could they achieve together? Maybe good jobs and a clean environment? Neither camp has close ties to the majority party in Congress right now, but state by state, such an alliance has potential, leaders in both movements say. In June, the 850,000-member union United Steelworkers and the 750,000- member environmental group Sierra Club announced the formation of a “Blue-Green Alliance” to work on a joint political agenda. “Good jobs and a clean environment are important to American workers,” said Steelworkers President Leo Gerard in a statement accompanying the an- nouncement. “We cannot have one with- out the other.” The Steelworkers have a history of working with environmentalists dating back to the 1970 passage of the Clean Air Act, and are a part of several other such alliances. One that shows potential is the Apollo Alliance, founded in 2003, which has been endorsed by 20 environ- mental groups, 19 international unions, and 10 state federations and central la- bor councils of the AFL-CIO. Apollo brings together business and community groups as well, who are interested in its focus on public investment in energy conservation and alternative energy. Apollo takes no position on nuclear energy, which green groups oppose, or action to limit global warming, which some labor groups have yet to endorse. Instead, it sticks to a unifying agenda all sides can agree with: energy independ- ence, energy efficiency, clean energy, and good jobs. Rich Feldman, Apollo coordinator for the state of Washington, says people who are concerned about global warm- ing are already on board with Apollo’s proposals, while those who aren’t still see the value of weaning the U.S. from dependence on foreign fuel supplies. Apollo takes its name from the Apollo project, the challenge laid down by John F. Kennedy that America could send a manned vessel to the moon within a decade if it put its mind to the task. Similarly, say Apollo Alliance founders, America can found a new era of high efficiency and renewable energy if it’s willing to invest in it. Apollo says developing bio-fuels, wind, solar and other new technologies could create 3 million new jobs in the agricultural economy, construction and industry. In Washington, an active Apollo chapter helped pass legislation this March to require that diesel and gaso- line sold in the state contain minimum percentages of biodiesel and ethanol. The bill was fought hard by petroleum companies, but passed with bipartisan support. The law took effect July 1, and the goal is for gas to contain at least 2 percent ethanol and diesel to contain 2 percent biodiesel, within two-and-a-half years. Those requirements would rise to 10 percent and 5 percent respectively when the state Department of Agricul- ture determines that there’s enough seed-crushing and feedstock capacity in Washington to meet demand. Bio- diesel is diesel fuel produced from re- newable resources, including recycled cooking oils, animal fats, and soybean and canola oils. Thanks to the demand created by the law, Seattle-based Imperium Renew- ables expects to break ground in early September in Grays Harbor on one of the largest biofuels plants in America. The work will be done by a union-sig- natory general contractor, JH Kelly, and construction will take about a year. The $40 million plant is slated to create 250 to 350 jobs during construction and 50 permanent jobs once it’s running. The plant will manufacture biodiesel using palm oil from Malaysia and soybean oil from the United States. The Portland City Council passed a local ordinance July 12, without any prompting from the Apollo Alliance or other groups. Commissioner Randy Leonard, a former Fire Fighters Union leader, authored the ordinance. The or- dinance requires that within a year all gas stations within the city limits offer gasoline that includes 10 percent ethanol. In addition, all diesel sold will have to include 5 percent biodiesel. The Apollo Alliance is looking to build momentum in Oregon, and is as- signing a full-time organizer, Jeremy Hays, to the task. Oregon AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Byrd says discussions are under way about whether to start a formal chapter of the Apollo Alliance in Oregon. Backers would hope to develop a legislative agenda in the next few months. Swanson, Thomas &Coon ATTORNEYS AT LAW Since 1981 James Coon Jacqueline Jacobson Ray Thomas Kimberly Tucker Margaret Weddell Cynthia F. Newton Tip of the week: In Social Security, you usually have 60 days to challenge a decision that goes against you, but there is no reason to wait. Get help as soon as you can! We represent people on all types of injury and disease related claims. n Workers’ Compensation n Construction Injuries n Personal Injury/Product Liability n Death Claims n Asbestos/Mesothelioma n Social Security Disability We provide straight answers at no cost on any of the above areas of law. CALL US or VISIT OUR WEB SITE ( 503) 228-5222 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS http://www.stc-law.com AUGUST 4, 2006
