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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 2006)
Let me say this about that —By Gene Klare Counting every ballot After the events of Ohio and Florida, unions aren’t in the mood for faith- based elections Fame for Floyd Earls FLOYD EARLS, 82, a retired business agent of the Oregon State District Council of Carpenters and a retired financial secretary of Exterior and Interior Specialists Local 2154, is the newest member of the Labor Hall of Fame. He was accorded that honor by the Northwest Oregon Labor Retirees Council, the sponsor of the Labor Hall of Fame. Earls retired in 1990 after a career in the United Brotherhood of Carpenters that began when he joined a UBC local union in 1953 in San Bernardino, Cali- fornia, which is east of Los Angeles. He moved to the Portland area in 1954. FLOYD WILLIAM EARLS was born on June 29, 1924 in Spur, Texas, which is west of Lubbock. He grew up in the Riverside area, near San Bernardino, where his family moved to not long after his birth. He attended high school in nearby Red- lands. He served in the Civilian Con- servation Corps in Southern Califor- nia and later worked for the U.S. Forest Service there. Earls joined the U.S. Army in 1942 and served in the Combat En- gineers in Europe in World War II. He was in the Army until late in 1945, then worked in various jobs until signing up with the Carpenters FLOYD EARLS Union. AFTER TAKING UP residence in Portland, Earls joined Carpenters Local 1020, which was mostly a shipwrights local. However, he worked as an installer of Sheetrock. Later, he and other Sheetrockers joined Carpenters Local 2154, eventually renaming it Exterior and Interior Specialists Local 2154. Earls was elected financial secretary and for sev- eral years he ran the local out of an office in his home. Next it was moved to an office in the Odd Fellows Hall and then to an office in the Carpenters Local 1388 Building in Oregon City. When the Lathers Union merged with the Carpenters Brotherhood, Portland Lathers Local 54 merged with Local 2154. For a time, Lo- cal 2154 was based in the old Mason Trades Building at 2215 SE Division St. in Portland. Later, Local 2154 relocated to the Scandia Building at 1125 SE Madi- son St. in Portland, where the Northwest Oregon Labor Council and several lo- cal unions have their offices. Earls was elected as one of the business agents of the Portland District Coun- cil of Carpenters in 1979 but still retained his post with Local 2154. When the Oregon State District Council of Carpenters was formed, it took over the Portland District and Earls became a business agent of the State Council. He served as a trustee of the Oregon Carpenters Health & Welfare and Pension Trust Funds and chaired the Carpenters Apprenticeship and Training Committee. Earls also has been a delegate to the Northwest Oregon Labor Council, the Oregon AFL CIO and the Oregon State and Columbia-Pacific Building and Construction Trades Councils. A MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT in Floyd Earls’ career was setting in motion the unionization of a nonunion contractor and nonunion subcontractors on the construction of the new Veterans Hospital on Pill Hill in Southwest Port- land in the mid-1980s. With Republican Ronald Reagan in the White House, times were tough for unions because of the unemployment caused by the Reagan Recession and the president’s anti-union policies. As a business agent for the Carpenters Union, Earls went to the VA Hospital construction site and started a Unions have so much at stake in lo- cal, state and congressional elections that they’re not leaving it to chance — or faith — that elections will be con- ducted properly. After sending out staff to investigate the integrity of voting systems, the na- tional AFL-CIO has targeted 23 com- munities in six states for close monitor- ing on Election Day. And the labor federation has joined with community activists in a non-partisan Election Pro- tection Coalition. The coalition has set up a toll-free nationwide hotline, 1- 866-OUR-VOTE, for callers to report voter intimidation or any problems at the polls. The AFL-CIO hopes to educate citi- zens about their voting rights and help prevent the kinds of voting rights viola- tions that marred the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. The AFL-CIO is training union and voting rights activists on their states’ b h m k Mike Hartman, a temporary employee at Multnomah County Elections, scans bar codes from ballot return envelopes to begin a computerized check of voter signatures. To protect against fraud, every signature is matched against the signature the voter provided on the registration card. election laws and deploying them as poll monitors on Election Day. Poll monitors will be available to answer voters’ questions about their rights and through rapid action networks, help re- solve any issues voters may encounter. In addition, AFL-CIO poll monitors will have a network of lawyers avail- Bennett Hartman Morris & Kaplan, llp Attorneys at Law Oregon’s Full Service Union Law Firm Representing Workers Since 1960 Serious Injury and Death Cases • Construction Injuries • Automobile Accidents • Medical, Dental, and Legal Malpractice • Bicycle and Motorcycle Accidents • Pedestrian Accidents • Premises Liability (injuries on premises) • Workers’ Compensation Injuries • Social Security Claims able to handle problems that require le- gal action. The AFL-CIO’s Voter Protection Program is focused on communities in Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington. Washington, where a close race for governor two years ago attracted extra scrutiny to election processes, is mov- ing to a vote-by-mail system this year, but five counties aren’t ready to make the switch. Among them are the coun- ties containing Seattle and Tacoma, the state’s biggest population centers, with the highest densities of minority and Democratic voters. King County La- bor Council staffperson Verlene Jones, the AFL-CIO’s Washington point per- son for the Voter Protection project, says the federation is concerned that new state requirements that voters show ID might discourage some, and lower turnout. And the union-backed campaign to return Maria Cantwell to the U.S. Senate could depend on a small margin. Oregon appears to have passed muster with the Voter Protection pro- gram. AFL-CIO International Affairs Director Stan Gacek, was sent from Washington, D.C., to lay the ground- (Turn to Page 10) (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 We Work Hard for Hard-Working People! 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. 111 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 1650 Portland, Oregon 97204 (503) 227-4600 www.bennetthartman.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 PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT PORTLAND, OREGON. Member Press Associates Inc. Our Legal Staff are Proud Members of UFCW Local 555 (Turn to Page 11) PAGE 2 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS NOVEMBER 3, 2006
