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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 2007)
Let me say this about that —By Gene Klare Labor abbreviations THE LABOR MOVEMENT and labor publications are replete with abbre- viations and acronyms for the names of labor organizations. This column will spell out names behind shorthand versions which sometimes appear in the North- west Labor Press and elsewhere. Here starts the list: AFL-CIO is perhaps the most often- used abbreviation. It stands for American Federation of Labor-Congress of Indus- trial Organizations. The AFL-CIO is not a labor union; it is a federation of labor unions, a union of unions. It is sometimes called an umbrella organization. The AFL evolved from an organization started in 1881 with the name of Federation of Or- ganized Trades and Labor Unions. In 1886 the name was changed to American Federation of Labor. Its first president was Samuel Gompers, who had been president of the predecessor organization. He was president and editor of the Cigar Makers International Union. The CIO was formed in 1935 by breakaway unions that wanted to organize workers in all oc- cupations, particularly in mass-produc- SAM GOMPERS tion industries. John L. Lewis, president of the United Mine Workers (UMW), was the ClO’s first president. The AFL and CIO merged nationally in 1955. Its affili- ates include: AFGE — American Federation of Government Employees. AFM — American Federation of Musicians. AFSCME — American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employ- ees. AFT — American Federation of Teachers. Affiliates include the Oregon Fed- eration of Nurses and Health Professionals Local 5017; the Portland Federation of Teachers and Classified Employees (PFTCE); and the Portland Community College Faculty Federation (PCCFF) and the Portland Community College Fed- eration of Classified Employees (PCCFCE). AFTRA — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. ALPA — Air Line Pilots Association. APWU — American Postal Workers Union. ATU — Amalgamated Transit Union. BAC — International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers. BCTGM — Bakery, Confectionery & Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers In- ternational Union. CPBCTC — Columbia-Pacific Building and Construction Trades Council, based in Portland. CWA — Communications Workers of America; unions merged within it in- clude the International Typographical Union (ITU), The Newspaper Guild (TNG), the International Union of Electronic, Electrical,Salaried, Machine and Furniture Workers, and the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA). GMP — International Union of Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics and Allied Workers. IAFF — International Association of Fire Fighters. IAM — International Association of Machinists, sometimes called Interna- tional Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW). A division within it is the former International Woodworkers of America (IWA), which has its headquarters in Gladstone. Another is the Transportation Communications In- ternational Union (TCU). (Turn to Page 11) PAGE 2 Labor sues OSHA to force action on employer-provided safety equipment WASHINGTON, D.C. — Eight years of delay by the U.S. Depart- ment of Labor on issuing a stan- dard requiring employers to pay for job-related personal protective equipment (PPE) —a standard that, by the government’s own esti- mates, would have prevented 50 deaths and 400,000 injuries on the job had it been released on time — has prompted the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) and the national AFL-CIO to sue to force the release of the standard. UFCW is an affiliate of the Change to Win labor federation. The Labor Department’s foot- dragging on this rule has exposed 20 million working people in some of America’s most dangerous in- dustries, including meatpacking, poultry and construction, to a terri- ble choice: Pay for the protective equipment out of their own wages, or accept increased risk of injury on the job due to a lack of protec- tive equipment, union officials b h m k 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 We Work Hard for Hard-Working People! 111 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 1650 Portland, Oregon 97204 (503) 227-4600 www.bennetthartman.com said. This Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule would require employers to pay the costs of protective clothing, lifelines, face shields, gloves and other equipment used by workers to protect them from job hazards. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) esti- mates that 400,000 workers have been injured and 50 have died be- cause of this shortfall in protection on the job. OSHA’s longstanding policy has been to require employers to pay for safety equipment. In 1997, the Oc- cupational Safety and Health Re- view Commission found that OSHA’s existing standard did not meet this policy requirement; there- fore, a new rule was required. OSHA promised in 1999 to issue this new rule in July 2000, but it missed that deadline and every self- imposed deadline since. The agency has failed to act in response to a 2003 petition by UFCW and the AFL-CIO and numerous requests by the Hispanic Congressional Caucus. The lawsuit, filed Jan. 3, asserts that OSHA’s failure to act is putting workers in danger, and seeks to end the eight-year delay. “Nothing is standing in the way of OSHA issuing a final PPE rule to protect worker safety and health ex- cept the will to do so,” said Joseph Hansen, UFCW International Presi- dent. “It is long overdue that the agency take action on protective equipment. Now, we are asking the courts to force OSHA to act.” The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, asks the court to order the secretary of labor to com- plete the rule within 60 days of the court’s order. (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. 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. Our Legal Staff are Proud Members of UFCW Local 555 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS JANUARY 19, 2007
