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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 2007)
Unionists rub elbows with lawmakers at legislative forum By DON McINTOSH Associate Editor A chance to chat up Oregon law- makers and coordinate labor’s lobby- ing efforts drew over 100 union mem- bers to a Feb. 3 legislative conference in Portland. Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley and a half-dozen other legislators attended the four-hour ses- sion, as did Labor Commissioner Dan Gardner, who labor leaders regard as a rock-solid ally. Political consultant Steve Novick, who is mulling a 2008 run against Republican U.S. Senator Gordon Smith, also addressed atten- dees, earning an enthusiastic recep- tion. The conference is a biennial event organized by the Oregon AFL-CIO and the Labor Education and Research Center of the University of Oregon. This year, participants were notably optimistic, thanks to the leadership change in Salem: Democrats control both houses and the governor’s office, giving unions their best chance in years of winning substantive improve- ments to Oregon labor laws. Gardner shared an anecdote that il- lustrated just how different the politi- cal climate is in Salem this time around. Two years ago, the labor com- missioner watched as Republican Karen Minnis, who was then speaker of the House, squashed an incredibly minor bill he had introduced. His agency, the Bureau of Labor and In- dustries, accepts legal service when servers can’t locate farm labor contrac- tors who operate migrant worker camps. Gardner wanted to expand that to all migrant worker camps, not just those where the residents are employ- ees of the owner. The bill passed the Senate and the House committee, only to have Minnis tell her caucus, “It’s Dan Gardner’s bill. I want you all to vote no.” Merkley, who was then House Minority leader, paid Minnis a call to argue for the bill on its merits, and related back to Gardner her re- sponse: “What makes you think it has anything to do with the merits of the bill?” Such ugly partisan pettiness is out of fashion now that the Democrats are in charge again, Gardner said. Democ- rats will need Republican votes to pass revenue increases, so while they intend to use their majority to pass legisla- tion, revenge isn’t on the agenda. Instead, the agenda is filled with pro-active proposals. Gardner’s office, for example, is supporting bills to: • Require overtime pay after 8 hours in one day, instead of after 40 hours in one week. [The bill has an ex- ception for work weeks that contain four 10-hour shifts.] • Require state contractors to sub- mit a personnel plan showing how many Oregonians they or their subcon- tractors intend to employ to accom- House Representative Greg MacPherson (right) hears from Kevin Card, legislative director for the Oregon Council of National Association of Letter Carriers at a Feb. 3 union legislative conference in Portland. Card, it so happens, is also the person who delivers mail to MacPherson’s Lake Oswego address. plish the work [This is meant to avoid repeat of a recent case where Oregon’s food stamp hotline was answered by a call center in India.] • Allow nursing mothers to take a 30-minute unpaid work break to pump breast milk while on the job. The Oregon AFL-CIO, meanwhile, is pushing a set of bills to make it eas- ier for nonunion workers to unionize. House Speaker Merkley, a member of the AFL-CIO community affiliate Working America, told attendees he personally would introduce what is the capstone of the “freedom to organize” package: a bill called the Worker Free- dom Act. The Worker Freedom Act would make it illegal for Oregon em- Born to be Wild? Cruise on into the Credit Union and enter the drawing for the 2007 Dyna Low Rider FXDL sponsored by Unions for Kids. The bike will be on display at the Credit Union through March 31st! PO Box 16877 9955 SE Washington St Portland, Oregon 97292 www.ibewuwfcu.com Tickets are $10 each. Only a total of 3500 tickets will be sold. Tickets will also be on sale at our 53rd Annual Meeting on March 20th. Electricians, Carpenters, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofer, Asbestos Workers, Family, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers Electricians, Carpenters, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofer, Asbestos Workers, Family, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers Carpenters, Electricians, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofers, Asbestos Workers, Family, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers ployers to require their employees to attend anti-union meetings. Such meetings are a staple of consultant-led “union-avoidance” campaigns but are perfectly legal under federal labor law. Other bills in the package include: • “Card-check” elections for public employees — state and local govern- ment workers would automatically get union representation once over half of a unit signed union authorization cards. • A ban on using tax dollars to fight unionizing campaigns — public agen- cies, as well as private employers that get state contracts or grants, would not be allowed to pay consultants or attor- neys in order to prevent unionization. • Support for the Employee Free Choice Act — the Legislature would go on record in a non-binding resolu- tion of support for a bill in the U.S. Congress that would add teeth to workers’ rights protections in Amer- ica’s basic labor law. To stay informed about labor’s ac- tivities at the Oregon Legislature, sign up for the Oregon AFL-CIO’s Weekly Update by sending an e-mail request to afl-cio@oraflcio.org . Bruc Holte of ILWU appointed to Port of Portland Board Bruce Holte, a 19-year member of International Longshore and Ware- house Union Local 8, has been ap- pointed to the Port of Portland by Gov. Ted Kulongoski. Holte, 47, of Canby, served two terms as president of Local 8. He also serves on the Canby Plan- ning Commission. The appointment is pending Senate confirmation. If confirmed, Holte will join two other union members on the Port Commission. They are Grant Zadow of Electrical Workers Local 48 and Ken Allen, executive director of Oregon AFSCME Council 75. Zadow’s terms expires in September. Southgate Mobile & RV Park 7911 SE 82nd Ave. Portland, Oregon Spaces Available up to 35’ 503-771-5262 Glaziers, Carpenters, Laborers, Electricians, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofers, Asbestos Workers, Family, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers FEBRUARY 16, 2007 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 3
