Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 2007)
leadership. She chaired the national Democratic Wo- men’s Caucus until 2004, when she was unseated ernor and he needs a from her DNC post by party proposal typed up. activist Jenny Greenleaf. Groener is “old Back at the Club, it’s school,” a high-tech 11:45, and Botkin is prepar- holdout who refuses to ing her testimony for the cart around a laptop. hearing. She looks in her “I’m not a produc- computer for notes of what tion typist,” Botkin she said in 2005. says. “If you want it by At 12:30, she grabs 9:30, you better give it lunch and heads to a fourth- to me right away.” floor conference room for Lobbyists trickle in the weekly meeting of the and out of the room; United Labor Lobby — an several confer nearby. informal roundtable of the Without time to Capitol’s union lobbyists. read every bill, lobby- Today a couple dozen labor ists rely on each other lobbyists sit around a table, to stay on top. It’s like reacting to a $220 million a hive. They exchange bombshell. Last night, Josh little pieces of infor- Kardon of U.S. Senator Ron mation with each other Wyden’s office delivered a as they pass in the hall. At a Feb. 16 hearing on a bill to give 911 operators early grim message — the federal “Holvey just left retirement, AFSCME lobbyist Mary Botkin testifies along with government isn’t going to re- the hearing.” “Schau- 911 dispatcher Stephanie Babb. new its subsidy to rural fler is looking for you.” counties that used to collect “Any idea what this revenue from federal timber Rep. John Lim, a Gresham Republi- bill is supposed do?” “What did you can, is the first. sales. They debate responses, but don’t think of Kardon’s presentation?” see a way out. AFSCME stands to lose “How are you?” she asks. Botkin has a special status in the 350 members who work in rural county “Working hard for you,” he replies. hive, and 20-plus years at the Capitol “You always work hard for me,” she government. have earned her an outsized reputation. says. They get right to the point. She’s Botkin has seen a lot of layoffs over Critics and admirers alike describe her pushing a bill to require that state work- the years. In fact, layoffs were her intro- as a fighter, loyal, hot-tempered, blunt ers be reassigned if an on-the-job injury duction to legislative politics. In the late and funny. All day long, fellow lobby- prevents them from doing their old job. ’70s, when rising natural gas prices cost ists come up to her with questions or Lim asks questions. How many people her husband Mike his job at Oregon greetings, asking for directions to some- does this affect? Who will oppose it? Steel Mills, Botkin threw herself into or- one’s office, borrowing mouthwash. Will it cost money? Which committee is ganizing a group called the Plant Clo- Botkin says it’s her policy to treat it assigned to? sure Committee. They didn’t stop the other lobbyists with professional cour- Botkin closes the meeting by asking plant closures, but they did help win a tesy, regardless of who they work for. Lim what his priorities are. Reciprocity federal law requiring companies to give “There’s no bad guys. Everybody has is an unspoken rule of lobbying. She’s 60-days notice before mass layoffs. a job to do,” she says. After lunch, Botkin sees Rep. Paul asking his support on one of her bills; Besides, sometimes they work to- maybe she can help on one of his. Holvey in the hall. He’s a Eugene De- gether. Botkin has no qualms working both mocrat and a union carpenter. A minute later she’s speaking into sides of the aisle in Salem, but in the “Do I have to lobby you?” she asks. her wireless cell phone earpiece: “I re- wider world, she’s a diehard Democrat. “It depends on which side you’re on,” ally need to know what’s going on with From 1988 to 2004, she served as one he says. the 911 bill.” “I’m on the side of the angels,” she of two Oregon representatives on the It’s time to make the rounds, visit a Democratic National Committee, the says. few lawmakers. “I’d better read the bill,” Holvey says, body which chooses the party’s national teasing. Botkin’s record of candor provokes the same from legislators, and the more experienced ones don’t beat around the Kirkland bush or obfuscate where they stand on a Union Manors bill. That helps her do her job, because 3530 SE 84th Avenue she needs to know where they stand in Portland, OR 97266 order to count votes and know when compromise is needed. 503•777•8101 It’s 2 p.m., an hour before the hear- ing. AFSCME council representative Deb Kidney and several 911 dispatchers Kirkland have arrived. They are setting up in the Union Plaza hearing room. The recordings are truly 1414 Kauffman Avenue horrifying. They decide not to use the Vancouver, WA 98660 one where the caller’s daughter has just shot herself. 360•694•4314 At 2:30, City of Portland lobbyist Mark Landauer takes Botkin aside. In hushed tones he tells her he’s going to Studio and One-Bedroom Apartments • No Costly Buy-In or ask the committee to hold off on the bill, Affordable Rent includes Utilities Application Fees to give the city attorney more time to look at whether it would create a prob- (except phone and cable) • Federal Rent lem for Portland in its negotiations with Subsidies Available police and fire unions. www.theunionmanors.org (Must Qualify) Steam is practically pouring out of TDD 503•771•0912 Botkin’s ears as she re-enters the hearing room, closing the door behind her. ...Labor Lobbyist (From Page 1) work area: Members only.” The Capitol Club is Oregon’s 400- strong lobbyist professional association, and Room 40 is their clubhouse — a combination lounge/workspace where they can retrieve messages and hang out between appointments. There’s wi-fi, coffee and closed-circuit television screens showing whatever’s under way in legislative committee chambers. Ducking into the Legislative Printing Office, she grabs a copy of the Joint Legislative Schedule — a compendium of every official proceeding at the Capi- tol that day. Today’s is 42 pages long. Botkin joins Baessler at Café Today, a basement diner where lobbyists and capitol staffers chow on the cheap. Law- makers have their own cafeteria, off-lim- its to the public. A legislative assistant to House De- mocrat Mike Schaufler walks by. “How are you, Mary?” “I’m fine,” she sighs. “That wasn’t very convincing,” he says. She’s thinking about the hearing. Her bill is assigned to the House Business and Labor Committee. Schaufler, a for- mer member of the Laborers Union, is the chair. She’s got hours to kill before her first scheduled meeting, and heads back to the Capitol Club. It’s not yet 8 a.m., and the lounge is nearly empty. By now, Botkin is multi-tasking. She’s checking e-mail on her laptop, reading a bill, browsing a specialized legislative database that helps lobbyists track 90 lawmakers and thousands of bills. At 8:30 she picks up the remote control and flips channels on the TV, stopping to watch Portland Democrat Diane Rosenbaum chair a hearing on ballot measure reform. A few minutes later, AFSCME lob- byist Ralph Groener walks in. “Mary, I need your help.” He has a 9:30 meeting with the gov- Westmoreland's Union Manor 6404 SE 23rd Avenue Portland, Oregon 97202 503•233•5671 Marshall Union Manor Manors Make the Difference 2020 NW Northrup Portland, Oregon 97209 503•225•0677 • Planned Events, Clubs, and Activities • Ideal Locations offer easy access to Bus Lines, Shopping, and Entertainment PAGE 4 • • NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS At 2:50, Sally Jones walks in, beam- ing. Jones, a lobbyist for an association of 911 managers, tells Botkin she’s sup- porting the bill this time and will testify. In past sessions, they didn’t support it. Then Schaufler, the committee chair, comes in to fetch Botkin back outside to the hall — he’s heard about the fracas with Portland and wants to see if tit can be resolved. No settlement is reached. At 3 p.m., the hearing begins. Chair Schaufler bangs the gavel, and calls Botkin and Stephanie Babb as the first witnesses. Babb is a 15-year veteran of the Portland 911 call center. She walks the committee through the record- ing. They listen as a 911 operator helps calm and guide a woman trapped in a burning mobile home. They stop the recording. “What happened?” Rep. Vicki Berger wants to know. “She burned to death,” Botkin an- swers. The second recording, a few seconds in, a woman screams, “He blew his head off.” Schaufler interrupts: “I think we’ve heard enough.” The point is made. Imagine listening to that, day after day, week after week, for 25 years. Then Landauer takes the micro- phone. “We’d like more time to review this bill. We’re concerned that it creates a po- tential fairness issue, because it would allow dispatchers to retire without reach- ing the age of 50, which is the present standard for Police and Fire.” Fire and Police would ask for the same, he suggests. Behind him, the 911 workers are fuming. Out in the hall after the hearing, Botkin is all gloom. “You people are never going to retire early,” she tells the dispatchers. Landauer calls her over for a quick word. “It’ll get fixed. I’m a straight shooter. You have my word.” Schaufler comes out, and speaks to Botkin. “They’re going to move the bill any- way,” she tells her people. Schaufler is the bill’s sponsor, and they’ve got the votes. The delay is a courtesy. In the car ride back to Portland, she decompresses. “It’s not about who you are,” she tells Baessler. “When they talk to you, it’s our organization they’re talk- ing to.” Turning philosophical, she tells a story. “One of our [corrections] officers came in to testify. He was really nerv- ous, and he spoke in voice so soft you could hardly hear him.” But he followed Botkin’s advice — “talk about what you know — your job.” Having his union behind him meant he could give lawmakers his honest opin- ion, without fear of repercussion. Soon, they were asking him questions, and he straightened up. The effect was physi- cal. Seeing that elected leaders were in- terested in what he said, he became taller. Over the years, Botkin has won pas- sage of more bills than she can remem- ber. But what gives her the greatest sat- isfaction is the thought that her work enables her members, public employees, to stand a little taller. MARCH 2, 2007
