...Unionists’ obituaries
(From Page 2)
JOHN W. BOGGS SR. of Fairview, a retired member of Operating Engineers
Local 701, died at age 78 on Feb. 25.
He was born on July 3, 1928 in Morgantown, West Virginia. He served in the
U.S. Navy in World War II and moved Gresham several years after the war. He
later moved to Milton-Freewater in Eastern Oregon but returned to Gresham in the
1970s. He moved to Fairview in the 1990s.
SURVIVORS INCLUDE his wife, the former Eloise Hudson, whom he mar-
ried in 1950; a son, John, Jr.; a sister, Eleanor Weisz; and brothers O.J. and
Franklin Memorial contributions can be sent to the American Heart Association.
Funeral arrangements were by Bateman Carroll.
★★★
STANLEY D. DORNAN of Vancouver, Wash., a member of Portland-based
Iron Workers Local 29, died Feb. 23 at age 65. A memorial service was conducted
on March 2 at Omega Funeral and Cremation.
He was born Aug. 12, 1941 in Webbers Falls, Okla. He served in the U.S. Army
in the Vietnam War. Later, he moved to Vancouver.
SURVIVORS INCLUDE his wife, Dorothy, whom he married in 1974; a
daughter, Priscilla; a son, Robert; four grandchildren; his mother, Lola; and two
sisters, Fran Meyer and Joyce Miller.
★★★
BLANCHE FEELY of Portland, a retired union grocery clerk, died at age 92
on Feb. 8. She had worked for Safeway and Albertsons as a member of Retail
Clerks Local 1092, which later became part of United Food and Commercial
Workers Local 555.
She was born on Sept. 24, 1914 in Tidewater, Ore.; and later lived in
Brownsville before moving to Portland in 1939. She married Cyrus McAllister in
1934; they later divorced.
She married Robert H. Feely in 1970; he died in 1985.
SURVIVORS INCLUDE a son, Gerald McAllister; a brother, Cedric
Williamson; a sister, Irene Fee; and nieces and nephews.
Remembrances can be sent to the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Founda-
tion. Riverview Abbey handled funeral arrangements.
★★★
GLENN E. GREGORY, a retired member of Portland-headquartered Sheet
Metal Workers Local 16, died on Feb. 9 at age 89.
He was born on April 8, 1917 in Index, Wash. He moved to Portland in 1953
and went to work in the sheet metal trade as a member of Local 16. He later served
as a business agent for the union.
HE MARRIED Ella B. Reniker in the late 1930s, she died in 2004.
Survivors include his daughters, Jan Nerison and Jeanne L. Warren, four grand-
children and four great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions can be sent to the American Cancer Society. Funeral
arrangements were handled by American Burial and Cremation.
★★★
HARROLD GLENN JOHNSTON of Portland, a retired member of Ma-
chinists Auto Mechanics Local 1005, died Feb. 24 of Alzheimer’s disease at age
80.
He was born on Aug. 21, 1926 in Portland. He graduated from Roosevelt High
School. He served in the U.S. Army in World War II and later lived in Los Ange-
les before returning to Portland in 1962. He worked as a Local 1005 member at the
Freightliner truck manufacturing plant on Swan Island for 28 years.
SURVIVORS INCLUDE his wife, Marjorie, whom he married in 1952, two
daughters, Kim Peil and Lauren Fox; a son, Randy, a sister, Marci Juarez, six
grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Contributions can be sent to the Alzheimer’s Association. Affordable Funeral
Alternatives handled funeral arrangements.
★★★
DAVID WILLIAM OLNEY of Oregon City, a retired member of Operating
Engineers Local 701, died Feb. 22 at age 74. A memorial service for hin was held
March 1 at Grand View Baptist Church in Beavercreek.
He was born on Nov. 28, 1932 in Portland. His family later moved to Colton
where he grew up. He lived in Colton until moving to Oregon City last year. He
worked as a heavy equipment operator for about 30 years.
SURVIVORS INCLUDE his wife, Darl, whom he married in 1953; three
daughters, Theresa Olney, Julie Olney and Jenny Hopkins; five sons, Jeffrey, Mike,
Tony, Nick and Charlie; a sister, Mary Wheeler; 30 grandchildren and five great-
grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements were handled by Family Memorial.
MARCH 16, 2007
...9/11 rescuers suffering from ill health
9/11 illnesses. The Victims’ Com-
in nearby buildings where toxic de-
(From Page 10)
pensation Fund, open only to fami-
bris
and
gases
wafted
into
rooms
and
two young children. “They were no
lies who lost kin in the terrorist at-
heating,
ventilation
and
air
condi-
more than 8 years old, trying to
tacks, and which is now closed,
climb in the coffin to say goodbye to tioning systems.
should be reopened and extended to
The
federal
government’s
re-
Daddy,” Sferazo said, with tears in
the other victims, they added.
sponse
to
their
plight?
A
Bush
his eyes and a choked voice.
“Individuals who are now suffer-
budget
proposal
for
$25
million
this
Part of the rasp in Sferazo’s voice
ing from 9/11 health effects were re-
is from the ailments he contracted as year for follow-up study of the vic-
sponding to an act of war against
tims — just enough to keep two of
one of the thousands of workers
this nation. The government is re-
the
three
treatment
centers
for
them
from around the country who spent
sponsible for assisting them, but
operational.
The
money
would
go
to
months picking through and sorting
New York City cannot bear the re-
the city Fire Department, which lost
the debris of the Twin Towers,
sponsibility on its own, espe-
dubbed “The Pile.” Workers
loaded debris onto trucks and fer- ...victims of 9/11 want recognition cially for those who aided
New York in its time of need
ries and carted it off to the Staten
of their ills, especially by a but now live in other states,”
Island landfill without any pro-
government that told them it was declared Linda Gibbs, the
tection for their bodies — and es-
deputy mayor for
pecially their lungs. Now they’re
safe to work on ‘The Pile’ without city’s
health
and co-chair of its
paying the price.
breathing apparatus or masks. World Trade Center health
“I’m typical of the others who
panel, which produced last
stayed 29-32 days at the site. My
year’s report. The city wants
medical conditions are reactive
a
permanent
dedicated fund to help
343
union
firefighters
in
the
attacks,
airway disease, restrictive airway
pay the health care costs of the vic-
and to Mt. Sinai Hospital, which
disease, sinusitis, continual lung in-
tims.
treats other first responders — but
fections, post-traumatic stress disor-
Besides the money, the continu-
not
those
who
dug
into
“The
Pile”
der, anxiety, depression, sleep ap-
ing
victims of 9/11 want recognition
later,
nor
the
kids
nor
community
nea” and gastric diseases, the
residents. They’re treated at Bellevue of their ills, especially by a govern-
now-disabled Sferazo told a House
ment that told them it was safe to
Hospital, which gets none of the
Oversight and Government Opera-
work on “The Pile” without breath-
funds.
tions subcommittee.
ing apparatus or masks. That’s why
And
Bush
officials
told
lawmak-
City medical and civic officials
Sferazo, Bethea and the others hold
also testified that the Bush Adminis- ers they are concentrating on docu-
the Bush Administration responsible
menting
data
of
long-range
health
tration harmed clean-up workers
for their ills.
effects
of
9/11
so
future
claims
are
twice in the aftermath of 9/11: Once
“If I am to be the voice of the re-
legitimate
and
victims
who
become
by saying the air was safe to breathe
sponder,” the now-disabled Sferazo
ill in coming years will really have
at “Ground Zero” without masks
been sickened by the toxic gases and rasped, “then I am outraged by the
and then by short-changing pro-
lack of responsibility and loss of ob-
grams to deal with their health prob- particles.
ligation this Administration has to-
That’s
not
good
enough,
union
lems.
wards us. We are clearly being
members and other witnesses told
A study by the city released late
shown that we are expendable.
the
subcommittee.
The
city
report
last year said 681,000 people could
George Bush came to the Trade
estimates
that
between
$250
million
be affected. That includes workers
Center and told us ‘We will never
and
$393
million
will
be
needed
to
on “The Pile,” lower Manhattan resi-
forget.’…Well, we feel he forgot.”
treat all the victims of subsequent
dents, school children and workers
Workers want unions more than ever
By ROSS EISENBREY
Today, more than at any time in the
recent past, American workers want to
join unions and have unions represent
them in the workplace.
In 1984, about a third of nonunion
workers wanted a union to represent
them, while two-thirds said they
would definitely or probably vote
against forming a union.
As shown in the figure at right, by
2005, nearly the opposite was true: 53
percent of nonunion workers wanted a
union and only a little more than a
third said they would vote against a
union.
According to new survey research
by Richard Freeman of Harvard Uni-
versity that combines results from both
union and nonunion private sector
workers, “if workers were provided
the union representation they desired
in 2005, then the unionization rate
would be about 58 percent” almost
eight times higher than the actual rate
of 7.4 percent, and considerably higher
than the 44 percent found in polls from
the mid-1990s.
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
Nonunion worker likely vote in a union representation election, Hart polls, 1984-2004
70
65
60
55
Percent
Let me say this about that
or probably
Definitely or
Definitely
probably vote
vote
against forming a union
against
forming a union
50
45
40
35
Definitely or probably vote
Definitely or probably vote for
for forming
forming
a union
a union
30
25
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
Source:
Accociates, various
various
1984. year’s
Those
data
are TK. from Harris TK.
SOURCE: Hart
Hart Research
Research Associates,
polls, polls,
except except
1984. Those
data year’s
are from
Harris
These results track a significant im-
provement in the general public per-
ception of unions. While a majority of
the public has always approved of
unions and a minority disapproved, the
gap between approval and disapproval
grew from about 20 points in 1981 to
43 points in 2005, the largest gap be-
tween approval and disapproval of
unions ever recorded in the Gallup and
Hart Research polls.
Americans approve of unions and
want unions to represent them. Only
employer hostility and inadequate
laws keep employees from having the
union representation they want.
Further discussion of this topic can
be found in the briefing paper, “Do
Workers Still Want Unions? More
Than Ever,” at www.sharedprosper-
ity.org.
(Editor’s Note: Ross Eisenbrey is
vice president and policy director for
the Economic Policy Institute.)
PAGE 11