Two central labor councils east of Cascade Range merge
PENDLETON — The Pendleton-
based Umatilla-Morrow Central Labor
Council and the Eastern Oregon Cen-
tral Labor Council based in La Grande
merged March 6 to form a new entity
now known as the Eastern Oregon La-
bor Council (EOLC).
A labor council is an umbrella or-
ganization of union locals in a specific
area of the state. Each labor council is
affiliated with the state body of the
AFL-CIO and labor council charters
are issued by the national AFL-CIO.
In 2005, seven national unions
withdrew from the AFL-CIO to form a
new Change to Win labor federation.
That departure left a huge financial
void in state and local organizations.
National leaders later created Solidar-
ity Charters as a way to keep state and
local labor movements together.
Still, the withdrawal of several affil-
iates was a factor in the decision to
merge the two councils.
EOLC represents just over 1,000
members from a dozen affiliated lo-
cals, including two locals from
Change to Win — United Food and
Commercial Workers Local 555 and
the Laborers Union.
Becky Marks, who was president of
Labor groups back
anti-war rally in
Portland March 18
Several labor organizations have
endorsed a major anti-war march to be
held on the eve of the fourth anniver-
sary of the Iraq War.
The event, which will take place
Sunday, March 18 from noon to 5
p.m., will include a march, rally and a
tent for children to make art for peace.
At the request of city officials con-
cerned about the size of the crowd, or-
ganizers have moved the event from
Pioneer Courthouse Square to the
South Park Blocks at Southwest Madi-
son and Park.
Organizers expect between 10,000
and 20,000 people to attend.
The march portion of the event will
begin at 1:30. The event has the back-
ing of the Oregon AFL-CIO, Portland
State and Portland Community Col-
lege locals of the American Federation
of Teachers, Service Employees Local
49 and Portland Jobs with Justice. For
more information, visit www.pdx-
peace.org or call 503-230-9427.
the Umatilla-Morrow Central Labor
Council, was chosen as president of
the new group. Marks is a retired
Umatilla County mental health case
worker and member of the American
Federation of State, County and Mu-
nicipal Employees Oregon Council 75
Retirees Chapter. Like its predecessor
organizations, EOLC has no paid staff.
Marks said in her part of the state,
unions stick together. She said the lo-
cal affiliate of the independent Oregon
Education Association often attends
labor council meetings.
The new organization will be re-
sponsible for fostering labor unity and
coordinated action in a politically con-
servative and sparsely populated geo-
graphic jurisdiction that comprises al-
most half the state. The council’s
jurisdiction includes Umatilla, Mor-
row, Baker, Grant, Malheur, Union
and Wallowa counties. Pendleton, pop-
ulation 16,354, is the region’s largest
city.
Eastern Oregon is in Oregon’s Sec-
ond Congressional District, which
elects the state’s only Republican con-
gressman, Greg Walden. Marks said
labor worked with Walden once to
keep a Pendleton Post Office from
moving to the Tri-Cities area of Wash-
ington. But other than that, she said,
their relationship has been non-exis-
tent. As tallied by the national AFL-
CIO, Walden has a 19 percent favor-
able voting record. On March 1, he
voted against the Employee Free
Choice Act, the labor law reform that
is the union movement’s top priority in
Congress.
Labor does have cordial relations
with plenty of local officials, however,
Marks said. In a region that elects Re-
publicans, labor gets behind the most
labor-friendly. EOLC hopes to get pro-
labor members elected to the board of
Blue Mountain Community College,
and will be supporting plans to bring
new living wage jobs to the area.
In the small towns that make up
Eastern Oregon, Marks said, being
able to belong to a labor community
means a lot. And support from union
members from the Western half of the
state can make a big impression. When
a bus-full of union members came to
support a picket by Pendleton fire-
fighters in April 2006, it was one of
the biggest events in town, Marks said.
EOLC will meet 6:30 p.m. the first
Tuesday of each month at the AF-
SCME office, 308 SW Dorion Ave.,
Pendleton.
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NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
PAGE 9