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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (April 20, 2007)
Over suspension of a shop steward AFSCME #189 suspends labor-management work with Portland mayor The City of Portland’s largest union temporarily suspended all labor-man- agement committee work with Mayor Tom Potter after the Portland Police Bureau placed an officer of AFSCME Local 189 on administrative leave for refusing to answer questions related to union business. The issue arose out of an Internal Affairs investigation in the Police Bu- reau. During that interrogation, desk clerk Angela Oswalt, a vice president and steward for Local 189, was threat- ened with discipline and termination if she didn’t answer questions related to confidential discussions she had with other union members. Local 189 represents civilian em- ployees at the Police Bureau. Last year, Oswalt accused former Police Chief Derrick Foxworth of abuse of power and sexual misconduct, which led to Foxworth’s demotion. Os- walt, who had an ongoing affair with the police chief, later filed a lawsuit against the bureau that is still pending. James Hester, a council representa- tive for AFSCME Oregon Council 75, said that two of the top brass at Internal Affairs are close friends of Foxworth. “I’ll let you draw your own conclu- sions on that,” Hester told the NW La- bor Press. But this isn’t about what happened between Foxworth and Oswalt. “This is an absolute deliberate attack to single out a steward and an officer of this union,” he said. AFSCME main- tains that Oswalt has no obligation to answer questions about the union’s in- ternal business or her private discus- sions with other union members. The union has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the City of Portland and the Police Bureau. According to Hester, Oswalt, the union steward, was sought out by a col- league for advice regarding a work-re- lated matter. Oswalt consulted with the union, and all agreed the employee should file a complaint with Internal Affairs. “The next thing you know, Angela is being called in by Internal Affairs” wanting to know about her conversa- tion with the co-worker and questions about her personal life, Hester said. “We told them that was privileged in- formation.” A second interview was held, at which time Oswalt answered the ques- tions about her personal life, but re- fused to talk about her union business despite threats of disciplinary action if she refused. The union filed the unfair labor practice complaint after that interview. It was shortly after the second inter- view when Oswalt received a hand-de- livered memo from Assistant Chief Lynnae Berg informing her that she was being investigated for three com- plaints of improper conduct. One of the complaints was for her conduct during the IA interview, another was about her handling of a citizen’s request for in- formation, and another involved union- related matters. At a third Internal Affairs interview on March 30, Hester said Oswalt an- swered all the questions except those involving union business. IA pressed for answers, so the union ended the conversation by leaving. Oswalt was put on paid administra- tive leave on April 2. “I am incredibly shocked by what they did,” Hester said. On April 5, the union sent a letter to Potter announcing suspension of all la- bor-management committees under Potter’s control. Those include the Po- lice Bureau, Office of Neighborhood Involvement, Office of Management & Finance, the Planning Bureau and the Revenue Bureau. The letter to Potter said that the key to the labor-management process was that elected union officers and other member leaders needed to be free from threats and intimidation. “We didn’t want to do this,” Hester said. “But their actions are totally un- acceptable. We can’t allow it to hap- pen.” AFSCME Local 350 member honored by Milwaukie for giving lifesaving CPR By DON LOVING Inherently, Juli Howard knew taking CPR classes was a good thing. “They offer them every year here at work, and I’ve taken the course three or four times,” said Howard, a member of the Ameri- can Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 350 in Clackamas County and president of the City of Mil- waukie sub-local. “But I don’t know that I ever thought I’d use the training, or if I’d even be brave enough to try.” She found out on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17). While setting up tables at a Parent-Teacher Organization-spon- sored bingo night at her children’s elementary school, another volunteer had a heart attack and collapsed. “I didn’t even think about it,” recalls Howard. “I didn’t have time to be afraid or sec- ond guess. I just ran to her aid. I checked for her pulse and she didn’t have one, so I started CPR. Another volunteer kneeled down beside me to help. He gave the woman the rescue breaths while I continued the chest compressions until an EMT arrived.” Later that night the woman’s heart was beat- ing on its own, but she was put on a breathing respirator and remained on the machine for two days. She is still recovering, but should be fine. “The emergency personnel said that if it had- n’t been for the CPR that we performed, the woman’s family would be making funeral PAGE 12 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS JULI HOWARD arrangements,” said Howard, an administrative specialist for the city. “That’s a day that I will never forget, and it certainly proved a point. Anyone who has the opportunity to take a CPR class should do so, because you never know whose mother, daughter, wife, husband, father, sister or brother you could be saving. The City of Milwaukie offers CPR classes to all employ- ees that wish to take the class. I wasn’t able to take the class this past year, but have taken it every year previously and the training definitely paid off.” Howard was honored April 3 at the Mil- waukie City Council meeting. Though a little embarrassed by the publicity, Howard says it’s well worth it if it inspires others to take CPR classes. (Don Loving is the director of communica- tions for Oregon AFSCME Council 75.) APRIL 20. 2007
