In Oregon Legislature
Many labor-backed bills advancing
Remembering
workers killed
on the job
SALEM — Oregon Gov. Ted
Kulongoski (pictured above at
podium) urged citizens to contact
federal lawmakers and insist that
they strengthen — not weaken —
workplace safety rules in the
United States.
Kulongoski spoke to about 100
people gathered at the front steps
of the State Capitol April 27 to ob-
serve Workers Memorial Day. The
actual Workers Memorial Day —
April 28 — was established 18
years ago by the national AFL-CIO
to recognize the thousands of
workers who die on the job each.
Last year, 69 workers died on
the job in Oregon.
Kulongoski expressed outrage
at the Bush Administration and the
federal Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) for
“lowering it priorities” for protect-
ing workers.
According to a New York Times
report, OSHA under the Bush Ad-
ministration has issued the fewest
significant standards in its history
— and the only significant health
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standard it issued was ordered by a
federal court.
President Bush’s political ap-
pointees come from big business,
and since he took office OSHA has
eased regulations or weakened en-
forcement that it considers cum-
bersome or too costly for busi-
nesses and consumers.
“It’s absolutely outrageous,”
Kulongsoki said. “You need to tell
them (the White House, OSHA
and federal lawmakers) you won’t
tolerate it.”
Kulongoski said Congress
passed the OSHA Act in 1970 with
the intent of protecting workers.
He said in Oregon, workplace fa-
talities have declined 75 percent
since enactment of the Oregon
Safe Employment Act in 1973.
At the Salem memorial cere-
mony, Oregon-OSHA Administra-
tor Michael Wood read the names
of all 69 workers killed in Oregon
last year, as well as the names of
the 19 Oregon soldiers killed in the
Iraq war. As the names were read, a
bell tolled in the background.
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SALEM — The Oregon House of
Representatives passed three of the Ore-
gon AFL-CIO’s “top priority” bills last
month. The bills are designed to protect
the rights of working Oregonians to or-
ganize and collectively bargain without
interference by employers.
The Democratic-controlled House
passed House Bill 2893, dubbed the
Worker Freedom Act, by 31-27; HB
2891, the Majority Sign-Up for Public
Employees bill, on a vote of 34-24; and
HB 2892, the State Financial Account-
ability Act, by a party-line vote of 31-
29.
HB 2893 gives employees the free-
dom to walk away from anti-union, po-
litical and religious indoctrination meet-
ings without fear of being fired.
Employers can still hold meetings, ex-
press their beliefs and exercise free
speech; they simply can’t make the
meetings mandatory or take retaliatory
measures if an employee doesn’t want
to attend. Faith-based and political or-
ganizations are exempted under the bill.
HB 2891 allows public-sector work-
ers to decide for themselves whether to
use the already legal process of majority
sign-up, which allows workers to form
a union by demonstrating a clear ma-
jority of worker support through signa-
tures on cards or petitions. Currently,
the decision about whether to use such a
process is the choice of the employer.
Three Republicans joined all 31 De-
mocrats in supporting HB 2891. They
were Representatives Bill Garrard of
Klamath Falls, Fred Girod of Stayton,
and Greg Smith of Heppner.
HB 2892 ensures that taxpayer dol-
lars are used to pay for programs, in-
stead of paying high-dollar consultants
to deter union organizing campaigns.
The bills now go to the State Senate.
Still coming up in the House is
House Joint Memorial 7, a bill to sup-
port the national Employee Free Choice
Act. The Oregon AFL-CIO has made
its four-bill “Restoring the Freedom to
Organize” package a top priority for the
2007 legislative session.
Another bill supported by labor
would stop fraud and abuse of Oregon’s
initiative process.
HB 2082, which passed the House
last month, will require campaigns that
hire paid signature gatherers to keep ac-
curate and up-to-date payroll records,
and gives the secretary of state audit au-
thority to spot-check campaigns.
The measure also increases the num-
ber of signatures required to file a ballot
title from 25 to 1,000, which would stop
the current practice of campaigns mar-
keting their ideas on the taxpayer’s
dime. If the campaign goes forward
with the measure, the 1,000 signatures
would count for the final total.
Another labor-backed bill became
law last month when Gov. Ted Kulon-
goski signed SB 362 to expand the Ore-
gon Prescription Drug Program to in-
clude the private sector, labor unions
and all underinsured Oregonians who
lack full prescription drug coverage.
The program was created in 2003 to
help low-income uninsured Oregonians
over the age of 54 afford the high cost
of prescription drugs. Through the
power of bulk purchasing for prescrip-
tions and by pooling resources together,
the state is able to negotiate lower prices
for prescriptions than what individuals
and businesses normally can.
In November 2006 the program was
expanded under Ballot Measure 44 to
allow all Oregonians without prescrip-
tion drug coverage to access the pro-
gram. Since then, the number of Orego-
nians enrolled in the program has more
than tripled to nearly 16,000 members.
Kulongoski said Oregonians en-
rolled in the program save on average
$28 per prescription, and savings can be
as high as 60 percent over retail prices.
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