Oregon unions join in push for energy independence
Representatives of union, en-
vironmental, business and com-
munity groups launched a new
coalition May 15, known as the
Oregon Apollo Alliance for Good
Jobs and Energy Independence.
The group is one of 10 state
chapters of a national coalition
spearheaded by the Campaign for
America’s Future. The Oregon
branch is the product of several
years of local relationship-build-
ing. The group will promote en-
ergy efficiency, biofuels, solar en-
ergy, green building and
consumer and business incentives
to develop Oregon’s clean energy
economy.
The group is called the “Apollo”
Alliance to invoke America’s effort to
put a man on the moon; a similar na-
tional commitment today, the group
says, could create more than 3 million
new jobs developing and building new
energy technologies, and free America
from dependence from foreign oil.
As its first act, the Oregon Apollo
Alliance urged members of the Ore-
gon House of Representatives to pass
a bill, SB 838, which would require
that 25 percent of the state’s electricity
come from new renewable sources by
2025. The bill, introduced at the re-
quest of Gov. Ted Kulongoski, passed
the Oregon Senate April 10, and is
considered likely to pass the Oregon
House.
“This bill is a huge opportunity
for Oregon economic develop-
ment,” said Oregon AFL-CIO
Secretary-Treasurer Barbara
Byrd. “It could really re-energize
our manufacturing sector.”
Oregon Apollo also pushed for
passage of HB 2876, which
would require energy efficiency
retrofits for state buildings.
More information about the
Apollo Alliance is available on the
group’s Web site, www.apolloal-
liance.org.
Thus far, 17 organizations have
joined the Oregon Apollo Al-
liance: Oregon AFL-CIO; Oregon
State Building and Construction
Trades Council; AFSCME Local 3336
(representing employees of DEQ); In-
ternational Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers (IBEW) Local 280; Lane
County Central Labor Council; Amer-
ican Federation of Teachers–Oregon;
the Oregon Solar Energy Industry As-
sociation; Pacific Ethanol; Horizon
Wind Energy; McKinstry Company;
...Right-to-work group targets card check
MAY 18 2007
employees’ rights” and said SEIU had
been forced to “abandon the coercive
‘card check’ union organizing
process.”
The lesson for other unions, Long
says, is to know the law, and be aware
that anti-union groups are prepared to
get involved at any stage of a union
campaign.
sity National Policy Consensus Cen-
ter; and the Labor Education and Re-
search Center of the University of
Oregon.
Tel: 503-645-5400
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(From Page 1)
law card check union recognition.
With the support of the National
Right to Work Foundation, an SBM
employee who was not part of the bar-
gaining unit filed unfair labor practice
complaints with the NLRB against
SEIU and SBM.
Attorney Giles Gibson, who de-
fended Local 49 on the SBM-Siltronic
case, said he thinks the National Right
to Work Foundation is practically run-
ning counter-organizing drives at each
location where a card check campaign
is under way — soliciting employees
to repudiate cards and otherwise inter-
fering with the campaigns.
“It’s not surprising that since card
check has become more successful,
they’re looking for ways to shut them
down,” Long, the organizer, said.
In Local 49’s case, the NLRB
judged the union to be a repeat viola-
tor, because of an earlier dispute at
Kaiser Permanente, which has a na-
tionwide multi-union partnership
agreement. There, too, with the help
of the National Right-to-Work Foun-
dation, an employee at a Kaiser busi-
ness office objected when Kaiser rec-
ognized SEIU in October 2005
without going through an election.
In July 2006, Kaiser and Local 49
agreed to rescind union recognition at
the unit. There, at least, the union was
vindicated when a majority voted to
unionize in an NLRB-supervised
union election in late April.
In the SBM-Siltronic case, on the
other hand, the union and company
agreed April 20 to the settlement.
In an April 24 press release picked
up by the Oregonian the following
day, the National Right-to-Work
Foundation characterized the case as a
victory against a “rampant abuse of
EC Company; the Oregon Environ-
mental Council; the Oregon State
Public Interest Research Group; Port-
land Jobs with Justice; the Citizens
Utility Board; Portland State Univer-
Glaziers, Carpenters, Laborers, Electricians, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofers, Asbestos Workers, Family, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
PAGE 3