...Baird frowns on LNG terminals on Columbia River
(From Page 2)
its use would increase the cost of the
overall project by 25 percent.
The Bush Administration has inter-
preted the law in a “convoluted way,”
Baird said, that encourages the Fed-
eral Highway Administration to break
up projects into smaller “sub-con-
tracts” and then apply the 25 percent
rule to each sub-contract.
“Congress funds a project from
start to finish. That’s the project,”
Baird said. “It’s just common sense
that U.S. tax dollars should be spent
on U.S. goods used in U.S. infrastruc-
ture projects.”
He said the decline of the U.S. steel
industry also has important national
security implications.
“What would happen to our infra-
structure in the event of a deadly
earthquake?” he asked. “Rebuilding
efforts would be made that much more
difficult if there were no domestic
steel industry to rely on.”
Baird said he aggressively de-
fended the Davis-Bacon Act (the fed-
eral prevailing wage law) and union
workers when Republicans tried to
strip it from the Water Resource De-
velopment Act. The Water Resource
bill authorizes the secretary of the
Army to construct various projects for
improvements to rivers and harbors.
Baird said he also stood up to the
Bush Administration when it tried to
strip funding for Perkins Grant funds
earmarked for vocational education
training at high schools and commu-
nity colleges. “These funds are a great
help for blue-collar workers,” he said.
The House recently passed a bill
that Baird introduced that will bolster
math and science education by bring-
ing academia and industry together.
“This isn’t just for educating kids for
college,” Baird said. “There is lan-
guage in the bill that will help with
On second try, Oregon House passes
bill that adds safety to bargaining
SALEM — A bill to restore the
ability of firefighters, police and cor-
rections officers to discuss safety
equipment and staffing levels during
contract negotiations was resurrected
May 8 by Democrats who control the
Oregon House of Representatives.
Senate Bill 400-C, a top priority bill
of the Oregon AFL-CIO, passed 44-14.
A month ago the bill was defeated by a
single vote in the House. Then, only
one Republican voted in favor, and
only one Democrat voted against it.
In a parliamentary maneuver, De-
mocrat Jeff Barker, a retired police of-
ficer and police union official, changed
his “yes” vote to a “no” so that he
could bring the bill back for reconsid-
eration. Only those on the prevailing
side of a vote can request such action.
Prior to the House vote, SB 400
Q
passed in the Democratic-controlled
Senate 16-13. In that chamber, two De-
mocrats and an independent voting
with all the Republicans in opposition.
Because the bill was amended, it
now must go back to the Senate for
concurrence. Union officials expect it
to pass.
Previous to a change in the law in
1995 by a Republican-controlled Leg-
islature, employees were allowed to
negotiate on issues related to safety.
Police and fire bureaus and many
city and local municipalities opposed
SB 400, arguing that they can’t afford
to hire more manpower. The amended
bill says unions must show a “signifi-
cant impact” to safety in order to make
it a topic for bargaining. The defeated
version of the bill used the word “sub-
stantial impact.”
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vocational and technical education
that will increase job opportunities.”
Job opportunities was the issue
with building trades unions after Baird
announced his opposition to a pro-
posed liquid natural gas(LNG) termi-
nal at Bradwood Landing near Asto-
ria, Oregon.
Baird says the criticism is unwar-
ranted because no one from labor ever
contacted him to state their interest or
position in the project. He said he was
aware that construction unions sup-
ported the terminal after seeing John
Mohlis, executive secretary-treasurer
of the Columbia-Pacific Building
Trades Council, testify on behalf of
the Bradwood terminal at a public fo-
rum in Cathlamet, Wash.
Union officials say Baird didn’t
give them an opportunity to make
their case before announcing his op-
position.
Baird told the Labor Press he isn’t
opposed to liquid natural gas termi-
nals in general, but he’s unlikely to
support any terminals proposed along
the Columbia River. In addition to
Bradwood Landing, there are three
other LNG terminals proposed for the
lower Columbia River and another in
Coos Bay.
“Our nation needs liquid natural
gas and the terminals need to be built
and operated by union labor,” Baird
said. “But there are other issues to
consider.” He said river safety, private
property rights, and impacts on ship-
ping lanes and sports fishing due to
security measurers are important is-
sues that need to be addressed.
Temporary construction jobs are
important, he said. But the long-term
impact on people’s lives carries more
weight.
On the issue of health care reform,
Baird is a recent co-sponsor of the
Healthy Americans Act, a bill intro-
duced by Oregon Democratic U.S.
Sen. Ron Wyden. The bill — sup-
ported by the Service Employees In-
ternational Union and several corpora-
tions — would maintain the current
health care system, but would require
employers to pay for a portion of their
employees’ premiums.
In a press release, Wyden and
Baird said the reform package is cen-
tered on a market-based health care
system, universal coverage with indi-
vidual responsibility, financial assis-
tance for low-income individuals;
healthier behavior and incentives; and
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