Results from May 15
K
Labor chalks up some election victories
ramers/metro
mailing service
3201 N.W. YEON
PORTLAND, OREGON 97210
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— Eric Brending, Owner —
Not many Oregonians seemed to no-
tice the May 15 special election, and
voter turnout was low in most places.
However, politically-active unions were
paying attention to the ballot.
Labor prevailed on two out of the
four Portland City Charter changes that
were on the ballot.
For Portland City and Metropolitan
Employees Local 189, an affiliate of the
American Federation of State, County
Westmoreland's
Union Manor
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6404 SE 23rd Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97202
3530 SE 84th Avenue
Portland, OR 97266
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503•777•8101
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2020 NW Northrup
Portland, Oregon 97209
503•225•0677
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and Municipal Employees (AFSCME),
the priority was defeating the “strong
mayor” charter measure (Measure 26-
91), which would have centralized au-
thority over all city bureaus under the
mayor and an appointed executive. Vot-
ers rejected that measure by a more than
three-to-one margin.
The one Portland charter measure
that got union support passed 53 to 47
percent. That was Measure 26-92,
which gives Portland City Council the
authority to approve the budget of the
Portland Development Commission. Up
to now the PDC has had autonomy in
how to spend tax revenue on develop-
ment projects.
On two other measures, union oppo-
sition failed to sway voters. Opposing
Measure 26-89, which requires a citizen
charter review commission every 10
years, wasn’t a high priority for unions,
and it passed 3-to-1.
But Measure 26-90, a set of changes
to civil service rules, passed 54-46 per-
cent and could harm the interest of some
workers. Among other things, the char-
ter measure may open the door to
greatly increased use of temps by the
City. Under the previous charter, the
b h
m k
City was restricted to using temp work-
ers no more than 860 hours a year. Mea-
sure 26-90 removes that requirement.
Laborers Municipal Employees Local
483, which opposed Measure 26-90,
says there is no telling how many more
temps the city might now try to hire.
Several union members were elected
to local posts.
Mike Towner, a member of Fire
Fighters Local 1660, and Brian Wolfe,
a member of Fire Fighters Local 1159,
were elected to the Molalla Rural Fire
District board of directors. And Local
1660 shop steward Aaron Baker won
election as a director of the Woodburn
Fire District.
In Pendleton, two union members
defeated incumbents on the board of
Blue Mountain Community College.
Corrections officer Bryan Branstetter, a
member of AFSCME Local 3361 and
treasurer of the Eastern Oregon Labor
Council, won a majority in a three-per-
son race. And elementary school teacher
Tony Turner, a member of the Oregon
Education Association, won nearly two-
to-one.
In Tillamook County, AFSCME Lo-
cal 2734 helped pass a library levy.
Bennett Hartman
Morris & Kaplan, llp
Attorneys at Law
Oregon’s Full Service Union Law Firm
Representing Workers Since 1960
Serious Injury and Death Cases
• Construction Injuries
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• Bicycle and Motorcycle Accidents
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• Workers’ Compensation Injuries
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We Work Hard for Hard-Working People!
111 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 1650
Portland, Oregon 97204
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Our Legal Staff are Proud Members of UFCW Local 555
PAGE 2
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
JUNE 1, 2007