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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 2007)
Union-built gas-fired power plant goes online in Oregon (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) Established in 1900 at Portland, Oregon as a voice of the labor movement. 4275 NE Halsey St., P.O. Box 13150, Portland, Ore. 97213 Telephone: (503) 288-3311 E-mail: Michael492@comcast.net Editor: Michael Gutwig Staff: Don McIntosh, Cheri Rice Published on a semi-monthly basis on the first and third Fridays of each month by the Oregon Labor Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non- profit corporation owned by 20 unions and councils including the Oregon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 120 union organizations in Ore- gon and SW Washington. Subscriptions $13.75 per year for union members. Group rates available to trade union organizations. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT PORTLAND, OREGON. CHANGE OF ADDRESS NOTICE: Three weeks are required for a change of address. When ordering a change, please give your old and new addresses and the name and number of your local union. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS, P.O. BOX 13150-0150, PORTLAND, OR 97213 delivered it with industry-best safety practices,” King said. Mohlis pointed to the high levels of cooperation and camaraderie among the tradesmen and women, contractors and PGE. “From a union perspective, this was one of the most successful projects we’ve been a part of,” said Mohlis, who pointed to the workforce for the “skill, productivity and commitment to safety and quality” that they brought to the project. At the height of construction last summer, more than 400 workers were on site. “It was something like a mil- lion man-hours,” Mohlis said. The Port Westward project has been a shot in the arm to economic de- velopment in Columbia County, said Rita Bernhard, chair of the Columbia County Commission. “PGE’s operations at Port West- ward, including its Beaver Plant, have been a catalyst in attracting more eco- nomic development to our region,” Bernhard said. Eighteen full-time employees will operate the new facility. Thirteen are members of Electrical Workers Local 125. With a generating capacity of 400 megawatts, Port Westward produces enough electricity to power the homes of more than 300,000 PGE customers. The new plant will reduce PGE’s dependence on wholesale market elec- tricity purchases, said Peggy Fowler, PGE’s CEO and president. Construction unions seek level playing field on health care Portland City Council will discuss a union-backed proposal Wednesday, Aug. 8, that would level the playing field for union contractors competing for city-funded construction projects. Contractors that don’t provide full family health care for their employ- ees would have to pay an equivalent hourly amount into a city fund. The fund would go to the Mult- nomah County Health Department to provide health care access to the uninsured construction workers, and could attract federal matching funds. Right now, union contractors are at an economic disadvantage bidding for small city jobs, because they’re competing with contractors that pay little or nothing for health care. Last year, an informal union- conducted survey of employees of construction con- tractors doing business with the city found that only about a third had employer-provided individual health coverage, and less than 5 percent had em- ployer-provided coverage that included their fami- lies. Union contractors, on the other hand, provide full family health coverage to their employees, by making hourly contributions to joint labor-manage- ment health trusts. The proposed ordinance, termed “pay or play,” would turn the tables — contractors wouldn’t get a competitive advantage by leaving workers to pay for their own family health care. It got its start over a year ago, when at a North- west Oregon Labor Council breakfast, City Com- mission Sam Adams criticized Wal-Mart for not pro- viding adequate insurance to employees. Cherry Harris, stationary coordinator for Operating Engi- neers Local 701, figured that meant Adams would be on board to use city purchasing power to push con- tractors to provide health care. Harris and leaders of other building trades unions — Laborers, Carpen- ters, Iron Workers, and Electrical Workers — began meeting with staff in Adams’ office to come up with a way to do that. Originally, the group wanted to guarantee health coverage for all workers who worked on City proj- ects — by requiring contractors to “pre-qualify” by showing they provided health care. But City attor- neys said that would violate provisions of a state law that sets uniform standards for what can be consid- ered in public contracting. So they came up with the “pay or play” approach. “By going down this road, the city would be say- ing we want to do business with companies that are responsible,” Harris said. As of press time, the hearing on the proposal was scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8 at City Hall, but union leaders were pushing to have it changed to that evening to allow more union members to attend. The hearing would be the first step — followed by several public meetings on the subject, and then a vote on a city ordinance. Carpenters, Electricians, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofers, Asbestos Workers, Family, Mill Wrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers IBEW & United Workers Federal Credit Union would like to congratulate Laurie on her 30 years of service! L aurie has held many positions within the Credit Union starting as a Member Service Representative, and currently is one of our Loan Officers. Help us honor Laurie by visiting the Credit Union on August 6th and enjoy a piece of cake and a cup of punch and take the opportunity to wish her well. 9955 SE Washington St PO Box 16877 Portland, Oregon 97292 Visit us online at ibewuwfcu.com or call us at 800-356-6507 for more information Electricians, Carpenters, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofer, Asbestos Workers, Family, Mill Wrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers CLATSKANIE, Ore. — Portland General Electric’s new union-built nat- ural gas-fired power plant in Columbia County is now online and able to gen- erate enough energy to serve about 300,000 homes. Company officials, community leaders, construction contractors and union officials celebrated the comple- tion of the $285 million Port Westward Generating Plant July 19 with a dedi- cation ceremony. Port Westward is PGE’s first plant to be brought online in more than 10 years. Powered by a new breed of Mit- subishi G1-class combustion turbine, the combined-cycle, natural gas-fired plant is one of the most efficient gener- ators of its type in the United States, PGE officials said. Port Westward also has low levels of emissions for nitrous oxide and car- bon monoxide. Levels measured at the plant since it began operation are be- low the strict levels permitted by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. At the dedication ceremony, PGE thanked the construction union work- force for its efficiency. The all-union workforce worked under a national project labor agreement between gen- eral contractor Black & Veatch and the Columbia-Pacific Building Trades Council. Richard King, vice president of construction and labor relations for Black & Veatch, said the project was completed with an overall recordable injury rate of 0.68 and a days-away- from-work rate of 0.00. This compares with the industry average recordable injury rate of 6.3 and a days-away- from-work rate of 2.4. At the dedication ceremony, King singled out International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 48 and EC Company for outstanding craftsman ship and productivity; and John Mohlis and Wally Mehrens for out- standing leadership and labor manage- ment cooperation. Mohlis is executive secretary-treasurer of the building trades council; Mehrens retired from that post in December 2005. PGE broke ground on the Port Westward Generating Plant on Oct. 7, 2005. “We’re proud to have worked with PGE and with several key partners on this very important project and to have Electricians, Carpenters, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofer, Asbestos Workers, Family, Mill Wrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers Officials say Port Westward was a model for efficiency, low emissions and safe construction Glaziers, Carpenters, Laborers, Electricians, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofers, Asbestos Workers, Family, Mill Wrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers AUGUST 3, 2007 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 3
