Circuit City lands on Oregon AFL-CIO’s Do Not Patronize List
SALEM — The Oregon AFL-CIO
has added Circuit City to its Unfair/Do
Note Patronize List.
The action was taken Aug. 10 at the
quarterly meeting of the state labor fed-
eration’s Executive Board. The request
to cite Circuit City came from the
Southwestern Oregon Central Labor
Council in North Bend.
As reported in the NW Labor Press,
in March Circuit City fired 3,400 “as-
sociates” and offered to rehire them at a
lower wage. The company said it was
eliminating jobs that paid “well above”
market rates.
Circuit City, based in Richmond,
Virginia, pays about $10 to $11 an hour,
on average. Entry-level pay is around
ENJO Y
LABOR D A Y
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$8 an hour.
In response, Southwestern Oregon
CLC President Robert Westerman sent
a letter to Circuit City CEO Philip
Schoonover (who was paid $8.52 mil-
lion in fiscal 2006), informing him of
the council’s action to place the com-
pany on its Unfair List and offering to
meet with him or a representative of the
store.
Via letter, Circuit City Senior Vice
President Eric A. Jones Jr. told Wester-
man, “Our goal is to do what is in the
best interest of our entire workforce.
Encouraging consumers not to patron-
ize our locations is directly contrary to
their livelihoods. This fact is so plainly
obvious it does not warrant any further
discussion or meeting.”
Jones asked the council to reconsider
its action as it “is directly contrary to the
interest of those you presumably seek
503-222-9603
Serving America’s Taft-Hartley
Trust Funds SINCE 1951
Theresa Gardner
Tom Royalty
Linda Sherburn
Scott Strauss
Patrick Pine
Sheryl Erickson
Members of the International Long-
shore and Warehouse Union Local 8
continue holding informational picket-
ing at Ash Grove Cement on Swan Is-
land in Portland, protesting the com-
pany’s use of foreign workers to unload
cement from foreign-flagged ships.
“Ash Grove continues to undermine
good local jobs by not paying area stan-
dard wages,” said Local 8 President Jeff
Smith. “They are also using foreign
workers on the ship to do American
jobs. This is bad news for our local
economy. This company needs to start
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PAGE 8
• Wal-Mart (statewide)
• Shilo Inns (statewide)
• Plympton & Associates
• Fog Cutter Capital Group and
Granite Investments
(nationwide)
Longshore Union continues
picketing Ash Grove Cement
541 NE 20th Ave. Suite 108, Portland, Oregon
1-800-5McMORGAN
www.mcmorgan.com
to serve.”
Jones further asked the council to
“promote the people” of Circuit City
because “they look forward to seeing as
many potential customers as possible
— not less.”
Executive Board members of the
Oregon AFL-CIO were convinced.
They voted unanimously to add Circuit
City to the Unfair/Do Not Patronize List
and to forward the request to the na-
tional AFL-CIO to take the same action.
Circuit City joins the following busi-
nesses on the Oregon Unfair/Do Not
Patronize List:
Los Angeles • C h i c a g o
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
playing by the rules.”
Ash Grove operates a lime plant in
Rivergate that uses union longshore
workers and a plant in Durkee, Oregon
is represented by the Machinists Union.
Local 8 has been holding informa-
tion picketing almost daily from 6 a.m.
to 6 p.m. at the Swan Island plant lo-
cated at 4000 North Port Center Way.
(Turn left at the stoplight where Mc-
Donald’s is on N. Going St.)
Smith said the union and the pick-
eters could use some help and has asked
for union members to join the line.
For more information, call Local 8
Secretary-Treasurer Karl Lunde at 503-
224-9310.
ILWU will showcase
skills Aug. 25 at
Seaport Celebration
The International Longshore and
Warehouse Union Local 8 is inviting
all union members and their families
to attend the Seaport Celebration at
Terminal 6, Saturday, Aug. 25, spon-
sored by the Port of Portland.
The free event will feature a barbe-
cue lunch cooked by Local 8 President
Jeff Smith, performances by Captain
Bogg & Salty Pirate Band, equipment
demonstrations by members of the
Longshore Union, children’s activities,
prizes and tours of Terminal 6 with
views of the large container cranes.
“This year we will again be co-
hosting an event for the public to see
what goes on at Portland’s largest ma-
rine terminal,” Smith said.
Seaport Celebration starts at 10
a.m. and will go until 3 p.m.
Terminal 6 is located at 7201 N.
Marine Drive, Portland. Adults will
have to show a photo ID to attend. A
head count is needed, so RSVP by
calling 503-944-7010.
AUGUST 17, 2007