Independent school employees
union will vote on affiliation with
American Federation of Teachers
Members of the independent Ore-
gon School Employees Association
(OSEA) will vote sometime in the
near future whether or not to affiliate
with the American Federation of
Teachers, AFL-CIO.
Dick Schwarz, executive director of
AFT-Oregon, said delegates attending
OSEA’s 2007 Annual Conference in
June approved a resolution to put the
affiliation question to a vote of its
16,000 dues-paying members.
Schwarz made the announcement Aug.
10 at the quarterly Executive Board
meeting of the Oregon AFL-CIO.
Talks between the two organiza-
tions have been ongoing for several
years. OSEA’s Board of Directors ap-
pointed an Affiliation Investigation
Committee in 2005 to research the po-
tential advantages of affiliating with
the American Federation of Teachers,
a national union that represents classi-
fied, certified, higher education, health
care and public employees.
A final resolution recommending
affiliation was drafted and submitted
to this year’s OSEA’s Conference.
Delegates approved it 200-77.
Oregon School Employee Associa-
tion members are educational em-
ployees working in Oregon school dis-
tricts, community colleges, education
service districts, Head Start agencies,
libraries, and park and recreation dis-
tricts.
Approval by the membership
would be a boon for the Oregon AFL-
CIO because AFT requires all of its af-
filiates to pay per capita dues to state
bodies, while OSEA is not affiliated
with the AFL-CIO.
A date for a mail ballot vote has not
been set.
Look for the Union Label
this Labor Day weekend
Unions and union members should remind friends and neighbors about the
value union members add to America’s quality of life and urge them to “Buy
Union” during Union Label Week, Sept. 3-8.
Union Label Week, sponsored by the AFL-CIO Union Label and Service
Trades Department, spotlights union-made products and services and highlights
their quality. For more information, visit www.unionlabel.org .
Also, visit the Union Shop Online — the AFL-CIO’s online store for ac-
tivists — for Labor Day gifts and gear. The Web address is www.aflcio.org/shop.
And check out great discounts on union-made products available through Union
Privilege at www.unionpriv.org/union-made-savings.cfm .
Happy
Labor Day
A partnership
that’s stood the test of time.
from
For more than 60 years, Kaiser Permanente
Iron Workers Shopmen’s
Local No. 516
has partnered with our union members to
provide high quality health care. And for
more than 60 years, we’ve been one of the
PORTLAND, OREGON
Executive Committee Members
Alan Hoven, David Payne,
Cecil Pflegl,
Bill Snegirev, Rex Thornton
AUGUST 17, 2007
Trustees
Duane Blackmore
Jon Smitherman
Robin Wright
nation’s leading health care providers for union
members and their families. Relationships
don’t get much stronger than this.
©2006 Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest
Richard Padilla Jr. — President
Michael L. Hill — Vice President
Mike J. Lappier —Financial Sec-Treasurer/Business Manager
William L. Stinde — Recording Secretary
Andrew M. Gunter — Sergeant-At-Arms
Gordon W. Eckert — Conductor
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
PAGE 9