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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 2007)
Firms whose employees use state benefits to be named Any person with a medical condition can have a service dog. You can train your own dog. It’s simple! Visit our website first at www.registeredservicedogs.com 360-581-4979 Hoquiam, WA (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 PAIN RELIEF for ... joint pain, neck/ back pain, chronic injury Physical Therapy 503-239-6199 407 NE 12th PDX Swanson, Thomas &Coon ATTORNEYS AT LAW Since 1981 James Coon Jacqueline Jacobson Ray Thomas Kimberly Tucker Margaret Weddell Cynthia F. Newton In honor of Labor Day, Swanson Thomas & Coon would like to thank all the hard-working men and women who make this country great and the labor organizations that bring them together to work for justice. We represent people on all types of injury and disease related claims. n Workers’ Compensation n Construction Injuries n Personal Injury/Product Liability n Death Claims n Asbestos/Mesothelioma n Social Security Disability We provide straight answers at no cost on any of the above areas of law. CALL US or VISIT OUR WEB SITE ( 503) 228-5222 http://www.stc-law.com insurance accepted Carpenters, Electricians, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofers, Asbestos Workers, Family, Mill Wrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers Electricians, Carpenters, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofer, Asbestos Workers, Family, Mill Wrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers Get your dog registered as a service dog ers take a look at whether taxpayers are subsiding large profitable employers by paying for benefits they aren’t provid- ing,” Rosenbaum told the Labor Press. In the end, DHS administrators de- cided to respond to the intent of the leg- islation. O’Sullivan cautioned that the data is self-reported and isn’t verified, and that it represents a snapshot in time based on the day the application was completed. Still, lawmakers will find it useful, said State Rep. Brad Witt, who is also a staff member at United Food and Com- mercial Workers Local 555. “Now the public will have an oppor- tunity to see which companies are shift- ing payroll costs to the taxpayers,” Witt said. In a letter to House Democrats, Rosenbaum called the DHS decision a victory for working families and re- sponsible employers. “I am sure some employers will be those we expect and others will be a surprise.” Let us help you with all of your back to school needs. We currently offer easy to access LINES OF CREDIT and a variety of VISA PRODUCTS to help you make the grade. Call or visit us online at 800-356-6507 or ibewuwfcu.com 9955 SE Washington St PO Box 16877 Portland, Oregon 97292 Www.ibewuwfcu.com Electricians, Carpenters, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofer, Asbestos Workers, Family, Mill Wrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers SALEM — The state agency that administers food stamps and Medicaid has agreed to give Oregon lawmakers what some have been seeking for four years: the names of employers whose workers are getting public assistance. In an Aug. 14 letter to State Rep. Di- ane Rosenbaum, Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) government re- lations director Patricia O’Sullivan promised a report in the fall of 2008. DHS already asks for the name of the employer, if any, on applications for food stamps and the Oregon Health Plan. But up to now, that information has stayed on the paper applications in DHS district offices. Starting this fall, DHS will add a field to its database sys- tem so that it can capture the informa- tion automatically. In other states where such informa- tion is publicly available, union activists have used it to publicly shame low- wage employers, and to argue for em- ployer health care mandates. Wal-Mart is the prototypical large employer whose workers frequently earn low enough wages that they can’t afford the company’s health plan and end up qual- ifying for taxpayer-funded benefits. Earlier this year when the Oregon Legislature was in session, Rosenbaum had pushed a bill dubbed “the Respon- sible Employer Act” that would have re- quired the information be made public; it passed the House, but failed to pass the Senate. Both chambers were con- trolled by Democrats this year for the first time since 1991. “Our intention was that elected lead- Glaziers, Carpenters, Laborers, Electricians, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofers, Asbestos Workers, Family, Mill Wrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers SEPTEMBER 7, 2007 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 3
