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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2007)
Awards banquet slated Friday, Sept. 28 in Vancouver VANCOUVER, Wash. — The 17th annual Labor Award Banquet will be held Friday, Sept. 28, at the Vancouver Hilton Hotel, 301 West 6th Street. The banquet is sponsored by the Labor Roundtable of Southwest Washington and features guest speakers, door prizes and awards to union leaders, locals and political and community allies. The cost of the dinner is $50 per per- son. A no-host bar opens at 6 p.m. with dinner served at 7 p.m. For more information, call Philip Parker at 360-687-5611. Ken Allen (center) executive director of AFSCME Oregon Council 75, appears at press conference supporting a bill to boost investment in health care and job training for war veterans. With him are Nathan Hepper (left), an Army veteran who served in Iraq, and Eugene Rosolie, president of Veterans in Action. Veterans and union urge Sen. Smith to back vets bill Swanson, Thomas &Coon ATTORNEYS AT LAW Since 1981 James Coon Jacqueline Jacobson Ray Thomas Kimberly Tucker Margaret Weddell Cynthia F. Newton Tip of the week: No lawyer should charge you a fee up front in a social security case. Attorney fees must be approved by the government, normally only if you win your case. We represent people on all types of injury and disease related claims. • Workers’ Compensation • Construction Injuries • Personal Injury/Product Liability • Death Claims • Asbestos/Mesothelioma • Social Security Disability We provide straight answers at no cost on any of the above areas of law. Ken Allen, executive director of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Oregon Council 75, spoke at the press confer- ence. He was there representing the Emergency Campaign for America’s Priorities, a coalition of labor organiza- tions and other human needs activists. “Whatever you think of the Iraq War, surely we can all agree that pro- viding our veterans with the services they need when they return home ought to be a priority,” Allen said. “And so we respectfully disagree with the president on this issue — and we hope Sen. Smith will, too.” Allen said AFSCME represents mental health workers throughout Ore- gon, and he hears from members “the need that exists for these brave veter- ans. “War is hell. And it’s difficult for any of us to imagine what veterans see and go through while they are overseas. “The problem is,” Allen continued, “it follows them when they return home. Too many service members are afflicted with post-traumatic stress dis- order or traumatic brain injuries — and they don’t even know it. We must not let our vets suffer in silence when they return home. Some in Congress oppose this bill, saying it costs too much. But we’re spending billions on the war in Iraq, so we must disagree when the president and others say we can’t afford to take care of our veterans when they return home.” K ramers/metro mailing service 3201 N.W. YEON PORTLAND, OREGON 97210 (503) 274-1638 FAX (503) 227-1245 THE ONLY UNION MAILER CALL US or VISIT OUR WEB SITE ( 503) 228-5222 Oregon veterans and their support- ers held a press conference in Portland last month to urge Oregon U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith to support a bill that would boost investment in health care and job training for veterans. A study released in early August showed Army suicides at a 26-year high. That report prompted Oregon vet- erans groups to call on Smith to vote for the Labor, Health & Human Services, Education appropriations bill, which funds critical suicide prevention pro- grams, as well as job training and homelessness prevention services. Among other highlights, the bill in- cludes $3.4 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Ad- ministration, $228 million for veterans’ employment and training programs, $23.6 million for the Homeless Veter- ans Program and $10 million ear- marked toward traumatic brain injuries. President Bush has threatened to veto the bill. “We left our families, friends and careers to serve our country — and we’d gladly do it again,” said Nathan Hepper, an Army vet who returned from Iraq in 2005 after serving as a squad leader in Operation Iraqi Free- dom. “All we ask is that Sen. Smith re- spect our sacrifice by investing in job training, health services and other needs we face when we return home from war. We need Sen. Smith to stand at our side and oppose President Bush’s threatened veto.” http://www.stc-law.com IN OREGON Visit our Web site at www.kramersmailing.com MEMBERS OF TEAMSTERS LOCAL 223 — Eric Brending, Owner — PAGE 8 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS SEPTEMBER 21, 2007
