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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 2007)
REVERSE MORTGAGES For Homeowners 62 and Older Get The Financial Independence and Security You Deserve • Supplement Your Retirement Income. • No Monthly Payments. • You Maintain Ownership and Title. T URN Y OUR H OME E QUITY I NTO C ASH , L INE OF C REDIT , M ONTHLY I NCOME OR A C OMBINATION OF P LANS . Talk with Lynn or Julie, the Reverse Mortgage Specialists at: Delegates from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — the largest delegation at the 50th convention of the Oregon AFL-CIO — did not return from a caucus when Gov. Ted Kulongoski spoke on opening day Oct. 8. AFSCME was upset with the governor after he gave across-the-board wage increases averaging 18 percent to every manager, while rank-and-file members were in the process of voting a contract that gave them 6 percent raises over two years. “We signed off on a deal that the state said was the absolute maximum it could afford,” said Ken Allen, executive director of Oregon AFSCME Council 75. “To turn around and do this, it’s a slap in the face.” Allen told delegates that the wage increases for managers will cost the state $34 million that isn’t budgeted. “It will come out of our agencies’ hides,” he said. “If agencies run out of money, it will be the rank-and-file who will be laid off, not the managers.” On Oct. 4, members of AFSCME Local 3336 at the Department of Environmental Quality rejected the tentative contract. 360-694-7272 or 1-866-684-7272 Lynn Russell 205 East 11th Street, Suite 104, Vancouver, Washington +++ Resolutions Committee Delegates voted to support each of the following resolu- tions: • Central Labor Council General Fund: Establishes a fund dedicated to central labor councils. • In Support of Sustainability in Education Construc- tion: Pursue legislation to require that all publicly-funded construction and renovation meet LEED Silver standards. Scheduling Oregon AFL-CIO Conventions: Consider including weekends when scheduling conventions. • For Progressive Solutions to the Health Care Crisis: Affirmed its support for national health care reform that would provide universal coverage, endorsed HR 676 (a bill • In America, No One Should Go Without Health Care: Commit to campaign and mobilize members to win universal health care for all Americans. Immigration reform sparks most debate OCTOBER 19, 2007 • Support of the Bradwood Landing Liquefied Nat- ural Gas Terminal: Lobby the governor, Legislature and Congress to support the permitting and construction of an LNG terminal at Bradwood Landing in Clatsop County. • Support Feedlot Workers: Help get settlement and signed contract between Beef Northwest in Boardman and the United Farm Workers. SEASIDE — There was surpris- ingly little floor debate on most of the 36 resolutions that delegates considered over three days at the 50th convention of the Oregon AFL-CIO. The exceptions were immigration re- form and drug testing. The lengthiest discussion occurred when members of the Law and Legis- lation Committee recommended non- concurrence on Resolution No. 8 — “Undocumented Workers.” Submitted by the Oregon Machinists Council, the resolution called for secur- ing U.S. borders to stop the inflow of il- legal immigrants and for the AFL-CIO to oppose any attempts by Congress to weaken U.S. immigration laws or grant amnesty to undocumented workers. “This is not anti-immigration, it’s anti-illegal immigration. That’s the bot- in Congress that would institute a single-payer health care system in the U.S. by expanding the Medicare system to every resident). tom line,” said Bob Frazier, a delegate from Woodworkers Local 246, speak- ing in favor of the resolution. Jamie Partridge, a delegate from the National Association of Letter Carriers, speaking in support of non-concurrence, said the meat of the resolution runs counter to the policy of the national AFL-CIO. “The immigration policy is broken,” Partridge said. “But it’s work- ers who get hurt. It doesn’t hurt em- ployers.” In the end, delegates voted 125-57 for non-concurrence, thus killing the resolution. Resolution 18 (see Law and Legis- lation Committee report), calling for comprehensive immigration reform, also was discussed at length before passing 110-68. A resolution to protect workers who are taking legally-prescribed medica- tions (including medical marijuana) from employer-imposed discipline was referred back to the Executive Board. Mike Sullivan of the Steelworkers Union said workers who are not im- paired but are taking legally-prescribed medications are being punished by em- ployers. Building trades unions opposed the resolution. “If you drop a tool from the fourth floor of a building, the person at the bottom doesn’t care if it’s dropped by someone impaired by legal or illegal drugs,” said Keith Wright, business manager of Bricklayers Local 1. A resolution to stop a potential merger by an independent union in the construction industry with the United Steelworkers was determined to be a ju- risdictional dispute and withdrawn. NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 5
