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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 2, 2007)
Powell’s Books workers get closer to living wage Let me say this about that —By Gene Klare Three unionists die CY JARVIS of Sherwood, a member of the International Brotherhood of Elec- trical Workers and a retired labor relations and public affairs representative for Portland General Electric Co., died on Oct. 13 at age 89. Cyril R. Jarvis was born March 13, 1918, in Salem. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard in World War II. He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 125, worked for PGE as an electrician and a lineman and was a business agent for the union. He later had a long career representing PGE. He lived in Salem most of the time and was active in the Democratic Party. He married Ida M. Buse in 1944; she died in 2006. SURVIVORS INCLUDE his daughters, Nancy Allison and Kris Maneely; a son, Joe; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. His funeral was held Oct. 19 at St. Francis Catholic Church in Sherwood. Memorial contributions can be made to the American Diabetes Association. Fu- neral arrangements were handled by Alternative Burial and Cremation. ★★★ CELIA M. BROUNSTEIN of Portland, a retired administrative assistant for Labor’s Community Service Agency, AFL-CIO, died Oct. 18 at age 93. She was a retired member of Office and Professional Employees Local 11. Celia Minsky was born on Nov. 7, 1913 in Portland and grew up in Spokane. She returned to Portland in the mid-1930s and graduated from Northwestern Busi- ness College. She worked at United Good Neighbors before joining the Labor’s Community Service staff when the agency was set up by John Wilson in the 1960s. Her husband, Bernard C. Brounstein, whom she married in 1939, died in 1975. SURVIVORS INCLUDE a daughter, Carol J. Buckle; two sons, Gary W. and Dale A.; a sister, Leah Harden; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Her funeral was held Oct. 21 at Weinstein Chapel of Neveh Zedek-Rose City Lodge Cemetery with arrangements by Holman. Remembrances can be sent to the Congregation Neveh Shalom, where she was a member for six decades. ★★★ DAVID WILLIAM WATSON, a retired Committee on Political Education (COPE) regional director of the AFL-CIO who spent a lot of time in Oregon, died Oct. 21 following a valiant struggle against cancer. He was 59. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Patrick’s Church in Honolulu, HI on Nov. 2. A native of Hawaii, Watson was hired by the AFL-CIO in August of 1988. As COPE director he was in charge of running political programs in Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii and Idaho. Prior to that he was the COPE director for the Hawaii AFL-CIO and before that he ran political campaigns for the late U.S. Sen. Spark Masayuki Matsunaga. Watson’s first union was the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. As a COPE staffer, he was a member of The Newspaper Guild/Commu- nications Workers of America. Over the years at the AFL-CIO he also DAVE WATSON worked as a national field rep in Illinois and California. He retired at the end of 2005. Watson was born in Honolulu on June 10, 1948. He graduated from the Uni- versity of Hawaii with a degree in political science. He married is wife, Patricia, on Dec. 18, 1971. They were married at St. Patrick’s Church. Watson is survived by Patricia; son, Craig; and brothers, Roland and Isaac. Burial will be in St. Patrick’s Cemetery. Arrangements were by Diamond Head Mortuary. Memorial contributions in David’s honor can be made to either the American Cancer Society and/or the American Diabetes Association. PAGE 2 Madelyn Elder named to CWA Executive Board Madelyn Elder has been named to the Executive Board of the Com- munications Workers of America. Elder is president of Portland Local 7901, a post she has held since 2000. She served as secretary-treasurer of the local from 1994-99. The local represents more than 1,500 workers primarily in communications. Eld- er is one of 23 board members set- ting policy and directing programs for the national union, which rep- resents 700,000 members in tele- communications, media, the public sector, health care, education, manufacturing and airlines across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Elder and three other new CWA Executive Board mem- bers were sworn in Oct. 17. Their positions, approved by delegates to the union’s annual convention in July, were created to increase div- ersity in CWA’s leadership by bringing local officers and activists on board. It looks like “third time’s a charm” at Portland-based Powell’s Books, the only large bookstore in the United States that is unionized. Powell’s workers joined the Interna- tional Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) in 1999, but it took several short strikes in 2000 and 2004 to get an acceptable first and second contract. The third time around, union and man- agement struck a deal, in three months of bargaining, that makes noticeable progress toward the workers’ original goal in unionizing — to secure a living wage in an industry that serves up plenty of jobs but few careers. Members approved the contract by a wide margin in mail-in ballots counted Oct. 27. Over the four-year contract, wages for the store’s 400 union em- ployees will rise 3.5 to 8 percent a year, with lower-paid workers getting the biggest raises, and the average worker getting 4.5 percent a year. By compari- son, annual raises were 6 percent in the first contract and 2 percent in the sec- ond contract. At the end of the previous contract, workers averaged $12.59 an hour. b h m k “This is how contract negotiations are supposed to go,” said Local 5 Pres- ident Ryan Takas. “Two sides come to- gether and reach an agreement that moves workers’wages and benefits for- ward, towards a living wage, and allows the company to remain profitable.” Several items are somewhat unusual in the contract, including a one-third TriMet bus pass subsidy for employees who use the bus; $80 a year toward bike tuneups for employees who bike to work; and $400 a month toward day- care for employees with children. The company will continue to pay most of the cost of health insurance; employees currently pay 16 percent ($58 a month) toward the premium, or $135 for family coverage. The em- ployee contribution will rise to 20 per- cent over the life of the agreement. To celebrate the new contract, em- ployees will take part in a “Buy Union” rally Nov. 2 at 5:30 p.m. outside Pow- ell’s Technical Books, 33 NW Park Ave. Local 5 is calling on union members and the public to support their employer by shopping at Powell’s stores or its Web site, www.powells.com. Bennett Hartman Morris & Kaplan, llp Attorneys at Law Oregon’s Full Service Union Law Firm Representing Workers Since 1960 Serious Injury and Death Cases UNION ORGANIZER SEEKING WORK Union organizer based in Willamette Valley seeking employ- ment in union member training and development, long-term strategic goal setting, community outreach or related union work. Used to long hours on a high-accountability team. Call 503-838-6676 or write PO Box 2766, Salem,OR. 97308. Resume and references available. NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS • Construction Injuries • Automobile Accidents • Medical, Dental, and Legal Malpractice • Bicycle and Motorcycle Accidents • Pedestrian Accidents • Premises Liability (injuries on premises) • Workers’ Compensation Injuries • Social Security Claims We Work Hard for Hard-Working People! 111 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 1650 Portland, Oregon 97204 (503) 227-4600 www.bennetthartman.com Our Legal Staff are Proud Members of UFCW Local 555 NOVEMBER 2, 2007
