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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 4, 2008)
...Year of China 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 Union members rallied Dec. 5 outside a Southeast Portland WalMart to call attention to the company’s preference for Chinese-made goods. Protesters handed out a flier to shoppers citing a 2004 article in China Business Weekly reporting 70 percent of WalMart’s products come from China. At the very least, that gives Faded Glory, the flag-themed WalMart house brand, a whole new meaning. Pictured, from left to right, are: Lucy Hamill of UFCW Local 555, Tim Carrier and John Kirkpatrick of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 5, and Al Panek, labor liaison to Oregon U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden. Carpenters, Electricians, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofers, Asbestos Workers, Family, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers Electricians, Carpenters, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofer, Asbestos Workers, Family, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) 120 production workers, just 48 hourly jobs will remain — shipping, receiv- ing, packaging and assembling of parts made elsewhere. Meanwhile, the laidoff workers qualify for a package of retraining and extended unemployment benefits, courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer. Rivenes is optimistic about his fu- ture. He starts classes Jan. 7 at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, and hopes to work in human resources. Still, he liked his job at Williams. “It was a good place to work for a long time,” Rivenes said. “It was sad to give it up.” If you have an adjustable rate mortgage and are concerned about increased mortgage payments your Credit Union can help. The Credit Union has several programs available offering fixed rates and flexible terms to help our members who currently have variable rate loans or interest only payments. Contact our loan department today to find out how we can help you. PO Box 16877 9955 SE Washington St Portland, Oregon 97292 www.ibewuwfcu.com 800-356-6507 or 503-253-8193 ext 340 Electricians, Carpenters, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofer, Asbestos Workers, Family, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers (From Page 1) mostly finished products, consumer goods like apparel, footwear and tires. Ships leaving Portland for China car- ried $294 million worth of goods, con- sisted overwhelmingly of raw materi- als like wheat, fertilizer, scrap metal and soda ash (used to make glass.) Again, for the most part, American companies are selling raw materials and the machines to turn them into fin- ished products to Chinese contractors, and Chinese contractors are selling finished products to American compa- nies. Everything is being made in China, from the crucifixes in New York City cathedrals to the cowboy boots in Texas boot stores to scenery- filled 2008 Oregon calendars. That’s a real problem for many American workers, like Michael Rivenes, who until Sept. 4 was a skilled machinist at Williams Controls in Tigard, Oregon, and chairperson of his United Auto Workers bargaining unit. Rivenes spent 28 years at Williams, and in recent years operated a comput- erized milling and lathing machine. Rivenes and his co-workers made throttle controls for trucks. He earned a base salary of $38,500, not counting overtime and bonuses. The company also paid for health insurance for his family, and a pension benefit. But in 2006, Williams announced it would shift production to China, and terminate most of its Tigard factory workers over a period of 18 months. “When you’re a worker and your CEO starts to talk about ‘strategic re- alignment of operations’ you’d better cut up your credit cards and start stocking up on canned goods,” Rivenes told the NW Labor Press. Rivenes was in the last group to go. In effect, his pink slip had a “Made in China” sticker on it. “I’m worried about America,” says Barker, the state representative. “Everything is going offshore, and that’s not good for American workers.” At the Williams Controls plant in Tigard, which two years ago employed Glaziers, Carpenters, Laborers, Electricians, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofers, Asbestos Workers, Family, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers JANUARY 4, 2008 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 3
