Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2008)
...Gordon Smith votes ‘wrong’ on many unionization bills (From Page 1) Top Republicans voting in agree- ment with the AFL-CIO were Frank LoBiondo, Frank Pallone and Michael Ferguson, all of New Jersey, at 25-8, 24-9 and 23-9-1, respectively. Democratic presidential hopeful Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio came in at 23-4, with six absences, and Re- publican candidates Ron Paul of Texas and Duncan Hunter of California scored 4-23-6 and 3-27-3, respec- tively. (Editor’s Note: Officially, Rep. Pe- ter DeFazio has the best lifetime AFL- CIO COPE voting record in the Pacific Northwest at 94 percent (221-15). He is followed by Earl Blumenauer at 92 percent (110-10); David Wu at 90 per- cent (89-10); Brian Baird at 89 percent (85-11), and Darlene Hooley at 86 per- cent (100-16). Greg Walden leads Re- publicans from the Pacific Northwest at 20 percent (20-78). U.S. S ENATE Five Senate Democrats, including one presidential hopeful, scored 100 percent, as did one Independent law- maker. Sixteen other Democrats missed just one vote among the 34 se- b h m k lected by the AFL-CIO. In the Pacific Northwest, Democ- rats Ron Wyden of Oregon and Patty Murray of Washington led the way at 31-2 and 32-2 — or 94 percent, re- spectively. Washington Democrat Maria Cantwell scored 85 percent (28- 5-1), and Oregon Republican Gordon Smith tallied 51.5 percent (17-16-1). Smith is up for re-election this year. The top two GOP senators support- ing labor issues — Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine — each voted in agreement with the AFL-CIO on 22 of the 34 votes it tal- lied (65 percent). Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) was just behind with a 20-14 mark. It should be noted that many of Smith’s “wrong” votes dealt with col- lective bargaining rights for workers. The most egregious to labor was his opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act. Labor’s top priority legis- lation, the bill would have allowed for certification of a union when a major- ity of workers signed cards designat- ing the union as their bargaining rep- resentative (“card check”). The legislation passed overwhelm- ingly in the House, and it had enough votes to pass in the Senate, but a Re- Bennett Hartman Morris & Kaplan, llp Attorneys at Law Oregon’s Full Service Union Law Firm Representing Workers Since 1960 publican filibuster meant backers would need 60 votes to shut it down and move to a vote on the bill. Smith was among the Republicans voting against cloture. He also would have voted against the bill. Smith also voted against labor on several amendments giving airport screeners greater collective bargaining rights and whistleblower protections. In one key vote used in the interim scorecard, Smith and his fellow Re- publicans — under pressure from the Bush Administration — tried to kill a 9/11 Commission recommendation that simply restored the right of airport screeners to unionize. Republicans lost on a party-line vote in the Democ- ratically-controlled Senate. Smith again voted opposite labor on another Republican-led filibuster, this one blocking an increase in the federal minimum wage. The so-called “clean increase” again had enough votes to pass in the Senate, but it failed to get the 60 votes needed to end the filibuster. Wyden, Murray and Cantwell (along with 30 other Democrats) picked up “wrong” votes on a cloture vote on an immigration reform bill. The AFL-CIO opposed S. 1639 be- cause amendments had made it “too anti-worker.” A Republican-led fili- buster had the final bill bottled up on the Senate floor when a motion was made to invoke cloture (limit the de- bate). Thirty-three Democrats, includ- ing Wyden, Murray and Cantwell, voted “yes” to end the filibuster and vote on the final immigration reform bill. The vote failed, the filibuster continued and the bill was effectively killed for the session. Smith, Wyden and Cantwell also voted against the AFL-CIO’s position on an amendment to the immigration reform bill that eliminated a new Y- visa guest worker program. The AFL- CIO wanted the Y visa out of the bill because it opened the door for em- ployers to import up to 400,000 temp workers annually to perform perma- nent jobs throughout the United States. The amendment was rejected 31-64. Smith and Cantwell added to their “wrong” votes by voting against an- other amendment to the immigration bill, this one seeking a sunset of the temporary guest worker visa program after five years. That amendment was rejected 48-49. Front-runner presidential candi- dates Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), voted 23-1-10 and 27-1-6, respectively, with labor. They both missed a large num- ber of votes because they were out campaigning. The immigration cloture vote was their only blemish with the AFL-CIO. Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain of Arizona was 3- 14-17. All of McCain’s “right” votes had to do with the minimum wage hike. The lowest-scoring “Democrat” was Joseph Lieberman of Connecti- cut. He voted in agreement with the federation on 25 of the 34 votes. The lowest-scoring Republican was Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hamp- shire, who voted in agreement with the AFL-CIO on only three of the 34 votes. Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho was next, with four “right” votes. (Editor’s Note: Officially, Sen. Patty Murray has the best lifetime AFL-CIO COPE voting record in the Pacific Northwest at 89 percent (132-17). Maria Cantwell is next at 88 percent (73-10), followed by Ron Wyden at 87 percent (106-16) and Gordon Smith at 20 percent (23-90). Press Associates Inc. contributed to this report.) Minimum Hourly Wage Rates as of Jan. 1, 2008 Oregon’s minimum wage rate be- came $7.95 per hour on Jan. 1, 2008. This is the fourth-highest state mini- mum wage rate in the nation. The na- tional minimum wage rate rose to $5.85 per hour on July 24, 2007 and will rise to $6.55 per hour on July 24, 2008. S TATE R ATE Washington California Massachusetts Oregon Vermont Connecticut SERVING UNIONS FOR OVER 25 YEARS BEAVERTON, OR (503) 644-1400 VANCOUVER, WA FISHER’S LANDING (360) 891-1999 Sarah Barber, D.D.S Charles Stirewalt, D.D.S. Chau Ngo, D.D.S. HILLSBORO, OR ORENCO STATION (503) 640-9999 VANCOUVER, WA SALMON CREEK (360) 574-4574 MILWAUKIE, OR (503) 659-2525 Phong Bui, D.M.D. Charles Stirewalt, D.D.S. Chau Ngo, D.D.S. Stirewalt, P.C. PORTLAND, OR (503) 777-0761 SALEM, OR (503) 362-8359 Protecting Union Member Smiles and Wallets. QUALITY, AFFORDABLE FAMILY DENTAL CARE General, cosmetic, and specialty care Easy credit and low monthly payments, O.A.C. Evening and Saturday appointments Ask about our 111 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 1650 Portland, Oregon 97204 (503) 227-4600 www.bennetthartman.com Northwest Dental Associates, P.C. GRESHAM, OR (503) 492-8487 Most insurance and union plans accepted We Work Hard for Hard-Working People! WILSONVILLE, OR (503) 682-8552 GRANTS PASS, OR (541) 479-6696 Serious Injury and Death Cases • 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 $8.07 $8.00 $8.00 $7.95 $7.68 $7.65 Dental Discount Program ORTHODONTICS AVAILABLE! 100 $ OFF NON COVERED DENTAL SERVICES There may be future costs based on diagnosis. Limit one per person. Not valid on diagnostic or preventative services. Not redeemable for cash or credit. Must surrender at time of service. Valid for cash, PPO, Indemnity patients only. Can't be combined, subject to change, expires 12/31/2008. 1-888-BRIGHT NOW www.BRIGHTNOW.com Smiles for Everyone! Our Legal Staff are Proud Members of UFCW Local 555 PAGE 2 © 2007 Bright Now! Dental, Inc. NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS JANUARY 18, 2008
