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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (May 2, 2008)
City of Portland workers may help elect their own bosses ers — is applauded by Local 483, and it was with Adams’ backing that the local won health insurance benefits for seasonal maintenance workers — maybe the first group of seasonal workers in the country to get such benefits. But Adams has also been the target of several union complaints about contracting out bargaining unit work, including some meter repair work that the union says is supposed to be per- formed by city parking meter techni- cians. Consequently the Local 483 Executive Board split on whether to endorse him. For City Council Position 1, Local 483 is backing Fritz, a member of the Oregon Nurses Association, partly on the strength of her 2006 run against Saltzman. Fritz failed to unseat Saltz- man, but Beetle credits her for the ap- pointment of a labor voice to the Port- land Development Commission (PDC). After Fritz made that and other pro-union positions centerpieces of her 2006 campaign, Columbia-Pa- cific Building and Construction Trades Council Executive Secretary- Treasurer John Mohlis got appointed to the PDC, which had a long history of antagonism with local unions. With so many candidates running, odds are slim that any will get more than 50 percent, so the top two vote- getters will likely face off in the No- vember election. While AFSCME made no endorsement in the Position 1 race, Hester said it might come back to make an endorsement in the MAY 2, 2008 general election. For Position 2, Fish got the two unions’ backing because of his under- standing of union issues. Fish has spent much of his career as a labor lawyer representing workers in civil rights cases. He once successfully rep- resented an AFSCME member at Multnomah County in an arbitration. He’s run twice before for City Coun- cil, and had many union endorsements in 2004 when he lost to Adams. A number of other unions have also weighed in on city races this year. In the mayor’s race, Adams is also endorsed by Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7901, the District Council of Labor- ers, National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 82, Portland Association of Teachers, Service Em- ployees Local 49, and the Northwest Oregon Labor Council (NOLC). And Adams, who has been a vocal oppo- nent of a proposed Wal-Mart, has the endorsement of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, the union most engaged in fighting the anti-union retailer. Dozono, his opponent, has criti- cized Adams’ stance toward Wal- Mart, saying it sends a bad message to the business community. Dozono has the support of Carpen- ters Local 247 and 1388; Joe Baron, chair of the Metro-wide Endorsement Committee of the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, said the union was looking for a business- former financial secretary-treasurer of the Portland Metal Trades Council and a member of Pile Drivers, Divers and Shipwrights Local 2416. For Position 2, Fish also has the support of NOLC, UFCW Local 555, IBEW Local 48, the Carpenters Coun- cil, the Teamsters Council, and the Portland Association of Teachers. Middaugh is backed by CWA Lo- cal 7901. man who will manage city finances better. In the race for City Council Posi- tion 1, Amanda Fritz is also endorsed by CWA Local 7901, NALC Branch 82, the Oregon Nurses Association, and Portland Association of Teachers. Former union leader Mike Fahey is backed by the NOLC, Teamsters Joint Council No. 37, UFCW Local 555, the Portland Association of Teachers, and the Carpenters Council. Fahey is a Labor's Candidate in HD45 A clear record of leadership, commitment, and union values. MICHAEL DEMBROW IS ENDORSED BY: NW Oregon Labor Council Oregon AFL-CIO AFT-Oregon Oregon Education Association • Oregon State Fire Fighters Council • • • • • • • • Oregon Nurses Association Oregon AFSCME Council 75 SEIU Locals 503 & 49 United Food & Commercial Workers 555 • Oregon State Building & Construction Trades Council See all endorsements at: www.michaeldembrow.com Carpenters, Electricians, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofers, Asbestos Workers, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers, Family TWO WAYS TO SAVE— SAVE — LOW, LOW RATES AND NO CLOSING COSTS ON OUR HOME EQUITY LINES OF CREDIT AND SECOND MORTGAGES (ON LOANS UP TO $100,000) Promotion Promotion runs through June 15th. Contact our Loan Department at (503) 253- 253 - 8193 ext. 340 or online at www.ibewuwfcu.com. 9955 SE Washington Street Portland, OR 97216 (503) 253-8193 or online at www.ibewuwfcu.com • Flexible terms • Lowest interest rates in years • Both fixed and variable rates • Rates subject to change • See our website for current rates and terms • Interest may be tax deductable We can help you finance your dreams! Carpenters, Electricians, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofers, Asbestos Workers, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers, Family NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS Carpenters, Electricians, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofers, Asbestos Workers, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers, This year, four out of five seats on the Portland City Council are up for election this year. That means unions at the City of Portland may end up helping to determine who members’ bosses will be come January. Under Portland’s commission form of government, City Council consists of the mayor and four commissioners. Each of the five is in charge of at least one city bureau, and the mayor is re- sponsible for assigning bureaus to council members. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 189, which repre- sents about 1,100 city workers, is backing Sam Adams for mayor — and Nick Fish and Randy Leonard for City Council. It’s staying out of the race to fill the Council seat Adams is vacating. Laborers Local 483, which repre- sents about 600 maintenance workers in parks, streets, and sewage treatment plants, also backs Fish and Leonard, plus Amanda Fritz for Adams’ seat. But it’s making no endorsement in the mayor’s race. Only one of the four races has an outcome that’s virtually assured: Leonard, a former Fire Fighters Union leader, is an incumbent and faces no serious opposition to unseat him. So, barring some calamity, Leonard will continue to serve alongside Commissioner Dan Saltzman, who doesn’t face re-election this year. But the other three seats are truly up for grabs, and union help could make the differ- ence. In the race for mayor, Adams, once con- sidered a shoe-in, is being challenged by busi- nessman Sho Dozono and 11 relatively unknown candidates. In the race to fill City Council Position 1, the seat mayoral candidate Adams now holds, seven candidates are running: Jeff Bissonnette, John Branam, Mike Fahey, Amanda Fritz, Charles Lewis, and Chris Smith. For Position 2 — which became open through the resignation of Erik Sten — Fish faces Jim Middaugh, Ed Garren and two other candidates. AFSCME staff representative James Hester said Local 189 is supporting Adams because the union has had a positive working relation- ship with him as a City Commissioner. “He’s taking on some heavy issues like transportation and basic infrastructure, that no other candidate seems to want to bring up,” Hester said. “That’s something the DCTU (District Council of Trade Unions) has been talking about since 1999.” But the Laborers balked at backing Adams. “It’s always been hard for our members to endorse their boss,” said Local 483 Business Manager Richard Beetle. Laborers represents city maintenance workers who repair and maintain sidewalks, sewers, streets, streetlights, and parking me- ters. Adams is in charge of all those bureaus. His campaign for “Safe, Sound & Green Streets” — a November ballot referral to vot- Carpenters, Electricians, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofers, Asbestos Workers, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers, Union locals spread out support to several different candidates PAGE 3
