Obama wins Oregon
Democratic primary
Change to Win members across
Oregon waged an aggressive grassroots
effort to help push Barack Obama to
victory over Democratic rival Sen.
Hillary Clinton in the May 20 primary
election. Obama captured 59 percent of
the vote to Clinton’s 41 percent.
The Change to Win labor federation
endorsed Obama earlier this year, while
the national AFL-CIO was neutral in
the primary. That, however, didn’t stop
several international unions from mak-
ing endorsements and promoting their
favorites.
AFL-CIO affiliates supporting
Obama included the Boilermakers;
Plumbers and Fitters; Utility Workers
Union; the International Longshore and
Warehouse Union; and the American
Federation of Government Employees.
Oregon AFSCME Council 75 also
endorsed Obama, even though its inter-
national union campaigned for Clinton.
Change to Win affiliates endorsing
Obama were United Food and Com-
mercial Workers, the Teamsters,
UNITE HERE, and the Service Em-
ployees International Union.
b h
m k
According to Change to Win, it has
80,000 members in Oregon.
“Change to Win members and vol-
unteers pushed Sen. Barack Obama to
victory in the Beaver State, bringing
him the majority of pledged delegates
and within reach of clinching the De-
mocratic nomination for the president
of the United States of America,” said
Executive Director Greg Tarpinian.
“Now it’s time for the Democratic
Party to unite together for victory in
November and bring the change work-
ing families need.”
Tarpinian, who will be leaving the
federation July 6 to return to the New
York-based Labor Research Associa-
tion, said its volunteers made more
than 150,000 phone calls; knocked on
nearly 30,000 doors targeting areas in
North/Northeast and Southeast Port-
land, and Gresham; sent hundreds of
thousands of direct mail pieces to De-
mocratic households; helped manage
get-out-the-vote staging locations in
Portland and Tigard; and conducted
member-to-member education efforts
at worksites throughout the state.
Bennett Hartman
Morris & Kaplan, llp
Attorneys at Law
Oregon’s Full Service Union Law Firm
Representing Workers Since 1960
Serious Injury and Death Cases
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Our Legal Staff are Proud Members of UFCW Local 555
PAGE 2
UFCW Local 555 rallying for Obama
Members and leadership of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 rallied with Oregon Congressman Earl
Blumenauer May 19 on behalf of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. The rally took place at Obama’s campaign
office at SE 30th and Division in Portland the day before the Oregon primary election in which Obama won by a
margin of 55-45 percent. Blumenauer is an Obama superdelegate, and UFCW was one of the first unions to endorse
the Illinois senator’s campaign.
Columbia Pacific Building Trades Council’s
May primary endorsements get mixed results
Nine of 12 candidates endorsed by
the Columbia Pacific Building and
Construction Trades Council in the Ore-
gon primary were successful May 20.
At the City of Portland, the building
trades backed Mayor-elect Sam Adams,
Commissioner Randy Leonard, and
Nick Fish. Leonard is an incumbent and
Fish was running in a special election
for a seat vacated by Erik Sten.
In Multnomah County, Deborah
Kafoury and Judy Shiprack were the
top vote-getters in their respective races.
Kafoury received 87 percent of the vote
and will take office in January 2009.
Shiprack garnered 37 percent of the
vote and will face runnerup Mike Del-
man (18 percent) in November.
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In District 4, where the seat was
open, Dirk Rohne defeated endorsed
candidate Cary Johnson by a margin of
62-38 percent.
In Columbia County, CPBCTC-
backed incumbent Joe Corsiglia lost to
challenger Earl Fisher 5,189 to 3,014 in
the Democratic primary. Fisher had en-
dorsements from United Food and
Commercial Workers Local 555,
Teamsters, Oregon School Employees
Association. and IBEW Local 48.
Fisher will take on Republican War-
ren Nakkela in November.
CPBCTC issued an early endorse-
ment for Columbia County Commis-
sioner Tony Hyde. The Republican in-
cumbent will face Democrat Pat
Zimmerman in November. Neither can-
didate was challenged in the primary.
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In Clackamas County, Craig Rob-
erts was re-elected sheriff while Lynn
Peterson and Martha Schrader were re-
elected easily to the county commis-
sion. All were endorsed by the CP-
BCTC. Trent Tidwell, an Oregon City
commissioner, lost in his bid for a seat
on the newly expanded Clackamas
County Board of Commissioners. He
finished fourth in a seven-person race.
In Clatsop County, CPBCTC- en-
dorsed Commission Chairwoman Patri-
cia Roberts received 41 percent of the
vote to finish second behind Jim
Scheller (46 percent). Because there
was a third candidate in the race, the
two will square off again this fall.
Scheller was endorsed by AFSCME
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as a voice of the labor movement.
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Telephone: (503) 288-3311
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Editor: Michael Gutwig
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JUNE 6, 2008
