DEC-Holiday-2008:Holiday Issue
12/16/08
10:05 AM
Page 7
Central Oregon Labor Council
favors health care reform bill
Rosenbaum to
chair key Senate
workforce panel
SALEM — Sen.-Elect Diane
Rosenbaum (D-Portland) has been
named to serve as chair of the Senate
Committee on Commerce & Workforce
Development.
Rosenbaum, a member of Commu-
nications Workers of America Local
7901, was elected to the Senate in the
November election after serving 10
years in the House of Representatives
— the last two as Speaker Pro Tempore.
While in the House, Rosenbaum
served as president of the National La-
bor Caucus of State Legislators and
vice-chair of the House Committee on
Business and Labor.
Last month she was elected to serve
as assistant Majority Leader by her col-
leagues in the Senate Democratic Cau-
cus.
“I am honored to play a leading
point in the Senate’s work on job cre-
ation and workplace training in these
difficult times,” Rosenbaum said.
James Coon
BEND —The Central Oregon La-
bor Council has endorsed House Reso-
lution 676, the single-payer health care
legislation introduced by Congressman
John Conyers (D-MI).
COLC, which represents 5,500
workers in Deschutes, Crook, and Jef-
ferson counties, is the 118th council to
endorse the legislation. Thirty-nine
state labor federations (including Ore-
gon and Washington) are on board,
along with 476 union organizations.
HR 676 seeks to expand the
Medicare system to every resident, cov-
ering citizens for all necessary medical
care, including prescription drugs, hos-
pital, surgical, outpatient services, pri-
mary and preventive care, emergency
services, dental, mental health, home
health, physical therapy, rehabilitation,
vision care, chiropractic and long term
care.
HR 676 has 93 co-sponsors in addi-
tion to Conyers. None are from Ore-
gon, and only one — Jim McDermott
— from Washington.
“We support the single-payer initia-
tive because we believe quality health
care is a human right, not a privilege for
the rich,” said Central Oregon Labor
Council President Fernando Gapasin
“We also believe that taking the cost of
health care out of the collective bar-
gaining equation will help to improve
the economic gains of unionized work-
ers and improve opportunities to ex-
pand unionization to unorganized sec-
tors of working people.”
Sportsmen’s Alliance prizes go to
Sheet Metal Worker, Fire Fighter
Sheet Metal Workers (SMWIA)
member Bob Wewers and Fire Fighters
(IAFF) member Nick Kashi were this
year’s winners Union Sportsmen’s Al-
liance (USA) grand prize giveaway.
The pair, randomly selected from
USA’s membership, each won prize
packages valued at $6,000 that in-
cluded airfare, lodging, VIP seating,
and pit passes at the Texas Motor
Speedway NASCAR race. To top it off,
Beretta donated a limited-edition,
American-made 3901,12-gauge shot-
gun engraved with the USA’s logo.
Wewers is a member of SMWIA
Local 10 in Roseville, Minn., and
Raymond Thomas
Cynthia Newton
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Kashi is a member of an IAFF Local
639 in Parma, Ohio. “I am a big hunter
and an even bigger union guy. Any-
thing to do with unions and hunting is a
definite win-win,” Wewers said.
Launched in 2007, the USA is a
joint venture of the Theodore Roosevelt
Conservation Partnership and 20
unions. The hunting and fishing club is
open to union members, retirees and
their families. The club promotes ac-
cess for hunters and anglers, conserv-
ing the fish and wildlife habitat, and in-
creasing funding for conservation. For
more info, go to www.unionsports-
men.org.
Kimberly Tucker
Greg
Sherwood
Greg Sherwood
Monte Johnson
Monte
Johnson
Bill
Zenk
Bill Zenk
Pat Worley
Warm
Wishes
This
Holiday
Season
Chris Frost
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DECEMBER 19, 2008
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
Serving America’s Taft-Hartley
Trust Funds SINCE 1951
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