Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 16, 2009)
NWLP-2-16-09:NWLP 1/20/09 10:45 AM Page 2 Vancouver Fire Fighters give up wage hikes to help cash-strapped city coffers VANCOUVER — Union firefight- ers have voted to give up a pay raise so that the City of Vancouver can af- ford to staff a new fire station. In results announced Dec. 30, members of Fire Fighters Local 452 voted by a 91 percent margin to ap- prove a one-year contract extension that contains scheduled step increases, but no cost-of-living allowance (COLA). The 164 members of the union had been scheduled for a 4 per- cent increase. “The budget situation being what it was, we reconsidered,” said Local 452 President Mark Johnston. Vancouver city government has been hit hard by the recession: Sales tax revenue is down because of a de- cline in sales, and property tax rev- enues are expected to decline in about a year because of falling home values. So far the city has reacted by eliminat- ing 30 positions, including 16 layoffs. “We were just really concerned about public safety, especially in the east part of city,” Johnston said. The skipped COLA is expected to b h m k save Vancouver $700,000 in 2009, an amount that will make a difference when the city opens a new fire station in east Vancouver in January 2010. Johnson said this is the first time in at least 25 years that the union has agreed to a wage freeze. Average wages are about $70,000 a year for the group, which includes firefighters and paramedics. Johnston said it helped that the sac- rifice is being shared: The city has told managers and other nonunion workers they won’t be getting a COLA. Local 452’s new agreement did have some improvements for mem- bers: An increase from six days a year of sick leave to 12 days, and an in- crease in the maximum amount of un- used sick leave that can be banked: from about six months worth to nine months worth. The skipped COLA could have im- plications for other unions at the city. Contract negotiations are under way for three other bargaining units: Fire Fighters Local 452, which represents deputy fire marshals; Office & Profes- Bennett Hartman Morris & Kaplan, llp Attorneys at Law Oregon’s Full Service Union Law Firm Representing Workers Since 1960 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 sional Employees International Union Local 11, which represents some city bureaus; and the Joint Labor Coali- tion, a four-union unit that includes members of American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employ- ees (AFSCME) Local 307-VC, Team- sters Local 58, Machinists District Lodge 24, and Plumbers Local 290. “I know there are employers out there who are going to use this against their unions,” Johnson said. “We don’t necessarily recommend this, or say every group should be doing this.” The contract covering police offi- cers won’t expire until the end of 2009, and the Police Guild said no to reopening its contract to negotiate giv- ing up the COLA. Economic crisis is focus of Jan. 31 town hall meeting A town hall focusing on the eco- nomic crisis will be held saturday, Jan. 31, from 1 to 5 p.m. at First Unitarian Church, 1011 SW 12th Ave. Portland. The event, free of charge, is being co-sponsored by Portland Jobs with Justice and more than two dozen union locals and community organizations. A flier promoting the town hall said: “We have a great opportunity now to organize to get not just a bailout, but an economy that provides opportunity for working people; an economy that helps communities thrive and reverses decades of growing inequality, take- backs, union busting, unfair trade agreements, cuts in health care and more.” For more information, call JwJ at 503 236-5573 or go to jwjpdx.org. IN MEMORIAM TOM CUNNING- HAM, a retired execu- tive secretary-treasurer of Portland-based Serv- ice Employees Interna- tional Union (SEIU) Lo- cal 49, died Dec. 21 from a head injury sustained in a fall during last month’s winter storm. He was 77. Cunningham, of Mil- waukie, Oregon, served in the local’s top post for 13 years. He was a 39-year member of the union. Thomas David Cunningham was born in Janesville, Minn., on Feb. 22, 1931. He graduated from high school there in 1949. He enlisted in the United States Air Force and served in the Korean War in 195l-52. He was honorably discharged as a staff sergeant in 1954. Cunningham earned a degree in edu- cation from Mankato State University in Minnesota. A teaching opportunity at St. Mary’s Home for Boys in Beaverton brought him to Oregon. He left teaching to sell office ma- chines. Then, in 1969, he was hired as a business agent by Marty Blake, Local 49’s executive secretary-treasurer. In addition to being a business agent, Cunningham became president of the Local 49 credit union in 1972, and was elected president of the local union in 1980. Three years later he became the union’s business manager, succeeding Blake, who retired. In his years as Local 49’s leader, Cunningham held a number of posts, in- cluding Building Service Division Ex- ecutive Board member, 1988-96; Hos- pital Division Executive Board member, 1988-92; delegate to International Fed- eration of Labor meetings, 1994; West- ern Conference of SEIU Executive Board member, 1984-96; Oregon Council of Service Employees presi- dent, 1990-96. Could a REVERSE MORTGAGE Work for You? Imagine a Payment Free, Financially-Secure Retirement. • Supplement Your Retirement Income. • No Debt Passes to Your Heirs. • You Maintain Ownership and Title. T URN Y OUR H OME E QUITY I NTO C ASH , L INE OF C REDIT , M ONTHLY I NCOME OR A C OMBINATION OF P LANS . Talk with Lynn or Julie, the Reverse Mortgage Specialists at: We Work Hard for Hard-Working People! 111 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 1650 Portland, Oregon 97204 (503) 227-4600 www.bennetthartman.com PAGE 2 TOM BERNARD, a former officer of Teamsters Local 174 in Seattle and a union organizer for Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals Lo- cal 5017, died Dec. 27 of a heart attack while shoveling snow. He was 60. Thomas Earl Bernard was born Dec. 18, 1948, in Detroit, Mich. He served in the Air Force in the Vietnam War and moved from Oakland, Calif., to Port- land three years ago. He was active in the Portland chapter of Jobs with Jus- tice and the anti-war movement. In 1993, he married Helen Lee. Survivors include his wife; son, Derek; daughter, Kristy Hemingway; stepdaughters, Jade Fox and Alison Lee-Whitney; stepson, Jesse Fox; and two grandchildren. Remembrances to Sisters of the Road Cafe. (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) 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 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. Lynn Russell OR ML-4194WA 510-MB-30380 Our Legal Staff are Proud Members of UFCW Local 555 Cunningham served on the Northwest Oregon Labor Council Executive Board and on the Advi- sory Board of the Labor Education and Research Center of the University of Oregon. He was presi- dent of the Portland Mar- itime Trades Council and of the Portland Provision Trades Council. He was a delegate to the Columbia-Pacific Building Trades Council. Cunningham was inducted into the Northwest Oregon Labor Council’s La- bor Hall of Fame in June 2001. In retirement, Cunningham did vol- unteer work through his church, St. John’s Catholic Church in Milwaukie, and helped at St. Vincent de Paul. Cunningham and his wife, the for- mer Geri McIntosh of Portland, were married in 1968. They had no children. Geri Cunningham had been hospi- talize and was in intensive care when Cunningham had his accident. It wasn’t until a few days later that the extent of his injuries were detected. Surgery failed to relieve swelling on his brain. Funeral arrangements are pending as Geri Cunningham recuperates. 360-694-7272 or 1-866-684-7272 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, PORTLAND, OR 97213-0150 205 East 11th Street, Suite 104, Vancouver, Washington NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS JANUARY 16, 2009
