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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 2009)
FEB. 6, 2009:NWLP 2/3/09 10:12 AM Page 10 Labor says replace I-5 bridge now Local labor officials told Portland City Council it’s time to bring to a close the long and drawn out debate over re- placing the Interstate 5 bridges. “We’ve been talking about this for a long, long time now. It’s not something new,” said Judy O’Connor, executive secretary-treasurer of the Northwest Oregon Labor Council. “This has been studied and studied. The longer we wait, the more expensive it gets.” Portland City Council held a public hearing on the subject Jan. 29. O’Con- nor was among 75 people signed up to give testimony. “It’s time to poop or get off the pot,” said Lynn Lehrbach of Teamsters Joint Council 37. “We need to build a bridge that will last 100 years — and build it 12 lanes.” The Teamsters want 12 lanes, in part, to allow the center lanes to remain relatively unobstructed for movement of freight. “Moving in and out of lanes can be very dangerous,” Lehrbach said. “The more lanes, the better the trucks can get through.” Labor groups are generally in agree- ment that the current six-lane bridges should be replaced with new bridges Teamsters begin withdrawing funds from KeyBank over strike at Oak Harbor Teamster local unions across the country have informed KeyBank of Cleveland, Ohio, that they intend to end their financial relationship with the bank. KeyBank and its parent company, KeyCorp, are the primary lender for Oak Harbor Freight, based in Auburn, Wash., where 470 Teamsters have been on strike for the past four months. The strike involves more than 100 members of Portland-based Teamsters Local 81. It is estimated that local Teamster unions and sister unions maintain ap- proximately $18 billion in assets through KeyCorp and its subsidiaries. In a letter addressed to local unions, Teamster President Jim Hoffa asked that they contact KeyCorp immediately and begin the process of transferring their business to a comparable service provider. “KeyBank, which operates branches in several states, is playing a critical role in the ongoing dispute by provid- ing funds that allow Oak Harbor Freight Lines to survive,” Hoffa said. Teamsters started bargaining for a new contract with Oak Harbor in Oc- tober 2007 and so far the union nego- tiators have met with management over 25 times. Union members went on strike Sept. 22, 2008 to protest Oak Harbor’s violations of U.S. labor laws. This is the first strike in the five decades that Teamsters have repre- sented employees of Oak Harbor Freight. that have the capacity to accept 12 lanes, with light rail and pedestrian and bike access. City Commissioner Randy Leonard appears to be on board with that plan, but it’s not clear what other city com- missioners, the mayor, or Metro coun- cilors favor. The two councils held a joint work session Jan. 26 to talk about the replacement bridge. From that meeting, it appears opposition to the 12-lane option will come from Metro councilors Carl Hostika and Robert Liberty, and new City Commissioner Amanda Fritz. City Commissioners Nick Fish and Dan Saltzman and Mayor Sam Adams look to be undecided, as do Metro Pres- ident David Bragdon and councilors Rod Park, Carlotta Collette, Kathryn Harrington and Rex Burkholder. A 39-member Columbia River Crossing task force spent three years discussing what, if anything, should be done to the current bridges connecting Oregon and Washington. The task force favors 12-lane replacement bridges with light-rail and bike and pedestrian crossings. Anticipated cost at this point is be- tween $3.1 billion to $4.2 billion — which also includes work on six nearby interchanges. Both the City Council and Metro will make their recommendations known by Feb. 25. The bridge, in what- ever form, is not slated to break ground for at least two years. Obama reverses Bush executive orders, creates new Middle-Class Task Force WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Barack Obama reversed three Bush-era anti-worker executive orders and created a Cabinet-level task force to rebuild the nation’s middle class. In a White House ceremony Jan. 30, attended by AFL- CIO President John Sweeney and other union leaders, Obama signed three ex- ecutive orders that reverse a series of or- ders by then-President George W. Bush, which govern the way federal contrac- tors deal with unionized workers. The three new executive orders: • Require federal service contractors to offer jobs to current workers when contracts change. • Reverse a Bush order requiring fed- eral contractors to post notice that work- ers can limit financial support of unions serving as their exclusive bargaining representatives. E E FR • Prevent federal contractors from be- ing reimbursed for expenses meant to influence workers deciding whether to form a union and engage in collective bargaining. “We cannot have a strong middle class without strong labor unions,” Obama said before signing the orders. “We need to level the playing field for workers and the unions that represent their interests.” Obama also announced creation of the White House Task Force on Middle Class Working Families to develop and coordinate policies to rebuild the na- tion’s middle class. Vice President Joe Biden will chair the task force. A Web site, www.strongmiddleclass.gov, has been set up where workers can submit ideas about how the economy has af- fected them and ideas on changing it. BARGAIN COUNTER Free classified ads to subscribers DEADLINE: Friday prior to publication Published 1st and 3rd Fridays Now accepting e-mails Send to: Michael492@comcast.net Mail to: NWLP, PO Box 13150, Portland OR 97213 (Please include union affiliation) • 15-20 words • No commercial or business ads • 1 ad per issue • All lower case (NO CAPITAL LETTERS, PLEASE) • Ads MUST include area code or they will not be published A UTOMOTIVE ‘72 CHEV PU, 3/4 ton, LWB, Cheyenne camper package, AC, PB, PS, canopy, rear slider, $4,300. 503 245-6714 TITLE AND SERIAL TAG for 57 Chev PU, $300 or trade for guns. 503 658-6108 4 FULL SIZE pickup tires 265/70R17, used only 16k miles, $280. 503 654-0726 MOM’S CAR, ‘91 Chrysler Fifth Avenue, all options, in perfect condition, 99k miles, needs nothing, $2,000. 503 625-2701 ‘65 CHEVY 1/2 ton, 4X4, lwb, 454, 400 turbo, ps, tilt, winch, good tires, runs good, make offer. 503-255-4627 H OUSING ON LAKE, 2 bed, 1 bath, Sportsman’s Park in South Wasco County, $110k. 541 544-3499 ROCKAWAY BEACH vacation home, 3 bed, sleeps 8, beachfront, all amenities, $175/nite. 503 842-9607 ROCKAWAY BEACH house, 3 bed, 2 bath, sleeps 10, great amenities, Jacuzzi, minutes to beach or shops. 503 709-6018 SHARED HOUSING, very clean, large bdrm $525, sml $425 mo +dep, includes utilities, cable, phone. 503-774-9587 OCEAN FRONT, Rockaway Beach, 5 bdrm, sleeps 13, http://home.comcast. net/~rockaway.beach. 503 777-5076 W ANTED OLD WOODWORKING Tools, Planes, Levels, Chisels, Handsaws, Slicks, Adzes, Wrenches, Folding Rulers, Old Leather Tools, Tool Chests. 503-659-0009 COLLECTOR PAYS cash for older unique and unusual items. 503 653-1506 PAGE 10 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS USED BRICK; tailgate – wide box for 1965-1972 Dodge. 541 374-8305 Gary MOTORCYCLES running or not, vintage motorcycle magazines or musical instru- ments, cash paid. 503 880-8183 LONG ARM quilting machine, prefer A1 with adjustable frame 503 318-2750 F OR THE H OME DINING ROOM SET, table w/2 leaves, 42”x62”, 4 side chairs, 2 arm chairs, good condition, $200. 541-264-0360. 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