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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 5 Friend of labor tapped for NLRB chair WASHINGTON, D.C. — Wilma Liebman has been designated by Presi- dent Barack Obama to chair the Na- tional Labor Relations Board (NLRB). As an NLRB member over the past eight years, Liebman has challenged the Bush Administration on workers’ rights. “The Board’s Republican majority made it harder to form unions through majority sign-up, limited the ability of illegally fired workers to recover back pay, and allowed employers to discrim- inate against union supporters in the hir- ing process,” said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. Liebman was first appointed to the NLRB by President Bill Clinton in 1997. Her current term expires in 2011. Before joining the NLRB, Liebman served from 1994 to 1997 at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, first as special assistant to the director and then as deputy director. She began her legal career as an NLRB staff attor- ney in 1974, then served on the legal staff of two unions: the Bricklayers and the Teamsters. Professional Firefighters of Clackamas County Local 1159 We are looking for Board of Directors candidates for the Estacada Fire District. These positions are elected every 4 years; they provide direction and accountability to the Fire District for the taxpayers in the Estacada Fire District. Requirements: You must own property in the Estacada Fire District, attend monthly meetings and ensure oversight of budget, employment and tax laws. Please, if you’re interested, contact IAFF Local 1159 Vice President Burke Slater at 503 351-9904 Or email at: bslater@local1159.com More information is available at the Clackamas County Elections Office, 1710 Red Soils Ct., Suite 100, Oregon City, OR 97045 or at: www.clackamas.us/elections The filing deadline for Board Positions 1 and 4 is March 19, 2009 Congress passes Lilly Ledbetter ‘fair pay’ bill WASHINGTON, D.C. (PAI) — By a 61-36 vote, the U.S. Senate on Jan. 22 passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Bill. The legislation overturns a 2007 Supreme Court ruling that said workers who are discriminated against in pay could sue only within the first 180 days of being hired. In practical terms, advo- cates said, that barred all pay discrimi- nation cases, since workers often do not discover the discrimination until long af- terwards. In the case of Lilly Ledbetter, the gray-haired grandmother from Gads- den, Ala., did not discover her pay- checks as a supervisor in the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. plant had been shorted until near the end of her 19-year career. She sued and won $3.5 million in back pay and damages. Appeals lowered the damage payout, but the high court — on a 5-4 vote — threw out the case entirely. The five justices, all men appointed by Republican presidents, including two named by George W. Bush, said anti- discrimination law allows suits only within 180 days of being hired, or 300 days in some cases. Any time after that, and workers can’t file a lawsuit. Ironically, Ledbetter told Press Asso- ciates Inc. during a congressional hear- ing that rank-and-file female workers at the plant suffer little or no pay discrimi- nation because they are covered by a Steel Workers Union contract. As a su- pervisor, she was not. “The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is a modest and targeted response to a harm- Marion, Polk, Yamhill CLC elects Munger president SALEM — Joe Munger of Steel- workers Local 8378 has been elected president of the Marion, Polk, Yamhill Counties Central Labor Council. He succeeds Dave Tischer of the Laborers Local 320, who did not seek re-election. Richard Swyers of AFSCME Local 2067 was re-elected secretary-treasurer and Rosalie Pedroza of Service Em- ployees Local 503 was re-elected vice president. Terms of office are three years. ful and unjust ruling that made it just about impossible for victims of pay dis- crimination to seek justice in the courts, no matter how severe the discrimination they face,” said Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, one of the lead organizations that lobby for fair pay and female work- ers’ rights. All 36 Senate votes against the bill came from male Republicans. The GOP also provided the entire opposition in the House, which passed the bill soon after the Democratic-run 111th Congress opened. Senate Democrats of both sexes voted unanimously for the bill. They were joined by the four female Senate Republicans and Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. President Barack Obama has signed the legislation into law. Officers elected at labor council in Vancouver VANCOUVER — Mike Carnahan of Electrical Workers Local 48 was re- elected secretary-treasurer of Clark, Skamania, West Klickitat Counties Central Labor Council in an election held Jan. 22. Shannon Walker of Office and Pro- fessional Employees Local 277 was tapped president; Judy Kuschel of AF- SCME Local 313 was elected vice president; and Rick Thompson of Ma- chinists Lodge 63 was re-elected ser- geant-at-arms. Walker succeeds Cager Clabaugh of International Longshore and Ware- house Union (ILWU) Local 4. He did not seek re-election. Elected to the Executive Board were Lucy Carrier of United Food and Com- mercial Workers Local 555, Roy Jen- nings of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, Roben White of Painters Lo- cal 10, and Scott Orrell of ILWU Local 4. Mark Rauchenstein of International Federation of Professional and Techni- cal Engineers Local 17 was re-elected a trustee. Zachary Zabinsky • Social Security • SSI - Disability Claims Personal Attention To Every Case Working For Disability Rights Since 1983 NO FEE WITHOUT RECOVERY 621 SW Morrison, Portland 223-8517 FEBRUARY 6, 2009 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 5
