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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2009)
Former Labor Press editor helped pass workers’ comp law in Oregon Former Oregon Labor Press Editor William A. Marshall was considered “the godfather” of Oregon’s workers’ compensa- tion law. A member of the Multnomah Typo- graphical Union No. 58, Marshall helped push through a law to provide compensation to injured workers and widows and orphans of those fatally hurt. In 1912, Gov. Oswald West appointed Marshall to the first State Industrial Accident Commission, where he served until 1927. In that job he became known nationally as an WILLIAM MARSHALL authority on what at that time was referred to as “workermen’s compensation.” Later, he was appointed an administrator in Seattle of the federal job- injury compensation program for longshoremen and harbor workers. William Marshall died in Seattle in 1963 at age 88. McDonald’s agrees to trim pesticide use Thanks in part to the national AFL- CIO, McDonald’s Corp. has agreed to measures that will reduce pesticide use in its U.S. potato supply chain. McDonald’s is the largest buyer of potatoes in the United States, so the move could improve the environment, public health, and the health of farm workers. The decision was the result of a shareholder resolution introduced by the AFL-CIO Reserve Fund, New- ground Social Investment, and the Bard College Endowment. The fact that the AFL-CIO fund owns 1,000 shares of McDonald’s stock entitled it to raise the issue at the company’s an- nual board meeting. To avoid unfavor- able publicity, the company agreed to survey its suppliers and promote pesti- NECA-IBEW, other unionized businesses acknowledged at Oregon safety forum Thirteen leaders in safety and health — many with union ties — were spot- lighted March 11 at the Oregon Gover- nor’s Occupational Safety and Health (GOSH) Conference. A panel of industry professionals judges the awards, which honor ex- traordinary contributions to the field of workplace safety and health. The cate- gories include outstanding safety com- mittees, employers, and individuals. Among the award recipients was the NECA-IBEW Local 48 Joint Safety Committee. The safety commit- tee — made up of 16 members repre- senting both the labor and management side of the electrical industry — has of- fered training programs including a safety “boot camp” for new appren- tices. Safety talk topics are distributed to the 100-plus signatory contractors, along with turn-key programs to better address asbestos exposure, vehicle safety, the handling of mercury and PCBs and other hazardous materials. Each contractor integrates the infor- mation into their own safety programs. Safety committees from MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Wood- burn and Roseburg Forest Products in Dillard also received awards. Although not mentioned at the awards luncheon, MacLaren employ- ees are members of Service Employ- ees International Union, the Oregon School Employees Association, and the Oregon Education Association, while Roseburg Forest Product em- ployees are represented by Carpenters Industrial Council Local 2949. The MacLaren safety committee coordinates on-site safety fairs, holds safety training, and conducts emer- gency drills with local fire officials. At Roseburg FP, the 32-member safety committee uses recognition pro- grams and barbecues as ways to honor achieved safety goals and to stay on top of safety issues. Three signatory union contractors also received awards: Arctic Sheet APRIL 17, 2009 Metal, whose employees are members of Sheet Metal Workers Local 16; Reese Electric of North Bend, whose work crew are members of IBEW Lo- cal 932; and Portland general contrac- tor Stacy and Witbeck, which is signa- tory with several construction unions. Stacy and Witbeck awards “safety bucks” to employees for safe behavior observed on its projects, which include the Wilsonville-Beaverton commuter rail project for TriMet. It also holds regular barbecues and weekly all- hands safety meetings. At Arctic Sheet Metal, 98 percent of the 110-person workforce has had ad- vanced training in safety and health, CPR and first aid. Reese Electric holds an annual ban- quet to recognize safety achievements and conducts mandatory safety meet- ings each month. NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS cide use reduction. In return, AFL- CIO and the others agreed to with- draw the resolution. “Consumers, workers and our envi- ronment all suffer from over-use of pesticides,” said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. “As investors, we knew McDonald’s could take an im- portant first step, and we’re ready to work with the company to change and Q grow.” Through the agreement, McDon- ald’s committed to survey its current U.S. potato suppliers; compile a list of best practices in pesticide reduction that will be recommended to the com- pany’s global suppliers; and commu- nicate findings to shareholders, and in the company’s annual corporate social responsibility report. Quest Investment Management, Inc. • } Serving Serving Multi-Employer Multi-Employer Trusts for for Twenty Years Trusts Over Twenty Years Greg Sherwood Adrian Hamilton Cam Johnson Greg Sherwood Adrian Hamilton Monte Johnson Monte Johnson Doug Goebel Doug Goebel Bill Worley Zenk Garth Nisbet Pat Cam Johnson One SW Columbia St., Suite Suite 1100, 1100 Portland, OR 97258 503-221-0158 www.QuestInvestment.com www.QuestInvestment.com PAGE 3
