May 1, 2009 :NWLP
4/28/09
9:56 AM
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Laborers apprenticeship program
partners with Corvallis high schools
CORVALLIS — The Oregon/
Southern Idaho Laborers Training Cen-
ter in Corvallis has teamed up with the
Corvallis School District and the Ore-
gon Bureau of Labor and Industries
(BOLI) to offer pre-apprenticeship
training to high school students.
A media event was held April 3, af-
ter the first week of class was com-
pleted. Students will return for a sec-
ond week of training May 18-22.
The students — 12 boys and four
girls ranging from sophomores to sen-
iors — get classroom instruction in
construction topics, hands-on training
as construction craft laborers, and an
introduction to how apprenticeship
training works. Students spent a good
portion of the week at the training cen-
ter, while still having to complete their
normal school assignments.
“I think the students were just blown
away,” said Laborers Training Director
Al DeVita. “They look at math in a dif-
ferent way now.”
Donna Keim, a career education as-
sistant at Corvallis High School, is
thrilled about the program. “Since we
have gotten these kids involved with
the Laborers program, I’ve seen excite-
ment that just wasn’t there before,” she
Republic Windows worker to keynote at
annual Jobs with Justice fundraising dinner
Portland Jobs with Justice will hold its 18th annual fundraising dinner May 16,
6 p.m. at the Portland Teamsters Union Hall, 1850 NE 162nd Ave.
Keynote speakers include Barbara Dudley, chair of the Oregon Working Fami-
lies Party; and a union worker from Republic Windows and Doors. Republic is the
Chicago factory that captured the nation’s imagination last fall when workers took
over and refused to leave until their bankrupt employer and its bailed-out bank
lender paid them wages they were owed.
Tickets are $50 per person. Unions and other organizations can purchase tables
for $600. Proceeds benefit Portland Jobs with Justice, a labor-community coalition
that campaigns for workers’ rights. Call 503-236-5573 to make reservations.
said. “This program provides opportu-
nities for students looking for a direc-
tion in their life.”
“I’m learning a lot and really enjoy-
ing the experience,” said Jennifer
Green, one of the students enrolled in
the program.
DeVita envisions the pre-appren-
ticeship program serving as a model for
other pre-apprenticeship partnerships
across the state. “This effort is all about
being able to recruit a good stream of
pre-trained, pre-qualified youth into
our program, and training them as the
workforce of Oregon’s future,” he said.
Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad
Avakian agrees.
“Programs like this partnership help
students to envision what they can do
with their lives,” Avakian said. “This
program is in line with our vision to
link schools with training programs to
provide employers with a workforce
that will let Oregon compete in the
global marketplace.”
The program is in the pilot stage, but
the Laborers Training Center hopes to
have it sanctioned as a BOLI-approved
pre-apprenticeship program within the
year.
AFSCME Oregon Council 75 Executive Director Ken Allen addresses
delegates at the organization’s biennial convention, held April 24-26 in Salem.
Oregon AFSCME convention
wrestles with state fiscal crisis
SALEM — Delegates from around
Oregon met April 24-26 at the Salem
Convention Center for the biennial
statewide convention of American Fed-
eration of State, County, and Munici-
pal Employees Oregon Council 75.
Oregon AFSCME President Gary
Gillespie won re-election, outpolling
challenger Tina Turner-Morfitt. First
elected in 2001, Gillespie is a longtime
member of (City of Eugene) Local
1724 and a clerk at the Eugene Public
Library. Delegates also elected the
other 14 members of the AFSCME Ex-
ecutive Committee as well as the full
statewide Executive Board, which
numbers about 75. The Executive
Board meets quarterly and appoints the
organization’s executive director, who
hires and oversees staff. It also elects
the Executive Committee, which meets
monthly. All offices have two year
terms.
AFSCME national President Gerald
McEntee and Secretary Treasurer Bill
Lucy were unable to attend, but Lee
Saunders, executive assistant to McEn-
tee gave the convention’s keynote ad-
Q
dress. And Oregon AFSCME Execu-
tive Director Ken Allen gave delegates
a “state of the union.”
Allen called AFSCME “a fightin’
union,” and credited members’ politi-
cal volunteerism for its success.
“We beat back Bill Sizemore once
again,” Allen said. “He was zero-for-
five in the last election.”
Now, the biggest political challenge
AFSCME members face is the Legis-
lature’s response to the budget crisis.
Allen called on lawmakers to increase
the Oregon income tax on those mak-
ing $250,000 or more. On Day One of
the convention, delegates headed to the
Capitol to lobby their districts’ repre-
sentatives.
“It makes no sense that our mem-
bers who make $10 per hour pay the
same percentage that the Blazer play-
ers pay,” Allen said.
If additional revenues aren’t found,
it’s almost certain that some AFSCME
members will face layoffs. And for
public employees to lose their jobs will
only worsen the overall state economy,
Allen said.
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MAY 1, 2009
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
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