JUNE 5, 2009:NWLP
6/2/09
10:18 AM
Page 12
...Oregon labor unions
oppose cap-and-trade bill
(From Page 10)
operate anyway.
Based on that argument, PGE,
joined by Pacificorp and Local 125,
testified against Senate Bill 80. SB 80
would have authorized Oregon’s par-
ticipation in a regional cap-and-trade
system. The bill was introduced at the
request of Oregon Gov. Ted Kulon-
goski. The governor’s staff has taken
part in a year’s worth of talks with
those of the seven other states and
Canadian provinces in the Western
Climate Initiative.
The Western Climate Initiative was
a response to federal inaction on curb-
ing global warming, but as yet no
state has passed laws setting up the
cap-and-trade system. Washington
Gov. Christine Gregoire was unable to
pass enabling legislation, and instead
took action by executive order.
Leading the opposition to the Ore-
gon bill was Oregonians for Balanced
Climate Policy, formed by Republican
lobbyist Mark Nelson. The group is a
coalition of over two dozen business
groups, plus IBEW Local 48 and the
Oregon State Building and Construc-
tion Trades Council.
The Oregon AFL-CIO also
weighed in against the bill, because
framers had not heeded the labor fed-
eration’s call for revenues generated
by sale of the emissions allowances to
be used to help workers who would be
displaced, or for minimum wage and
benefit standards for jobs that would
be created with public investment.
“They didn’t incorporate any of
our concerns into the framework,”
said Oregon AFL-CIO Secretary-
Treasurer Barbara Byrd, who has
taken the lead on crafting a union re-
sponse to climate change.
Facing opposition from many
sides, the cap-and-trade part was
amended out of the bill. Labor leaders
met June 1 with co-chairs of the West-
ern Climate Initiative to talk about
what kind of cap-and-trade program
labor could support the next time the
Legislature meets.
Legislators may yet pass two cli-
mate change bills, though. SB 80, in
its amended version, would give the
Oregon Department of Environmental
Quality and the Public Utility Com-
mission the authority to make rules
limiting greenhouse gas emissions.
House Bill 2186 would do the same,
except applied to vehicles.
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Thousands rally in Seattle for health care reform
Several thousand union members, their families, friends, and allies marched two miles through downtown Seattle
May 30 calling for “Health Care for All in 2009.” President Barack Obama has put out the call for health care reform
this year. “Health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait and it will not wait another year,” he said. In response,
the Washington State Labor Council teamed up with numerous other organizations advocating for reform — including
the Washington Community Action Network and the Healthy Washington Coalition — to demonstrate support for
the cause. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott of Seattle — two key players in discussions over how
the U.S. health care system will be changed — addressed the crowd, which attracted bus-loads of unionists from
Vancouver, Longview, Spokane, Pasco, Yakima, Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Everett, Centralia, Lacey, and Tacoma.
A national rally is scheduled June 25 in Washington, D.C.
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PAGE 12
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
JUNE 5, 2009