August 7, 2009:NWLP
8/4/09
10:20 AM
Page 11
Oregon retirees to Congress: ‘We’re watching you’
By VERNA PORTER
During the week of June 1-4, I was
the Oregon delegate at the national leg-
islative conference for the Alliance for
Retired Americans in Washington, D.C.
I was elected first vice president of
the Oregon Alliance for Retired Ameri-
cans (OARA) at our state convention in
March, having stepped down after two
terms as president. As first vice presi-
dent my responsibility is to function as
a legislative liaison to political entities at
both the state and national levels.
ARA is an organization affiliated
with the AFL-CIO to organize union
member retirees into an active voice in
the community. There are 40 states with
active ARA memberships.
At the annual conference we get to-
gether to hear union leadership on cur-
rent issues (this year it was AFL-CIO
Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka
and Teamsters President Jim Hoffa); to
participate in workshops; and to lobby
our congressmen and women.
Val Jack (who also represents Amer-
ican Federation of Teachers-Oregon)
and Bill Holayter, the regional repre-
sentative of the ARA Board, were the
Oregon delegation lobby team.
We were able to meet with four of
our legislators and the staff members of
two others. The two main issues we dis-
cussed were the Employee Free Choice
Act (EFCA) and national health care re-
form.
Our first conversation was with Sen.
Jeff Merkley. Sen. Merkley avidly sup-
ports EFCA and is totally aligned with
labor retirees on how health care reform
should be accomplished.
Our second conversation was with
Sen. Ron Wyden. Sen. Wyden seemed
to accept the EFCA. At the onset of the
health care conversation, I reminded
him that organized labor in Oregon is
watching him very closely, as they are
concerned about the outcome of this is-
sue. We were very direct in explaining
to him that we want to see a public op-
tion in the health plan, we do not like
the idea of taxing beneficiaries, and we
want to see acceptable health care cov-
erage given to the citizens of this coun-
try and less consideration given to in-
surance companies.
Our visits in the House found both
Reps. Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader
too involved in committees to meet;
AUGUST 7, 2009
when he was in the State Legislature.
Congressman David Wu was able to
take time to talk with us, and we felt
that he also was supportive of the EFCA
and national health care reform.
Because we spoke with a large per-
centage of Oregon legislators, both Val
and Bill agreed with me that our at-
tempts at legislative communication
were very productive and that our mis-
sion was accomplished.
(Verna Porter is a retired member of
the Oregon Nurses Association and a
former secretary-treasurer of the In-
ternational Longshore and Ware-
house Union’s Columbia River Pen-
sioners.)
Fred Meyer boycott may be premature
To The Editor:
The July 17, 2009 article “Move to
put Fred Meyer on Unfair List is tabled”
described an attempt, successfully
tabled by my union, to put Fred Meyer
on the NW Oregon Labor Council’s
Unfair/Do Not Patronize list.
The Cement Masons Local 555 and
International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers Local 48 are rightfully con-
cerned that Fred Meyer (Kroger ) uses
nonunion contractors to remodel stores.
We grocery workers should be con-
cerned because lower wages means less
grocery sales and work hours, plus
weaker unions.
But urging the public not to patron-
ize unionized retailers is premature. In
fact my first reaction as a supermarket
employee was confusion, alarm and re-
Kudos to Kulongoski for shining
light on potential of green energy
To The Editor:
The officers, staff and 4,000 mem-
bers of IBEW Local 48 wish to express
sincere thanks to Gov. Ted Kulongoski
for his strong support of green energy
such as solar, wind, and electric vehi-
cles.
Our members have erected numer-
ous solar arrays and wind towers; we
are anxiously awaiting the electric ve-
hicle charging stations. All of our proj-
ects have come in on time and under
budget. The main reasons behind this
success are our dedication to training,
work ethic and the resultant productiv-
ity. Our training center is considered
one of the best, if not the best, in the na-
tion. Unlike our nonunion counterparts,
our training center is funded entirely by
private funds, yet more incentive to
make certain that the training uses the
best instructors, methods, equipment
and environment for education.
Our workers adopted and live up to
the IBEW Code of Excellence, which
can be found on our Web site at
www.ibew48.com.
Oregon leads the nation in green en-
their staff members met with us instead
and seemed to be strongly with us on all
the issues, leaving us feeling that the
meetings were very productive.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer was able to
give us some time, and he supports us
on the EFCA and our need for national
health care reform. Rep. Blumenauer is
currently working on a bill advocating
for a national system that provides
home health care for people diagnosed
with chronic diseases. This correlates
beautifully with Oregon Project Inde-
pendence, which provides home health
care in our state. Oregon’s plan is the
first home health care plan in the nation,
and was one that Blumenauer supported
ergy employment growth; Gov. Kulon-
goski should be commended for mak-
ing certain that our beautiful state stays
as clean as possible, oil independent as
possible, and ahead of the rest of the na-
tion in the green energy market.
His leadership will continue to cre-
ate jobs for our residents; if nothing
else, to continue to replace jobs lost due
to foreign competition and the off-
shoring of America. It will take some
time for the infrastructure to be put into
place; the grid needs upgraded, the pan-
els and turbines have to be manufac-
tured, the standards for charging sta-
tions need to be regulated and stand-
ardized.
Thanks to the governor’s efforts, our
elected legislators that hadn’t seen how
bright the light could be, and how to use
more of the renewable resources that
are available, are now seeing a light as
bright as the sun and as constant as the
wind.
Clif Davis
Business Manager
IBEW Local 48
Portland
sentment. Before economic weapons
are used, all effective options should be
exhausted.
My company (QFC) is also Kroger,
and it could be included on the Unfair
list. Before that happens, I would want
to be fully informed and consulted and
have opportunities to discuss the issue
with rank-and-filers of mine and other
affected unions.
As the article implies, Fred Meyer is
delaying bargaining in The Dalles and,
along with Albertsons and Safeway, in
the Portland area. In fact, using the eco-
nomic crisis as an excuse, Kroger has
cut labor hours (think “speed up”) and
refuses to bargain reasonable increases
to wages and benefits despite the in-
creasing sales and profits it reports.
Rather than struggling over parlia-
mentary procedures we need a strategy
that informs and consults rank-and-file
members of all affected unions to build
solidarity instead of confusion and re-
sentment.
Stuart Fishman
UFCW 555
Portland
Try living within your means
To The Editor:
Too many people work their whole
life and die owing more money than
they have. It’s really a shame that a lot of
old people have to choke down that re-
ality to the end of their days.
Without having a scientific calcula-
tor handy, anyone can roughly estimate
the cost of borrowing money. It’s all
money down the tube, and if you get in
debt trouble it could cost you every-
thing.
I’m sure you could come up with a
thousand reasons why people should
borrow money. But looking back, how
many of those reasons truly ended up
being good reasons? And were those
reasons worth living under a mountain
of debt? Was it or is it really worth giv-
ing up pieces of your life to pay it back?
My revelation may have come a bit late,
but here it is: “Live within my means.”
Although I may never reach my goal of
being debt free, I hope that having read
this, you might.
Carroll Wikander
Machinists 1005
Portland
Open
Forum
Please give to
United Way
By TOM CHAMBERLAIN
President Oregon AFL-CIO
America’s working families and
the middle class are being squeezed
harder than ever in an unfair econ-
omy. Between job layoffs, stagnant
wages, and soaring costs for fuel,
food, and health care, many hard-
working families are hurting like
never before.
Many of our neighbors are facing
the threat of mortgage foreclosure.
One housing organization estimates
that as many as 2 million children will
become homeless over the next few
years as their families’ homes are
foreclosed.
As the Oregon AFL-CIO works to
turn America around, we want to re-
member our neighbors in need, many
for the first time ever.
United Way has been the human
services partner of unions through the
AFL-CIO Community Services net-
work for more than 60 years. United
Way works to see that contributions
go directly to programs having real
impact in communities, really chang-
ing the lives of those they help. United
Way has also partnered with unions to
promote health care for children, early
childhood development, education,
and financial stability for families.
I endorse the 2009 United Way
Campaign in the communities where
our members live and work, and I in-
vite members of the Oregon AFL-
CIO to consider a contribution in sup-
port of the good work of the United
Way and the AFL-CIO Community
Services network it helps fund.
Freightliner sends jobs South, ignores contract
To The Editor:
I worked at the Freightliner Mt.
Holly TMP for 24 years. Now, me and
some 1,500 more employees are job-
less. Yes, the economy bust last fall had
a major impact. However, to a larger de-
gree it is due to Freightliner’s blatant
disregard for our current collective bar-
gaining agreement, which provides us
70 percent of the medium class market.
The new facility is running wide open
in Mexico, as is their older plant farther
south in Mexico.
Our local union president states that
third step arbitration is set for August.
After all is said and done, we, the dis-
placed workforce at Mt. Holly, shall
most probably still be jobless.
My concern is that such a blatant
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
contractual violation has been perpetu-
ated by Freightliner, and the general
public has no idea that the reason for a
great number of good union jobs being
sent to Mexico was NOT due to our
unionizing, but rather it has been largely
due to Big Business’ total disregard for
a legal contract. The public should be
made aware that had Freightliner hon-
ored its union contract, a large number
of us would still be building trucks here
in the U.S.A.
As for arbitration, anything short of
monetary recompensation for us work-
ers who shall never recoup our losses,
along with legal fines to the company
for its arrogance, there will be no sign
or incentive for anyone here in North
Carolina to form a union, but rather a
loud resounding voice echoing the age-
old sentiment in these parts: “Unionize
and we will send your jobs to Mexico”
and cite us, United Auto Workers Local
5285, as a prime example!
A light needs to be shed upon
Freightliner’s tactics and its disregard
for contracts. Old-time, hard-core union
Brothers and Sisters at Mt. Holly now
hear what they said back in 1988 when
organizing began at our plant.
Freightliner should pay severely for
its actions, and it should be made public
in order for unions to regain what UAW
Local 5285 did to promote unionism in
the Carolinas.
John Wraie
UAW Local 5285
Dallas, NC
PAGE 11