August 21, 2009:NWLP
8/19/09
11:26 AM
Page 2
...Oregon BCTC lauds Schaufler, Metsger, Kopel-Bailey
(From Page 1)
monies from the $960 million Jobs and
Transportation Act passed by the 2009
Legislature to fix the state’s crumbling
infrastructure should start being re-
leased Oct. 1. Revenues of $300 million
a year will be raised through increases
in vehicle registration and title fees, and
a 6-cents-a-gallon gas tax that will start
in 2011.
Revenues from the Jobs and Trans-
portation Act are expected to create
4,000 to 5,000 jobs on an annual basis
over the next 10 years, Garrett said.
State Sen. Rick Metsger (D-Mt.
Hood), chair of the Business and Trans-
portation Committee and an architect of
the bill, warned union leaders that a
group of conservatives has begun circu-
lating a ballot initiative to overturn it.
Metsger doesn’t believe the group
has enough financial support to be suc-
cessful, saying, “We worked really hard
to get consensus on this bill and busi-
ness doesn’t want to put money to over-
turn something that is a job creator.”
Still, he asked union leaders to be
aware of the recall effort and to be ready
to take action should it make the ballot.
Garrett said that when passing the
transportation package lawmakers spec-
ified 37 projects they wanted funded.
Those projects are spread throughout
the state.
However, the massive Columbia
River Crossing (CRC) bridge project is-
n’t among them. Garrett doesn’t foresee
construction on a bridge until 2012 —
and that’s only if everything falls into
place as anticipated.
“It’s a very complex, very noisy
process that will take a very long time,”
he said.
Garrett said agencies involved in the
CRC are working to secure $750 to
is an issue of community choice. I’m
not locked in either way.”
Later, with an edge in his voice, Wu
told delegates that he will oppose the
Gorge casino “to my dying day, be-
cause I think it is the wrong thing for
Oregon. It is the wrong thing for the
crown jewel of
our natural her-
itage.”
The six-term
congressman
said there are
plenty of con-
struction proj-
ects that he does
support and has
supported.
“We
can
build at OHSU
Health
R EP . D AVID W U (Oregon
and Science
University), we
can build at Pio-
neer Courthouse Square, we can get the
Columbia Crossing done,” he said. “I
stood up for community college proj-
ects all around the state when it was not
popular to pass bond measures. I will
continue to do that because I think it is
the right thing to do.”
“I told you, I’m happy to represent
majority opinion on LNG. Please go out
there and change folks’ minds. And if
you can’t, then put it in your own back-
yard.”
In other convention business, OS-
BCTC named State Rep. Mike Schau-
fler, (D-Happy Valley), its “Legislator
of the Year” and gave Sen. Metsger its
“Oregon’s Chief Job Builder Award.”
State Rep. Jules Kopel-Bailey, (D-Port-
land), received the Focused Energy
Award.
Delegates passed three resolutions.
One continues a $2 per member per
month assessment to fund Oregonians
to Maintain Community Standards to
promote union construction workers
and lobby for and against legislation
and ballot measures that protect or harm
cal 88 President Becky Steward and union workers.
Another resolutions prohibits a
Vice President Michael Hanna. “Your
union
local or joint council from affili-
recent decision to approve raises for
two of your staff members … is a break
in faith with Local 88 and all employ-
ees who took a wage freeze.”
Steward told the Labor Press she
doesn’t regret making the deal — 80 to
90 jobs have been saved because of the
(International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X)
Established in 1900 at Portland, Oregon
wage freeze. Her only regret is that
as a voice of the labor movement.
Wheeler didn’t stick to it, and she’s
4275 NE Halsey St., P.O. Box 13150,
hoping he’ll make it right.
Portland, Ore. 97213
$800 million specific to the transit side,
and $400 million on the highway side.
“And we’re going to toll the bridge,” he
acknowledged. “Without tolls, you
don’t have a bridge. The math does not
work.”
Two large private projects that the
building trades coun-
cil supports again got
push-back from
Congressman David
Wu. The projects are
the proposed Warm
Springs tribal casino
in the Columbia
Gorge, and the pro-
posed liquefied natu-
ral gas terminal at
Bradwood Landing
on the Columbia
River near Astoria.
U.S.
Construction trades
unions already have
a project labor agree-
ment in place for the casino work, and
would likely obtain a work agreement
for the LNG terminal.
“If I thought it (LNG) was an eco-
nomic savior and had no safety con-
cerns, I’d be for it,” Wu explained. “If I
thought it was a really dangerous public
health or public safety concern, I’d be
against it. I don’t see it as either one of
those. There’s legitimate positions on
either side of the issue.”
Wu said he is basing his opposition
on a September 2008 measure in which
Clatsop County residents voted by a 68
percent margin to prohibit gas pipelines
from running through county land
zoned for parks, recreation and open
space.
“If you can change the folks’ minds
of Clatsop County, I would be happy to
help build that facility,” Wu said. “This
‘I will oppose the
Gorge casino to
my dying day,
because I think it
is the wrong thing
for Oregon.’
Management raises at Multnomah
County irks AFSCME Local 88
So much for shared sacrifice. In
March, Multnomah County workers
represented by AFSCME Local 88
agreed to freeze their own wages in or-
der to prevent cuts in services and lay-
offs to their coworkers. Other unions
followed suit. As part of the deal,
county leaders agreed that manage-
ment would get no raises either. But on
July 1, two of Multnomah County chair
Ted Wheeler’s own staff got raises:
chief of staff Tom Rinehart got an
$8,000-a-year raise, to $93,000, and
chief of operations Janna McClellan
got a $10,000-a- year raise, to
$120,000.
When word got out, union members
— and other managers — were pretty
unhappy.
Local 88 published an open letter to
Wheeler, calling on him to retract the
salary increases and apologize to work-
ers.
“Local 88 members supported the
freeze based on the understanding that
this was a shared sacrifice,” wrote Lo-
ating with the OSBCTC unless that lo-
cal’s international union is affiliated
with the National Building and Con-
struction Trades Department.
The third resolution calls on the En-
vironmental Protection Agency to cre-
ate a sub-category for operations that
rely on limestone containing naturally
high levels of mercury. The resolution
is aimed at protecting Ash Grove Ce-
ment Company, a union employer in
Durkee, which could be forced to close
because the limestone it extracts to
make portland cement has mercury
emission levels higher than currently al-
lowed under the federal Clean Air Act.
Ash Grove is the largest private em-
ployer in Baker County. Creating the
sub-category would result in compli-
ance under the act and, according to the
resolution, “avoids sending American
jobs off shore to countries with little or
no concern for mercury emissions.”
Delegates re-elected John Endicott
of Plumbers and Fitters Local 290 as
president of the council, and Bob
Shiprack of IBEW Local 48, as execu-
tive secretary. Also re-elected were:
Vice President Calvin McKinnis of
Plasterers Local 82; Guard Clif Davis
b h
m k
of IBEW Local 48; Conductor Bud
Bartunek of Painters and Allied Trades
District Council 5; Trustees Kevin
Jensen, Iron Workers Local 29; Len
Phillips, Sheet Metal Workers Local 16;
Stan Danielson, Insulators Local 36;
Keith Wright, Bricklayers and Allied
Craftworkers Local 1; Brett Hinsley,
Cement Masons Local 555; Mike
Thompson, Roofers Local 49; and Jeff
Gritz, Laborers Local 121. Elected to
the Executive Board were Pat Smith of
Lane, Coos, Curry, Douglas BCTC;
Mike Klem of Southern Oregon BCTC;
John Mohlis of Columbia Pacific
BCTC; Dale Dickson of Central Ore-
gon BCTC; Joe Bowers of Salem
BCTC; and Bob Vandecar of Pendleton
BCTC.
A $750 scholarship funded by Fer-
guson Wellman Capital Management
went to Elaine Deatley, daughter of Ce-
ment Masons Local 555 member Craig
Deatley of Portland. Elaine will attend
the University of Puget Sound.
A $500 scholarship went to Sam
King of Cottage Grove. He is the son of
Michael King, a member of Plumb-ers
and Fitters Local 290. Sam is a fresh-
man at Stanford University.
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AUGUST 21, 2009