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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 2009)
DEC-Holiday-2009 :Holiday Issue 12/15/09 9:47 AM Page 5 Oregon AFL-CIO issues early political endorsements in State House, Senate The Oregon AFL-CIO on Dec. 7 is- sued early endorsements in several leg- islative races that will take place in 2010. In the Oregon Senate, COPE (Com- mittee on Political Education) endorsed Democrats Peter Courtney, Richard Devlin, Suzanne Bonamici, Floyd Prozanski, Rod Monroe, Chip Shields, Brent Barton and Lee Beyer. Shields and Barton served in the House of Rep- resentatives last session, where they both earned “Silver Medal” status from the AFL-CIO. Barton, of Clackamas, is running for the District 26 seat being vacated by Rick Metzger, and Shields was appointed earlier this year to fill the unexpired term of Margaret Carter in North Portland’s District 22. Beyer is running in District 6 in the Eu- gene/Springfield area. He represented that area for 10 years, before being ap- pointed in 2001 to the Public Utility Commission. Early endorsements in the House went to Tina Kotek, Mike Schaufler, Brad Witt, Michael Dembrow, Dave Hunt, Paul Holvey, Tobias Read, Phil Barnhart, Jules Bailey, Peter Buckley, Chris Garrett, Terry Beyer, Judy Stiegler, Betty Komp, and Val Hoyle. Hoyle was appointed to Lane County’s House District 14 seat earlier this year after Rep. Chris Edwards was ap- pointed to fill the unexpired term of Sen. Vicki Walker, who left to take a state job. AFL-CIO President Tom Chamber- lain said more endorsements will be forthcoming, but in order for politicians Cook elected president of Letter Carriers Branch 82 Jim Cook has been elected presi- dent of the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 82. He de- feated Jim Baxter by a vote of 460- 442 in balloting counted Dec. 7. Current President L.C. Hansen did not seek re-election to the full-time post and is retiring. Cook served as Branch 82 presi- dent from 1988 to 1993, and from 1996 to 2001. In 1994 he ran unsuc- cessfully for safety director of the na- tional union, and in 1999 he was a candidate for president of the North- west Oregon Labor Council. Cook stepped down as president of DECEMBER 18, 2009 Branch 82 to give himself greater free- dom to be an activist for labor rights and other causes. He returned to his old carrier route, while remaining ac- tive as chair of the labor council’s La- bor History Committee, the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association, and in General Strike, a band that sings labor songs at picnics, picket lines and rallies. He retired from the U.S. Postal Service in 2007. Joining Cook as top officers of NALC Branch 82 are Kevin Card, secretary-treasurer, and Jerry Fitzsim- mons, vice president. Two-year terms begin Jan. 1, 2010. to be considered for an endorsement they must complete a questionnaire. Several incumbents with strong labor voting records in the past had yet to turn in their questionnaires prior to the Dec. 7 COPE meeting. One, State Rep. Mitch Greenlick of Portland, informed Chamberlain that he would not be filling one out. A founding member of American Federation of Teachers Local 3571 at Portland State University, Greenlick, in an e-mail to Chamberlain, said his past voting record should be enough for an endorsement. Greenlick was one of 17 representatives to receive “Silver Medal” status from the Oregon AFL-CIO last session. The top tier is a Gold Medal. “If my voting record for four terms does not provide you with sufficient in- formation about my attitude towards working men and women and my loy- alty to the cause, than I will have to suf- fer without your endorsement,” Green- lick wrote. A week later, Greenlick faxed Chamberlain a copy of an endorsement letter from Service Employees Local 503 noting that because of his past vot- ing record, he wasn’t required to fill out a questionnaire or be interviewed. “I am only asking that you do the same,” Greenlick wrote Chamberlain. That sparked a somewhat lengthy debate among the COPE Board relat- ing to the questionnaire stipulation. In the end, a motion passed reiterat- ing COPE’s policy requiring a com- pleted questionnaire in order to be con- sidered for a political endorsement. COPE will reconvene in March to consider additional endorsements, in- cluding the race for governor. NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS Q Quest Investment Management, Inc. • Serving Multi-Employer Multi-Employer Serving Trusts Twenty Years Trusts for for Over Twenty Years } Cam Johnson Cam Johnson Adrian Hamilton Adrian Hamilton Doug Goebel Doug Goebel Garth Nisbet Greg Sherwood Greg Sherwood Monte Johnson Monte Johnson Bill Zenk Bill Zenk Pat Worley One SW SW Columbia St., Suite 1100, Portland, OR 97258 One 1100 Portland, 503-221-0158 503-221-0158 www.QuestInvestment.com www.QuestInvestment.com PAGE 5
