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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 20, 2010)
Aug. 20, 2010:NWLP 8/17/10 10:49 AM Page 9 I-5 Bridge Sponsors Council favors 10-lane span Labor, business, and environmental leaders applauded a unanimous vote by the Columbia River Crossing Proj- ect Sponsors Council to replace the aging Interstate 5 bridge between Ore- gon and Washington with a new 10- lane span. The bistate Project Sponsors Coun- cil is comprised of 11 public officials, including representatives of governors from Oregon and Washington, and mayors from Portland and Vancouver. From the outset it has been imperative that all parties agree on the project de- sign in order to secure funding from the federal government. Project plan- ners expect to pay for the bridge proj- ect from three sources — the federal government, the two states, and a bridge toll. In March 2009 the Project Spon- sors Council unanimously approved a 12-lane replacement bridge that in- cluded six through lanes (three lanes in Transit Union files charge against TriMet Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757 is accusing TriMet of violating the state’s Public Em- ployee Collective Bargaining Act. In an unfair labor practice charge filed Aug. 10, the union says TriMet bargained in bad faith when it submitted new issues in its final offer. “TriMet proposed new take- aways that were not brought for- ward during bargaining,” explains the Local 757 web site. “There- fore, the union is requesting that the parties return to the bargaining table before arbitration.” After bargaining since October 2009, the two sides declared im- passe July 13, and presented final offers July 20. Under a new law that prevents transit district em- ployees from striking, contracts are settled by binding arbitration when the two sides cannot reach agreement. each direction) and three lanes in each direction to connect interchanges in a five-mile area, a light rail line, and lanes for bicycles and pedestrians. La- bor unions supported this plan, but en- vironmental and neighborhood groups balked at the size and cost ($4.2 bil- lion), causing some members of the Sponsors Council to change their minds. [The vetting process actually started in 2005 with a 39-member task force. The group met regularly over several years and held numerous pub- lic hearings before boiling down a list of proposals to five — including doing nothing. In the end, the task force rec- ommended a 12-lane replacement bridge to the Sponsors Council.] In March 2010, the Sponsors Coun- cil brought together key players to re- solve their differences. As that was go- ing on, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire convened an Independent Review Panel in April to ensure that key proj- ect study assumptions and methods were reasonable for the project. It also was in April that U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, (D-WA), told union offi- cials that if political consensus wasn’t reached soon, the bridge project would be left out of the 2010-2016 highway reauthorization bill, which was under discussion. Murray sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee and chairs the Transportation Subcommittee, which means she has significant influ- ence on funding for the project. “If I don’t have agreement about what it’s going to look like, we’re go- ing to miss out for probably the next six or eight years before we’ll be able to ask for federal funds for that,” she said. On Aug. 9, a new recommendation calling for a bridge that can accommo- date up to 10 lanes with a new design for a Hayden Island interchange passed the Sponsors Council, again by unanimous vote. The estimated cost for the scaled-back version is between $2.6 and $3.6 billion, In a joint press release, Tom Cham- berlain, president of the Oregon AFL- CIO; Ryan Deckert, president of the Oregon Business Association; and Jon Isaacs, executive director of the Ore- gon League of Conservation Voters, said the new proposal balances the needs and concerns of a diverse group. “Its thoughtful consideration of con- cerns that have been brought up throughout the process has resulted in a broad base of support that should successfully carry it through to com- pletion,” they said. “It is vital, though, that we act quickly. We have had suffi- cient years of study and enough pro- posals to know what will work for our communities and our region as a whole. Now we need to approve a plan and get people to work.” The project is projected to create 27,000 jobs over the next 10 years. Zachary Zabinsky • Social Security • SSI - Disability Claims Personal Attention To Every Case Working For Disability Rights Since 1983 NO FEE WITHOUT RECOVERY 621 SW Morrison, Portland 503-223-8517 AUGUST 20, 2010 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 9
