OCT. 15, 2010 :NWLP
10/12/10
10:03 AM
Oregon Labor Employment
Relations Association
Conference, Reception/Awards,
Annual Meeting
November 10, 2010
World Trade Center
121 SW Salmon Street, Portland, OR
The Conference (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
“The Good, The Bad, and
The Barely Satisfactory”
Employee and Management Performance in the Workplace
Speaker, author and employment attorney
Jathan Janove is presenting an interactive
workshop based on his popular book
“MANAGING TO STAY OUT OF COURT - How to
Avoid the 8 Deadly Sins of Mismanagement.”
Afternoon workshops feature union and man-
agement professionals covering topics includ-
ing: Performance Management” with person-
nel from Kaiser; “Employee Involvement in
Decision Making” featuring Partners In Con-
struction Cooperation; “Joint Training” with
speakers from PGE, and the “OHSU Labor Man-
agement Center.”
For registration information, contact
Bill Rector at 503-939-3421 or
email oregonlera@aol.com
Page 2
...Kitzhaber endorsed by most unions in Oregon
(From Page 1)
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire — to
see how they can get the project off the
ground quickly.
Both candidates also oppose build-
ing a new casino in the Columbia
Gorge, a project the building trades
have supported. Kitzhaber said he’s
been candid with trades unions about
why.
“I think being consistent is a value
that’s important,” Kitzhaber told the La-
bor Press. “I negotiated the contracts
with the sovereign Native American
tribes when I was governor, and we had
a couple of provisions: one casino per
tribe, and no casinos on after-acquired
land.”
HEALTH CARE
On health care, Kitzhaber wants to
reform delivery and rein in costs.
Kitzhaber is the architect of the Oregon
Health Plan, which attempts to stretch
federal Medicaid dollars to cover more
low-income Oregonians. Now he pro-
poses to pool 800,000 Oregonians —
Medicaid recipients and public employ-
ees and their dependents — into one de-
livery mechanism, which would save
money by focusing on prevention and
wellness and efficient management of
chronic health conditions.
PUBLIC SERVICES
On fiscal policy, Dudley says he
wants tax cuts for businesses and in-
vestors, but he says the state should
spend more money on higher education
— and put away 3 percent of its rev-
enues for a “rainy day.” How he would
manage to cut taxes, increase spending
and not borrow money is not explained.
He also proposes to privatize liquor
sales, and use alcohol taxes to fund
schools; Kitzhaber opposes that idea.
Kitzhaber wants a capital gains tax
cut too, but not an across-the-board one
as Dudley is advocating. Kitzhaber pro-
poses that proceeds from the sale of an
Oregon business not be taxed if they’re
used to buy another Oregon business
within a few years — not unlike the
way home sale proceeds aren’t taxed if
they’re used to purchase another home.
As governor, Kitzhaber required a
biennial tax expenditure report that tal-
lied the dollar value of each tax break,
and he told the Labor Press he’s in favor
of “sunsetting” tax breaks unless they’re
periodically reauthorized by the Legis-
lature.
To cushion against future state
budget shortfalls, Kitzhaber thinks the
state should not issue “kicker” tax re-
funds until a rainy day fund is filled.
Kitzhaber’s positions match labor’s
on a number of issues that have come
up in recent ballot measures and leg-
islative sessions. He said he supports the
establishment of a paid family leave
benefit; favors Buy America and Buy
Oregon requirements for state pur-
chases; defends the requirement to pay
prevailing wage on public construction
projects; and would support minimum
nurse-to-patient ratios in hospitals, as
long as the ratios are based on the qual-
ity of patient care. He doesn’t support
basing teacher pay on student test
scores. And he does not foresee taking
part in a regional cap-and-trade pro-
gram for regulating greenhouse gas
emissions.
There’s no equivalent information
on Dudley’s positions.
“We don’t know where he stands on
the issues,” said Oregon AFL-CIO Pres-
ident Tom Chamberlain. “That’s be-
cause he’s never given us the time of
day.” Unlike past Republican candi-
dates, Dudley never asked for union
support, declined to fill out question-
naires, and didn’t respond when unions
like the International Association of Fire
Fighters — which backs Republicans
more often than most unions — invited
him to discuss their issues.
“Kitzhaber, on other hand, has a
pretty deep history running the state,
and dealing with unions, in good times
and bad,” Chamberlain said. “It hasn’t
been all hearts and flowers. But John
has plan to move the state forward with
jobs, and that’s the crux of this elec-
tion.”
Unions fight Washington ballot measure to
privatize state’s workers’ compensation system
There’s a lot at stake on the Wash-
ington ballot this year, and the Wash-
ington State Labor Council — the
statewide body of the AFL-CIO — is
working to get the word out about ballot
measures that will impact workers.
Washington is the fourth most
unionized state in the country. The
roughly 400,000 members of WSLC-
affiliated unions can be a formidable
force politically.
For WSLC, the absolute top priori-
ties are returning Patty Murray to the
U.S. Senate, and defeating I-1082 — a
ballot initiative that would privatize
Washington’s workers’ compensation
system.
Initiative 1082 is funded by out-of-
state insurance companies and by the
anti-union Building Industry Associa-
tion of Washington. The measure asks
voters to privatize Washington’s work-
ers’ compensation system, which pays
workers’ medical bills and lost wages
when they are injured on the job. The
system is currently run by the state La-
(Turn to Page 8)
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PAGE 2
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
OCTOBER 15, 2010