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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2011)
Jan. 7, 2011:NWLP 1/4/11 9:59 AM Open Forum Rioting in streets won’t help cause To The Editor: In regard to the column written by Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain in the Dec. 17 edition of the Labor Press, I would like to make a few comments: Next year I will have been a union member for 50 years. I am retired now. I’ve also been a registered Democrat all my life. I believe in unions because they help the little people, but I think Mr. Chamberlain is way off base by hint- ing that people here should cause the kind of trouble that those nuts over in the U.K. and Europe are causing. Rioting in the streets does not help any cause, in my opinion. John Schell Bricklayers Local 1, Retired Portland Page 10 Thank you, Clackamas County To the Editor: As the head of an organization which represents 15,000 construction workers in the area, I recently attended a series of three public hearings at Clackamas County for a $5 vehicle registration fee to help pay for the replacement of the Sellwood Bridge. A now decrepit struc- ture built in 1925, the bridge forms a critical link in the region’s transportation system and serves as an economic life- line to many businesses in North Clackamas County and is critical for the future development of the area. Aside from the urgent need to re- place the bridge for safety reasons, there is also an opportunity to spur the county’s economy — both immediately with the construction phase and into the future by providing a viable transporta- tion path into prime undeveloped com- mercial and industrial property in the county. The hearings drew a crowd typical of the times, with those against point- ing out the bridge is outside Clackamas County and would add to existing auto registration fees. Those in favor of re- placement were quick to show the bridge lies only a mile outside the county line, but most of the traffic on it is to or from Clackamas County and the economic benefits to the whole county far outweighed the small cost. The price Actions of Kulongoski, Nesbitt irresponsible To The Editor: AFSCME's Ken Allen is absolutely right about Gov. Kulongoski’s attack on public workers as he heads out the door. It is very irresponsible, and it is especially appalling that Kulongoski’s sidekick in this attack is Tim Nesbitt, former president of the Oregon AFL- CIO and former officer of the Service Employees International Union. Dues- paying pubic workers paid Nesbitt’s salary for many years. What a shameful betrayal. I guess he misheard labor’s anthem all those years and was singing “Solidarity, whatever.” Michael Funke United Steelworkers Bend Top Laborers official responds to 9/11 bill (Statement of Terry O’Sullivan, gen- eral president of the Laborers’ Interna- tional Union of North America, follow- ing the passage and signing of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Com- pensation Act.) “President Obama’s signature caps off an incredible effort to make sure the men and women who helped America during some of her darkest hours, and sacrificed so much in the process, re- ceive the respect and support they de- serve. “Over 3,000 Laborers Union mem- bers were involved in the response and clean-up at the site of the World Trade Center. Many now suffer daily and face life-threatening illnesses due to expo- sure to toxins at Ground Zero. Helping them get the treatment they need is the right thing to do, and we are grateful to the leaders in Congress in both parties who worked until the last minute to make sure this bill became law. “This bill has been a priority of La- borers Union members for years. In re- cent weeks, they made call after call, and sent thousands of e-mails, to mem- bers of Congress in a successful effort to overcome an indefensible obstruc- tion campaign mounted by a handful of Senate Republicans. By keeping a spot- light on this important issue, they helped ensure success when many pre- dicted failure. “By helping these 9/11 heroes, we have shown that America will help those who help their country. This vic- tory should show all of us why we must continue fighting to support those who build our country.” NLRB proposes rule to inform more workers of their rights on the job WASHINGTON, D.C. (PAI) — The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) voted 3-1 on Dec. 22 to pro- pose a rule requiring businesses to post permanent workers’ rights notices. If approved, the permanent notices would inform workers of their rights to organize and bargain collectively, and to be free of illegal employer interfer- ence. The notices also would give ex- amples of labor law-breaking that com- panies should avoid. Companies with federal contracts now must post that notice with those details, the NLRB said. And the NLRB noted that employers must already post notices regarding federal wage, job safety and anti-discrimination laws. “The intended effects of this action are to increase knowledge of the PAGE 10 NLRA (National Labor Relations Act) among employees, to better enable the exercise of rights under the statute, and to promote statutory compliance by employers and unions,” the Board said. “Private-sector employers, includ- ing labor organizations, whose work- places fall under the NLRA would be required to post the employee rights notice where other workplace notices are typically posted. If an employer communicates with employees prima- rily by e-mail or other electronic means, the notice would be posted electronically as well,” the NRLB added. Employers who knowingly refuse to post the notices would be guilty of an unfair labor practice, but would face no penalties. The Board’s proposal is far from the last word on the issue. The NLRB opened the rule for public comment un- til Feb. 22. The dissenter on the deci- sion, former Republican Senate Labor Committee staffer Brian Hayes, said the agency “lacked the statutory au- thority” to even propose the notice- posting rule. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka called the proposal “a com- mon-sense policy needed in today’s workplace. Every working person de- serves to know his or her rights ... It is necessary in the face of widespread misunderstanding about the law and many workers’ justified fear of exercis- ing their rights under it.” NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS of a cup of coffee a year, as one person put it. Torn between two responsibilities, commissioners voted 4-0 in favor and added a resolution that, among other things, caps the amount to be con- tributed ($22 million), confines the pur- pose (Sellwood Bridge replacement only), and requires labor and materials to be as locally sourced as legally pos- sible. E E FR The Columbia Pacific Building and Construction Trades Trades Council supports the decision by the commis- sioners to pass the vehicle registration fee and congratulates them for the at- tending resolution limiting the cost and intent while creating thousand of jobs. Paul Riggs Secretary-Treasurer CPBCTC Portland BARGAIN COUNTER Free classified ads to subscribers DEADLINE: Friday prior to publication Published 1st and 3rd Fridays Now accepting e-mails Send to: Michael492@comcast.net Mail to: NWLP, PO Box 13150, Portland OR 97213 (Please include union affiliation) • 15-20 words • No commercial or business ads • 1 ad per issue • All lower case (NO CAPITAL LETTERS, PLEASE) • Ads MUST include area code or they will not be published A UTOMOTIVE 1982-3 XT YAMAHA front end, rear and front wheels with brakes, axles, frame, 650 Triumph gaskets, TT pipes. 503-623-8873 Dallas Ore. ’86 BMC SUBURBAN, 4x4, lifted, rebuilt 454 fuel injected, new tires, barn doors, all or parts, $1,000. 503-437-1890 ’47 CHEV 4dr, $2,000; ’52 Ford 4dr, $4,000. 503-289-0066 (Ed, Sr.) trailer, air, newer tires, no leaks or bad floor, excellent shape, $2,500. 503-852-6791 M ISCELLANEOUS GENERATOR TRANSFER switches, 200 amp, 60 amp, or 30 amp, transfer panel, reasonable. 503-324-3941 AIR COMPRESSOR, Ingersoll T-30, 5hr S. phs, vertical, like new w/new single ph motor, $1,450. 503-643-6897 H OUSING LINCOLN CITY vacation rental, 3 bdrm, 2 bath, $90/night, sleeps 8, 2 blocks to beach, 4 blocks to casino. 503-804-7976 ROCKAWAY ocean front 503-777-5076 http://home.comcast.net/~rockaway.beach 5 bdrms, 2 bath, call for winter special! 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BANDON, OR vacation rental, 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 blocks to beach, $150/night. 541- 391-9918 S PORTING G OODS 30-FOOT 1976 HOLIDAY RAMBLER W ANTED JUNK CARS, cash for some, removal of unwanted cars and pickups. 503-314-8600 OLD WOODWORKING tools, planes, lev- els, chisels, handsaws, slicks, adzes, wrenches, folding rulers, leather tools, tool chests. 503-659-0009 MOTORCYCLES street, dirt, parts, maga- zines, cash paid. 503-880-8183 COLLECTOR PAYS cash for older toys, oil paintings, art pottery, taxco silver and unique items. 503-703-5952 SILVER COINS, US and Canadian, union brother collector pays top money for all small amounts. 503-806-6287 US, GERMAN, Japanese military items, hats, uniforms, medals, rifles, pistols, flags, etc, Civil War to Vietnam. 503-852-6791 JANUARY 7, 2011
