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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2011)
April 15, 2011:NWLP Inside 4/12/11 10:17 AM Page 1 Workers Memorial Day Edition See Page 6 Volume 112 Number 8 April 15, 2011 Portland Thousands gather in Pacific Northwest for ‘We Are One’ rallies and to honor Dr. King Plans to sharply curtail collective bargaining for public employees have generated a political backlash as hundreds of thousands of working people massed in more than 1,000 cities April 2- 8 to rally, leaflet, and march for workers’ rights. Most of the events took place April 4 in commemoration of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., who was killed 43 years ago while supporting striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee. Union workers are tired of being scapegoats for the dismal state of the economy while Wall Street executives, bankers and their corporate allies — the ones who actually caused the financial crisis — go unscathed, raking in billions in profits and bonuses. Many of the GOP politicians elected last November were supported financially by the super rich, and union officials are convinced their agenda is to bust all unions. At rallies in downtown Portland April 4 (top left) and in Blaine, Washington April 2 (top center), Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain said union members today are walking the same path that Dr. King and Rosa Parks walked decades ago when they fought for civil rights. Nearly 1,000 people attended the Portland event, while an estimated 2,000 gathered at Peace Arch State Park at the U.S.-Canadian border for an international solidarity rally. One of the largest turnouts in the country was April 8 in Olympia, where some 10,000 union members flooded the steps of the State Capitol to urge lawmakers to close tax loopholes instead of cutting back on public services (photo right). A keynote speaker was Wisconsin Democratic state Sen. Spencer Coggs, one of the “Wisconsin 14” who left the state to try to slow Gov. Scott Walker’s move to gut collective bargaining rights for public-sector workers. The day before, 17 protesters from SEIU Healthcare were arrested after trying to get into Gov. Chris Gregoire’s office to protest her proposed budget cuts. (Photos by Michael Gutwig, Tom Traphagen, and David Groves.) Dosha salon employees join Communications Workers #7901 Dosha Salon and Spa has become the first local business of its kind to unionize. In ballots counted March 30, hair stylists, massage therapists, nail and makeup specialists and other workers at the company’s four locations voted 79 to 66 to be represented by Portland- based Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7901. Later that night, union supporters celebrated at a downtown Portland restaurant. Winning the union election is the first hurdle. Now employees pre- pare to bargain a first-ever contract with their employer. At their first official union meeting that Sunday, about a quarter of Dosha’s union-eligible workforce turned out, several with small children. Some in at- tendance had voted against unionizing. But union supporters have been reach- ing out, hoping the 66 co-workers who voted “no” will participate in the con- tract bargaining process. Meetings like this may dispel some of their fears about unionizing — like the idea that a union would be an outside party im- posing terms on workers. The lively discussion by Dosha employees of what bargaining proposals to consider made it clear the campaign didn’t be- long to Local 7901 President Madelyn Elder or organizer Joe Crane, but to the Dosha workers themselves. Judging by the issues they raised, they won’t be asking for the moon. Guaranteed pension? Fully-paid full- family health care? No, Dosha workers expressed more modest aims, like di- rect deposit of their paycheck and an end to having to pay $150 for their own training on Aveda products. [Dosha co- (Turn to Page 8) Unions to remember fallen workers April 28 SALEM — The Oregon AFL-CIO will hold a memorial service at the Fallen Workers Memorial at noon Thursday, April 28 —Workers Memo- rial Day. The Fallen Workers Memo- rial is located on the Capitol Mall near the main entrance of the Labor and In- dustries Building, 350 Winter St. NE. Secretary of State Kate Brown and State Treasurer Ted Wheeler will read the names of the 39 Oregon workers who died on the job in 2010, as well as the seven Oregon soldiers killed in mil- itary duty last year. (A list of names ap- pears on Page 6 of this issue.) Michael Wood, administrator of the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration, will be the keynote speaker, and a proclamation will be read from the governor’s office declaring April 28 as Workers Memorial Day. The Oregon AFL-CIO also is ask- ing union members to make arrange- ments with their employers to observe a moment of silence that day. On Monday, April 25, the North- west Oregon Labor Council will hold a memorial service at its monthly dele- gates’ meeting. The service will in- clude a presentation of colors by the Oregon Military Funeral Honors Pro- gram. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the IBEW Local 48 Hall, 15937 NE Airport Way, Portland. Workers Memorial Day was en- acted by the AFL-CIO in 1989 to re- member those killed or injured on the job. April 28 was chosen because it is the anniversary of the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Ad- ministration and the day of a similar re- membrance in Canada. Outside the National Labor Relations Board office March 30, Dosha employees celebrate the news that their union is supported by a majority of their co-workers. In the center is CWA organizer Joe Crane.
