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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (May 20, 2011)
May 20, 2011_nWLP 5/17/11 9:34 aM Page 7 Unions for Kids poker run asks for one hour of pay To The Editor: If there is one thing that I have learned in the last 14 years working with union people, it is that they care about their community. For the past eight years union members have stepped up to support Doernbecher Children’s Hospital by participating in the Unions for Kids Motorcycle Poker Run. While we understand that these are challenging times, the Unions for Kids volunteer committee knows that we can count on our union members to come through once again. This year we are asking every union brother and sister to contribute just “one hour of pay” to this most deserv- ing of causes. The union organizations continue to be most generous, so with additional help from individual mem- bers we can really make a difference. Your tax deductible donation can be easily made online at www.unions- forkids.org, or by mailing it to: Unions for Kids, Attention: Lee Duncan, 17101 SE Royer Rd., Damascus, OR, 97089. Remember that 100 percent of the proceeds go to Doernbecher. Can you imagine how many kids will be helped? Please sign on and donate now, as time is running out. The 9th Annual Poker Run and Chili Cook-Off will be held on Satur- day, June 11, at IBEW Local 48’s union hall, 15937 NE Airport Way, Portland. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. For more information on activities and opportunities to donate, visit the website at www.unionsforkids.org. Barbara Mathey IBEW & United Workers FCU Portland O PEN F ORUM Consumers, voters can affect change To The Editor: As described in the May 6, 2011, is- sue of the Northwest Labor Press, capricious, destructive forces are hard at work to eliminate or circumvent our basic rights as citizens, much less workers, both locally and nationally. Bob Tiernan and his ilk make it clear that dignity and integrity have no place in management’s approach to la- bor relations. And Congressman Kurt Schrader appears driven by the idea that a bad trade deal is better than no trade deal. As consumers and voters, we really do have the power to make necessary changes. If a locally-owned company doesn’t know better than to associate with the likes of Mr. Tiernan, then con- sumers can quickly and directly ad- dress that problem with their wallets. If Congressman Schrader and oth- ers can’t/won’t distinguish between foreign governments asserting their sovereignty and foreign governments that have lower human and labor stan- dards than ours, then voters should show him the door if he won’t change his stance. Make no mistake brothers and sis- ters, giving money and votes to busi- nesses and politicians who don’t stand with us takes us one more step toward the creation of a slave state, where votes don’t matter and our rights as workers are commodified, then traded in back-room deals, without public knowledge or oversight, to a much greater degree than it’s happening now. Steve Weaser NALC Branch 82 Portland State offers free training for unemployed members SALEM — The Office of Adminis- trative Hearings is offering union locals special training to assist jobless mem- bers on the ins and outs of unemploy- ment insurance benefits hearings. With unemployment in the state hovering at 10 percent, the Office of Ad- ministrative Hearings has seen a spike in the number of requests for hearings. “The consequences of these hearings can be very significant,” said presiding administrative law judge David Ger- stenfeld. To help participants better under- stand the hearings process and be bet- ter able to present their case to an ad- ministrative law judge, the agency is offering special informational sessions. If your local is interested, call Ger- stenfeld at 503-612-4280. MAY 20, 2011 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 7
