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