Inside
MEETING NOTICES
See
Page 14
Volume 112
Number 17
September 2, 2011
Portland, Oregon
For working people, cost of 9/11 attacks is incalculable
By DON McINTOSH
Associate Editor
This coming Sept. 11 will mark the
10-year anniversary of the worst act of
terrorism ever to take place on U.S.
soil.
On Sept. 11, 2001, 19 attackers used
martial arts, box cutters, and pilot train-
ing to hijack four passenger jets. They
piloted two into the Twin Towers of the
World Trade Center, and one into the
Pentagon. The fourth crashed in
Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after pas-
sengers learned what was happening
and fought back.
The day proved to pivotal in many
ways for working people and union
members: It ushered in an economic re-
cession, justified a decade of war, and
contributed to a wage rollback in the
airline industry from which workers
have yet to recover.
The first victims of the attacks were
passengers and flight crews, workers at
the World Trade Center and the Penta-
gon, and fire fighters, police, and para-
medics who were on the scene when
the towers collapsed: 2,977 in all. The
19 hijackers also died in the attacks.
The attacks precipitated a swift eco-
nomic contraction. Sales of flags and
patriotic decals soared, but in the im-
mediate aftermath, Americans were in
no mood for shopping or entertain-
ment.
The travel and hospitality sectors
took an especially hard short-term hit.
All flights were grounded for several
days, and anxiety about further attacks
kept people from flying.
Among the first to lose their jobs
were the 1,000 security guards, clean-
ers, janitors, tour guides, window
washers and day porters employed at
the World Trade Center — members of
Service Employees International Union
(SEIU).
Pilots, flight attendants, ground
crews, and ticket agents were next:
Over 100,000 were laid off over the
next month.
Facing devastation in the airline in-
dustry, Congress acted swiftly — to
protect the airlines, not the workers.
Sept. 21 — 10 days after the attacks,
Congress passed a bailout bill provid-
ing $5 billion in grants and up to $10
billion in loan guarantees to the air-
lines. An equivalent bill — to provide
extra jobless benefits, subsidies for
health insurance purchases, and re-
training aid for the airline workers —
died Oct. 11 with a Republican fili-
buster in the Senate.
(Turn to Page 25)
Congressional candidates
pitch the building trades
Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian (center) and State Rep. Brad Witt (seated), Democratic candidates for Oregon’s
1st Congressional District, share a laugh during a candidates forum Aug. 25 at the Oregon State Building and
Construction Trades Council convention. Standing to the right is OSBCTC President John Endicott and behind Witt
is OSBCTC Executive Secretary John Mohlis. The building trades council took no action in the primary, which will
be held Nov. 8. The victor will challenge the winner of the Republican primary in a special election to succeed David
Wu, who resigned mid-term.
GLENEDEN BEACH — Construc-
tion unions celebrated the 50th conven-
tion of the Oregon State Building and
Construction Trades Council Aug. 24-
26 at Salishan Spa and Golf Resort on
the Oregon coast.
A highlight of the conference was a
forum for candidates running in a spe-
cial Democratic primary election Nov. 8
in Oregon’s 1st Congressional District.
The victor will challenge the winner of
the Republican primary in an election to
succeed David Wu, who resigned mid-
term.
Three Democrats were invited to
speak — State Rep. Brad Witt of
Clatskanie, Oregon Labor Commis-
sioner Brad Avakian, and State Sen.
Suzanne Bonamici of Beaverton.
Bonamici canceled at the last minute cit-
ing a scheduling conflict.
Both Avakian and Witt came court-
ing an endorsement from the building
trades council. With roughly 52,000
union members in the 1st District, labor
can determine the winner if they show
up to the polls. But after listening to both
candidates make presentations and field
questions, the council didn’t endorse ei-
ther one. In an executive session at the
end of the convention, a motion to en-
dorse Witt failed to gather a two-thirds
majority vote, resulting in a no action.
In their presentations to the 50 regis-
tered delegates and 38 guests, both Witt
and Avakian vowed to be labor’s advo-
cate in Congress. Both said job creation
would be their top priority, in particular,
securing funds to improve the nation’s
infrastructure — including construction
of the Columbia River Crossing re-
placement bridge on Interstate 5.
In response to a question asking for
three things they have done to help the
building trades, Witt noted his co-spon-
sorship of House Bill 2700, a linear
projects bill that was the council’s top
priority in the last Legislature, his sup-
port of Bradwood Landing’s liquefied
(Turn to Page 3)