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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 2011)
When the 2011 National Football League season kicks off, the players on the field will again be members of the AFL-CIO. After negotiating a new con- tract and reconstituting their union, the National Football League Players Asso- ciation rejoined the federation. The NFLPA renounced its status as a union in March so the players could take ad- vantage of legal anti-trust action against the owners’ lockout. “It was the steadfast unity of our players and support from millions that allowed us to reach a fair deal,” said NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith. “We have a renewed sense of unity that we’re excited to bring to our reaffiliation with the AFL-CIO.” Labor Day is a special day set aside for workers. We offer best wishes for safe and prosperous times to our many friends in the labor movement. Columbia Pacific Building & Construction Trades Council Paul Riggs, Executive Secretary-treasurer 3535 SE 86th Portland, Ore. 97266 503 774-0546 Kaiser’s new Westside hospital helping to create union jobs Construction of the new Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro has been a shot in the arm to union workers in the Portland metro area. During a topping out cele- bration last March, Kaiser Per- manente Regional President Andy McCulloch described it as “our own little stimulus project here to help the econ- omy.” As of Labor Day, the Med- ical Center is two-thirds com- plete — ahead of schedule and under budget. Since breaking ground in June 2009, union members have logged over 818,154 hours of work. That equates to roughly $43 million in wages to local workers — money that ripples out into Portland’s economy. When completed in 2013, the $344 million project will have gen- erated over 2,000 construction jobs, and will create 1,000 new permanent, family wage jobs. The project currently has approximately 550 construc- tion workers on site each day. “The union labor forces collectively bring professional- ism and strong sense of pride to their work, helping us build at the highest quality level,” said Travis Baker, project di- rector for general contractor Andersen Construction. “As a part of our strong commitment to organized labor, we require every on-site worker at any of our construction projects to be a union member,” said Kaiser Permanente Project Manager Matthew Miller. Many of Kaiser Permanente’s regular employees are union members, too, represented by a variety of unions, in- cluding Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Profes- sionals, the Oregon Nurses Association, Service Employees International Union, United Food and Commercial Work- ers, and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. The Medical Center will open with 126 beds, but has room to grow to up to 240 beds. The hospital will offer emergency, general medical, maternity, and surgical care. Photos by Steve Cridland NFL Players Association rejoins national AFL-CIO Have a Great Labor Day Weekend! PAGE 16 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS SEPTEMBER 2, 2011
