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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 2012)
Inside Meeting Notices See Page 6 Volume 113 Number 1 Jan. 6, 2012 Portland, Oregon YEAR IN REVIEW: Top labor stories of 2011 Some of the more than three dozen volunteers at the Presents for Partners holiday party included from left to right: NOLC secretary Karen Carlson, LCSA Executive Director Vickie Burns, Santa Claus (played by Dave Williams of IBEW Local 48), Gina Whitlow of the IBEW and United Workers Federal Credit Union, and Thea Stayton and Becky Wright of the Portland Federation of School Professionals Local 111. The kids are Stirling and Vida Walker. Labor’s ‘Presents from Partners’ brightens the holidays for hundreds Labor’s Community Service Agency (LCSA) and the Northwest Oregon Labor Council held their an- nual “Presents from Partners” holi- day party for children of out-of- work union members Dec. 17 at the Sheet Metal Workers union hall in Northeast Portland. More than 300 kids — boys, girls, tweens, teens, and toddlers — participated, with each receiving four toys each, including some bicy- cles. Families also enjoyed a catered lunch and pictures with Santa Claus. Union organizations, members, unionized businesses and profes- sionals that work with unions do- nated toys and cash for the event, said LCSA Executive Director Mayda Mosqueda, 8, gets ready Vickie Burns. “The outpouring of support this to ride off on her new bicycle. She holiday season was a gift from and is the daughter of Javier for working people and organized Mosqueda, a member of Glass labor,” Burns said. “It was a display Workers Local 740. of solidarity, an inspiration, and a re- sounding success.” Leftover toys were donated to Toy & Joy and went to out-of-work mil- itary families. Those arrangements were made through LCSA’s contacts with Hire Oregon Vets and Oregon National Guard. By DON McINTOSH Associate Editor 2011 was Year Three of the Great Recession, but it may be remembered as Year One of the Great Fightback by working people. On Feb. 15 — four days after peace- ful demonstrations in Cairo toppled a dictator — an America uprising began, with mass protests at state capitols, starting in Madison, Wisconsin. On Sept. 17, the movement re-erupted, with an “Occupy Wall Street” protest in New York City that within two weeks had spread worldwide. If the mood is surlier than ever, it may be because the economy isn’t working out for working people. In the United States, official unemployment was at 8.6 percent in November, down just 1.2 percentage points from a year before. Bankers binged on mortgage- backed securities, but workers have suf- fered the resulting hangover. Continued U.S. joblessness is also brought on by a long-term offshoring of production. America’s trade deficit was topping $540 billion by year’s end — $40 billion more than 2010 — and polls say a majority of Americans think U.S. trade policy is broken. But Congress ratified three more NAFTA-style trade deals in October — with Korea, Panama, and Colombia. The treaties, negotiated in the Bush years, were pushed to a vote by President Obama. Meanwhile, wages are stagnant, reg- ular unleaded is selling for $3.25 a gal- lon, and health care is more expensive The “Spirit of Wisconsin” spread nationally, including this rally in Portland on Feb. 25, as workers fought to maintain their right to collective bargaining. than ever: Average annual premiums for employer-provided full family health insurance passed the $15,000 mark in 2011. Still, for organized labor, 2011 was a vindication. In Wisconsin, teachers struck, Democratic legislators fled, and crowds of up to 100,000 turned out — all to oppose a Republican governor’s plan to strip public workers of their union rights. “Collective bargaining” might have seemed an unlikely cause a year before, but by the end of February, pollsters were finding that 77 percent of Americans think public employees should have the same union rights as private sector workers. In a matter of weeks, the “Spirit of Wisconsin” spread to every state capitol, as Americans, mostly nonunion, turned out in solidar- ity with beleaguered unionists under the slogan “We are One” and “We are all Wisconsin.” By late October, “I am the 99 per- cent” had replaced those slogans as the mantra of a popular movement, and even tiny Mosier, Oregon, population 421, had an “occupation.” Campers around the country were mostly rousted by local police, but participants demon- strated a new appetite for disrupting (Turn to Page 9) AFL-CIO supports Bonamici in CD #1 Votes for early endorsement of Brad Avakian for labor commissioner Suzanne Bonamici, Democratic nominee in the special election con- gressional race in Oregon’s 1st District, has added several labor organizations to her list of endorsers. The special election to succeed Democrat David Wu, who resigned mid-term, is Jan. 31. Her opponent is tea party Republican Rob Cornilles. Bonamici’s latest labor endorsement came Dec. 16 from the Oregon AFL- CIO Committee on Political Education (COPE). The state labor federation rep- resents over 225,000 workers in Ore- gon, with 15,000 affiliated union mem- bers in the 1st District. Bonamici, a state senator from Beaverton, was the top vote-getter in a special primary election held last month. Her primary opponents were State Rep. Brad Witt and Labor Com- missioner Brad Avakian. Witt is a for- mer secretary-treasurer of the Oregon AFL-CIO and current union rep for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555. Both Brads have since en- dorsed Bonamici. AFL-CIO unions backing Bonam- ici include the Oregon State Fire Fight- ers Council; Oregon Nurses Associa- tion; Oregon School Employees Association (OSEA)-American Feder- ation of Teachers (AFT); Oregon AF- SCME Council 75; OSEA-AFT Local (Turn to Page 4)
