...ATU under siege at TriMet
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Duke Shepard, labor liaison for Gov.
John Kitzhaber, confirmed to Lehrbach
that the governor doesn’t plan to reap-
point him. The plan is instead to re-
place Lehrbach with Gresham small
business consultant Travis Stovall. If
so, that would leave the seven-member
Board with no representative of organ-
ized labor. Oregon statute doesn’t man-
date a labor seat on transit district
boards, but it’s customary to have at
least one.
On Jan. 23, the Northwest Oregon
Labor Council Executive Board di-
rected that a letter be sent to Kitzhaber,
asking for Lehrbach to be retained.
Barring that, union officials would like
the Board to continue to have a repre-
sentative from organized labor.
Lehrbach said TriMet Board mem-
bers typically serve two terms, and he’d
like to serve a second four-year term.
“They’re within their rights,” says
Local 757 lobbyist Jim Markee, “but
we’re somewhat disappointed in the
governor’s office that they would
choose to remove the labor person on
the Board.”
For his part, Lehrbach says he
serves at Kitzhaber’s pleasure but asks
FEBRUARY 3, 2012
that if he be replaced, he at least get a
phone call from the governor himself.
[The governor’s office also plans to
appoint Bruce Warner to replace Board
chair Richard Van Beveren, whose term
expires Feb. 24. Warner is a former ex-
ecutive director of the Portland Devel-
opment Commission and of the Oregon
Department of Transportation.]
Local 757 represents 2,000 bus and
rail operators, mechanics, and support
staff at TriMet. They’ve been without a
contract since Nov. 30, 2009. But the
union is defending its members’ rights
through legal action.
Markee was able to win a change in
state law in 2007 putting public transit
workers into the category of public em-
ployees who are barred from striking
— but who may resolve contracts
through binding arbitration instead.
Under binding arbitration, a neutral ar-
bitrator picks whichever side’s final of-
fer is more reasonable.
But that process has been delayed
many months by legal charges the
union filed with the state Employment
Relations Board (ERB). ERB adminis-
ters the state’s Public Employee Col-
lective Bargaining Act, and in Septem-
ber, it agreed with Local 757 that
TriMet wrongfully submitted a final of-
fer to the arbitrator that was different
from the final offer it had presented to
the union in mediation.
In a separate case, still pending, Lo-
cal 757 charges that TriMet unlawfully
denied cost of living increases and be-
gan deducting health insurance contri-
butions from employee paychecks —
without bargaining. TriMet’s union
workers until then didn’t have to pay
directly out of pocket for health insur-
ance — something which used to be
standard for workers. Total premiums
are now $1,500 a month.
Meanwhile, Hunt and others at Lo-
cal 757 are concerned TriMet may try
to change the law that requires binding
arbitration. In a Jan. 16 editorial that
Hunt says might as well have been
written by TriMet management, the
Oregonian editorial board warned that
what the Legislature gives, it can take
away. Markee, the Local 757 lobbyist,
said TriMet tried unsuccessfully to get
a pre-session committee hearing about
it. Fetsch, the agency spokesperson,
said TriMet doesn’t intend to pursue
such legislation in the February 2012
short session.
As for the long-awaited arbitration,
Hunt said it could begin as early as
March.
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
IBEW #48’s Gilliam saves life of
choking colleague using Heimlich
happened,” said Gilliam.
The IBEW Local 48 Safety
Gilliam, Parker and Minor
Committee presented member
proceeded to tell him the
Kim Gilliam with a special life-
whole story.
saving recognition award at the
Tokuhisa
was
Jan. 25 general membership
taken to the nurse’s
union meeting.
station, then sent to
Gilliam, a general fore-
his doctor for a
man for EC Company, is
c o m p l e t e
credited with saving the
checkup. He is
life of union brother War-
fully recovered.
ren Tokuhisa on Nov. 7.
Gilliam told
The two were eating
the Labor Press the
lunch in the general fore-
Heimlich maneuver
man’s trailer at Intel when
was fresh in his mind
Tokuhisa began choking on
K IM G ILLIAM
because two weeks
a bagel after taking a drink
earlier EC Company had conducted
of juice.
“He started choking really hard, one of its regular first aid classes for
then he slumped over and his head foremen.
Gilliam has been a member of
hit the table,” said Gilliam, who
yelled out to two other general fore- Local 48 for 28 years, starting as an
men — Local 48 members Dave apprentice in 1984. He has worked
Parker and Allan Minor — eating for EC Company since 1991.
For his lifesaving efforts, Gilliam
lunch in the trailer.
Gilliam then picked Tokuhisa off received a $200 gift certificate for
his chair and immediately began ad- Carhartt gear from Local 48’s Safety
ministering the Heimlich maneuver Committee, and during their weekly
in an effort to clear his airway. On safety meeting at Intel, Hoffman
the second thrust, a chunk of bagel Construction presented him with a
jacket in front of the entire 2,000
dislodged from Tokuhisa’s throat.
“He came right to and asked what person workforce.
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