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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 2012)
Free work-themed comedy show in Portland Feb. 19 Who’s On Our Side? By Tom Chamberlain M any, including myself, will look back on the compromises made to reauthorize the Federal Avi- ation Administration (FAA), includ- ing a provision that makes it more difficult for a worker to join a union, as another example of the old idiom: “Democrats love unions at election time but are more than willing to throw workers under the bus be- tween elections.” Time after time, some Democrats have been quick to ignore workers and the unions that represent them. The failure of the U.S. Congressional Democrats to prioritize the Employee Free Choice Act in 2010 is the perfect example. While many Democrats are, at best, passive on our issues, the alter- natives can be far worse. If you dis- agree, you haven’t been watching the 2012 Republican presidential de- bates. The candidates all seem to be running on platforms that would decimate unions as we know them, reminiscent of the anti-union legisla- tion that has been passed or intro- duced in state after state. Given the choice between back- ing out of the political process and letting these candidates destroy the middle class, I’ll take the passive supporters. But there is another option. Truth be told, I don’t care about political party. I only care whether or not a candidate supports workers, believes that workers have an unfet- tered right to choose to join a union, and understands that the wealth im- balance between the 1% and the 99ers is destroying the middle class and pushing the poor to the brink. There are politicians who care. U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D- Ore.) is one of them. When he served in the Oregon Legislature he not only supported workers, he was a champion. As speaker of the Ore- gon House in 2007, he ushered through the most progressive work- ers’ agenda in the nation. As a U.S. senator, Merkley has become an even stronger advocate for workers, and he and his staff regularly com- municate with workers in Oregon. I cannot think of a major issue that impacts workers — whether it is trade, implementing or removing tariffs, or the recent FAA budget, where I haven’t received a call from Sen. Merkley or his staff asking for our input in his decision making process. Congressmen Earl Blume- nauer, Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader maintain similar relation- ships with Oregon workers. Sen. Merkley’s honesty and re- spect for Oregon workers is clear. What he tells you in Oregon is re- flected in his positions and votes in Washington, D.C. When he voted against the FAA budget because it degraded workers’ rights, he went against U.S. Senate Democratic leadership. He went against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and stood up for workers’ rights. His po- sition took courage and a deep- seated belief that workers aren’t bar- gaining chips in a high stakes politi- cal poker game. To elect more Jeff Merkleys, we cannot afford to endorse candidates based solely on a political party. We must look at candidates’ history and their positions. When candidates re- fuse to state, on the record, their po- sition on workers’ issues, they do not deserve our endorsements. Last November I was reading questionnaires from candidates in House District 36. One candidate answered the bulk of the questions with “yes” or “no” responses. While her responses weren’t anti-worker, they lacked commitment. Her oppo- nent, Jennifer Williamson, wrote elaborate answers and committed to sponsor key bills. Williamson’s commitment to workers was evident. As union members, our endorse- ments and our political campaigns are often the margin of victory in close races. We must support pro- worker candidates and hold elected officials accountable, not just for their votes, but for the relationships they build with Oregon workers. The candidates who will be on our side will be ready to make the extra effort. Tom Chamberlain is president of the Oregon AFL-CIO. Washington State Labor Council backs Rep. Inslee for governor The early endorsement comes as Republican McKenna leads in the polls OLYMPIA — The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, has endorsed Democrats Jay Inslee for Washington governor, Bob Ferguson for attorney general, and Maria Cantwell for re-election as U.S. sena- tor. The decision to endorse was rati- fied by delegates to a Feb. 9 legisla- tive conference in Olympia, and comes quite early in the election cal- endar: Candidates won’t officially file for office until May 14, and the pri- mary is not until August. Washington has an open “top-two” primary, in which the top two vote-getters, re- gardless of party, advance to the No- vember general election ballot. Early action was taken because the stakes are high for statewide races, said WSLC spokesperson David PAGE 6 Groves, and because it’s clear who the candidates are. State Attorney General Rob McKenna is the only well-known Re- publican to have announced for gov- ernor, and several polls have shown him to be ahead of Inslee. Inslee, a seven-term congressman representing the First District (North of Seattle), has a lifetime COPE (Committee on Political Education) rating of 89 percent from the national AFL-CIO. [One area of disagree- ment: Inslee, like all of Washington’s Congressional delegation, is a free trader. He voted for NAFTA in 1993 and all but two NAFTA-style trade treaties since then.] He ran for Wash- ington governor once before, in 1996, and came in fifth in the Democratic primary. Chris Gregoire, Washington’s cur- rent governor, is not running for a third term. Gregoire is a Democrat. The race for Washington attorney general will be a match between two members of the King County Coun- cil: Ferguson, a Democrat; and Rea- gan Dunn, a Republican. Dunn, son of former Washington Congress- woman Jennifer Dunn, is named for then-California governor Ronald Rea- gan. Groves said the labor movement hasn’t always considered the attorney general’s office as a priority, but McKenna’s two-term tenure has shown what a labor opponent can do in that office: He joined a multi-state lawsuit seeking to overturn health care reform legislation signed into law in 2010 by President Obama and tried to block an automatic minimum wage increase that voters approved. Cantwell is not expected to have a tough time against her opponent, a one-term Republican state representa- tive from Eastern Washington. Groves said no Republican candi- dates accepted WSLC’s invitation to speak to delegates or returned WSLC’s candidate questionnaire. WSLC will decide further political endorsements at a convention in May. NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS In coordination with the new Work Connects Us All media campaign, the Oregon AFL-CIO is sponsoring a free comedy show Sunday, Feb. 19, at He- lium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th Ave., Portland. The show starts at 7 p.m. The national touring company Laughing Liberally and some of Port- land’s own local talent will joke about work, politics (and other topics that EE R F usually make you groan). Laughing Liberally features come- dians from Comedy Central (Negin Farsad), Showtime (Lee Camp), and MSNBC (Katie Halper). Admission is free, but you must be 21 or over to get in. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. For more information, call 503-232- 1195. BARGAIN COUNTER Free classified ads to subscribers DEADLINE: Friday prior to publication Published 1st and 3rd Fridays Now accepting e-mail Send to: Michael492@comcast.net Mail to: NWLP, PO Box 13150, Portland OR 97213 (Please include union affiliation) • 15-20 words • No commercial or business ads • 1 ad per issue • All lower case (NO CAPITAL LETTERS, PLEASE) • Ads MUST include area code or they will not be published A utomotive W Anted 2004 jay flight 5/W #28.5 RlS, well maintained, $16,500.00 obo. 503-646- 9802, ask for Ron haRley DaviDSon, fat Boy, 3k miles, many custom extras, 80" evo, 5spd, black, 1998, $9,995. 503-730-8967 ’06 lacRoSSe cxl all pwr steering wheel con- trols, dual climate, leather, onStar, remote start, maintenance records 74k $12,500. 360-835-9730 ’77 chev ¾ ton 4x4, new brakes, clutch kit, radiator, carb, & more 29,000 actual miles no damage $4,500. 503-618-1701 ’52 foRD 4DR, $2,500. 503-289-0066 ’93 Rv WinneBago ford 350, 27’, good shape, low miles, $15,000 obo. 360-991- 8747 ’94 gM DieSel short block, rebuilt, still on engine stand, $1,800 cash. 503-630-4177 olD WooDWoRKing tools, planes, levels, chisels, handsaws, slicks, adzes, wrenches, folding rulers, leather tools, tool chests. 503-659-0009 MotoRcycleS, scooters, quads, run- ning or not, riding lawnmowers,vWs, trac- tors, cash paid, will pick up. 503-880-8183 collectoR PayS cash for older toys, older oil paintings and older american art pottery. 503 703-5952 SilveR coinS, US and canadian, 1964 and older dimes, quarters, half-dollars and dollars for top silver prices. 503-806-6287 lifelong collectoR buying US and World coins to add to collection, paying fairly, any amount welcome. 503-939- 8835 U.S., geRMan, japanese military items, uniforms, hats, helmets, swords, daggers, bayonets, rifles, pistols. 503-852-6791 collectoR, cash paid for old fishing tackle, wood plugs, reels, creels, salmon fishing photos, etc 503-775-4166 Pay caSh for pre 1964 silver coins, and new american eagle dollars. 503-449- 0584 (Kenny) H ousing lincoln city vacation rental, 3 bdrm, 2 bath, $100/night, slps 8, wi-fi, 2 blocks to beach, 4 blocks to casino. 503-804-7976 RocKaWay ocean front, 503-777-5076, http://home.comcast.net/~rockaway.beach 5 bdrms/2 ba, call for Winter Special RocKaWay Beach rental, 3 bdrm, 2 bath, sleeps 10, jacuzzi, 5 min to beach and shops. vacationhomerentals.com/43026, ocean front avail Rent, 2 bdrm, 1 bth, W/D hookup, range, frig, microwave, dishwasher; n of foster on 92 across from Boys & girls club, $650mo. 503- 637-5361 s porting g oods MoDel ReMington 12 ga 2-03-12 poly choke vent rib red bead, factory installed, Bo or $800; 7 mm finnbear rifle w/4power leupold scope, sling and hard- case. 541-267-7940 FEBRUARY 17, 2012
