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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (March 16, 2012)
O PEN F ORUM Kudos to AWPPW’s Sullivan for getting trade resolution passed To The Editor: I am writing to recognize the efforts that long-time labor activist and Asso- ciation of Western Pulp & Paper Work- ers (AWPPW) lobbyist Mike Sullivan put into passing an important fair trade resolution in the Oregon Legislature this session. Introduced by State Senators Chip Shields and Brian Boquist, Senate Me- morial 201 passed the session with overwhelming bipartisan support. The measure recognizes the severe damage caused to Oregon’s economy and its democracy by past trade policies like NAFTA, and calls on Congress to en- act comprehensive trade reform legis- lation called the TRADE Act. Mike’s tireless efforts in Salem to line up both Republican and Demo- cratic support for this measure is what convinced its sponsors to move for- ward with it this year, and are what ul- timately contributed to the measure’s final passage. SM 201 simply would not have happened without his leader- ship on behalf of working people in Oregon and throughout the country. The Oregon Fair Trade Campaign and our national partners will use this bipartisan demand for a new model of trade in our lobbying efforts in Wash- ington, D.C. It provides much-needed ammunition in our fight against bad trade deals, and in favor of the ultimate dismantling of the NAFTA model. I deeply appreciate the strong work Mike put into achieving this small, but important, victory, and also want to ex- press my gratitude to all other Labor Press readers who contributed to it. Arthur Stamoulis, Director Oregon Fair Trade Campaign Portland Unionists to bowl for MDA April 29 Mark your calendars and form a team for Sunday, April 29, and the 23rd Annual Labor Bowl Challenge to benefit the local Muscular Dystro- phy Association (MDA). This year’s western-themed event will be held at Sunset Lanes, 12770 SW Walker Road, Beaverton. Regis- tration starts at 11 a.m., with bowling under way at “High Noon.” Money for MDA is raised by indi- vidual fundraising and a silent auc- tion. The goal is to pre-register 30 five-member bowling teams repre- senting more than 20 union locals. In addition to bowling, there is a silent auction, door prizes, pizza, and soft drinks for participants. Prizes will be awarded to the top fundraiser, the top average (three games) and lowest average bowler, plus a prize for the best western outfit. Also, there are prizes for incremental levels of fundraising. All proceeds benefit the local MDA, which provides much needed support to over 1,200 local individu- als and families living with neuro- muscular diseases. Money goes to buy wheel chairs and braces for chil- dren, as well as medical services, re- search and summer camps. Since its inception in 1989, the La- bor Bowl — coordinated by the Na- tional Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 82, the Northwest Oregon Labor Council, and other par- ticipating Oregon labor unions has raised $326,767 for MDA. For more information, or to sign up and receive fundraising packets and instructions, call Jim Cook, presi- dent of NALC Branch 82 at 503-493- 5903. To donate silent auction items, call NALC’s MDA Coordinator Debby Burbank at 971-404-5384. MARCH 16, 2012 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 11
