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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (March 16, 2012)
Oregon AFL-CIO issues endorsements for May primary The Oregon AFL-CIO’s Committee on Political Education (COPE) issued endorsements for the May 15 primary, though most of the candidates they en- dorsed don’t have primary opponents. In races that do, the state labor fed- eration backed the re-election of U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio. The 12-term con- gressman is being challenged by Ore- gon State University graduate student Matthew Robinson in the Democratic primary. Robinson, 24, of Cave Junction, is the son of Republican primary candi- date Art Robinson, whom DeFazio handily defeated in 2010. The elder Robinson spent more than $1 million attacking DeFazio. He is running unop- posed in the Republican primary. Matthew Robinson told the Eugene Register-Guard earlier this year that his political views are “very similar” to his father’s. DeFazio criticized Art Robin- son in 2010 for his denial of global warming and his attacks on the public school system, the newspaper reported. There are only a few contested races in the Democratic primary for the Ore- gon House of Representatives. In those races, the AFL-CIO is supporting in- cumbent Mike Schaufler in District 48 representing Happy Valley; Jennifer Williamson in House District 36 repre- senting Southwest Portland; and Ben Unger in House District 29 represent- ing Hillsboro, Cornelius and Forest Grove. In District 48, Schaufler is being challenged by retiring school teacher Jeff Reardon. House District 36 is being vacated by Democrat Mary Nolan, who is run- ning for Portland City Council. Williamson faces Sharon Meieran, an emergency room doctor, and Benjamin Barber, a computer programmer. Unger is running against Katie Ri- ley in District 29. The winner will face incumbent Republican Katie Eyre in the November general election. On the Republican side of the aisle, the AFL-CIO endorsed incumbent Bob Jenson in District 58 representing Umatilla and a portion of Union coun- ties. Three Republicans have filed against Jenson, who resides in Pendle- ton. All other endorsements from the AFL-CIO were for incumbents running unopposed in the Democratic primary. They include Ted Wheeler for state treasurer; Kate Brown for secretary of state; Brad Avakian for state labor com- missioner; Suzanne Bonamici for U.S. representative, 1st District; and Kurt Schrader for U.S. representative, 5th District. Republicans fielded no candidates to run for state treasurer or the 1st District U.S. House seat, which means Wheeler and Bonamici have already won. In the Oregon Senate, the AFL-CIO endorsed Diane Rosenbaum, Dist. 21; Chip Shields, Dist. 22; Lee Beyer, Dist. 6; Chris Edwards, Dist. 7; and Floyd Prozanski, Dist. 4. Delegates also endorsed Arnie Rob- lan, a Democrat who is leaving the House of Representatives to run for an open seat in Senate District 5. In the Oregon House, the state labor federation backed Jules Bailey, Dist. 42; Jeff Barker, Dist. 28; Phil Barnhart, Dist. 11; Peter Buckley, Dist. 5; Michael Dembrow, Dist. 45; Margaret Doherty, Dist. 35; Chris Garrett, Dist. 38; Paul Holvey, Dist. 8; Val Hoyle, Dist. 14; Tina Kotek, Dist. 44; Greg More unions take action in Portland mayor’s race More unions are taking positions in Portland’s mayoral race, where 23 can- didates have filed to run. Incumbent Sam Adams is leaving after serving only one term. Last week, the Columbia Pacific Building Trades Council (CPBCTC) endorsed Eileen Brady, while United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555 endorsed Charlie Hales. Local 555 is Oregon’s largest pri- vate sector union with some 19,000 members and retirees. CPBCTC has 27 affiliated locals representing more than 25,000 union members. CPBCTC joins the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Lo- cal 48, Sheet Metal Workers Local 16, Bricklayers and Allied Crafts Local 1, and Operating Engineers Local 701 in endorsing Brady, a businesswoman and co-founder of New Seasons Mar- kets. The front-runners are Brady, Hales, and Jefferson Smith, a state represen- tative from Northeast Portland. Smith has been endorsed by AF- SCME Local 189, the largest union of city workers, and the Portland Associ- ation of Teachers, which represents nearly 4,000 members. Hales is a former Portland city com- missioner who now is a senior vice president at HDR Engineering plan- ning new light rail and streetcar lines. The primary is May 15. If no candi- date captures a 50 percent majority, the top two vote getters will face off in the November general election. Matthews, Dist. 50; Nancy Nathanson, Dist. 13; Tobias Read, Dist. 27; Greg Smith, Dist. 57; and Brad Witt, Dist. 31. All but Smith are Democrats. CPBCTC endorsements The Columbia Pacific Building and Construction Trades Council issued the following political endorsements for the May 15 primary election. Portland City Council: Mary Nolan, Position 1; Steve Novick, Posi- tion 4. Multnomah County: Judy Shiprack, commissioner, District 3. Metro: Sam Chase, counselor, Dis- trict 5. Clackamas County: Dave Hunt, County Commission Chair; Jamie Da- mon, commissioner, Position 4: Columbia County: Earl Fisher, commissioner. ...ATU takes strike vote (From Page 1) proposes that full-time workers pay 15 percent of the premium for employee- only coverage, an amount that comes to over $90 a month. Part-timers would pay at least 50 percent of the employee- only premium, and 100 percent for family coverage. Under the previous contract, which expired Nov. 30, 2011, hourly wages start at $12.92 and rise to $21.23 over 10 years. Local 757 has argued that TriMet would save money by bringing the work in-house — eliminating duplicate management and the need to pay cor- porate income tax and deliver a profit. No strike date had been set as of press time, and a mediation session was scheduled March 22. (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) Established in 1900 at Portland, Oregon as a voice of the labor movement. 4275 NE Halsey St., P.O. Box 13150, Portland, Ore. 97213 Telephone: (503) 288-3311 Editor: Michael Gutwig Staff: Don McIntosh, Cheri Rice Published on a semi-monthly basis on the first and third Fridays of each month by the Oregon Labor Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non- profit corporation owned by 20 unions and councils including the Oregon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 120 union organizations in Ore- gon and SW Washington. Subscriptions $13.75 per year for union members. Group rates available to trade union organizations. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT PORTLAND, OREGON. CHANGE OF ADDRESS NOTICE: Three weeks are required for a change of address. When ordering a change, please give your old and new addresses and the name and number of your local union. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS, P.O. BOX 13150-0150, PORTLAND, OR 97213 MARCH 16, 2012 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 3
