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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (May 18, 2012)
Washington State Labor Council COPE votes to ‘oppose’ Herrera Beutler in 3rd SEATTLE — Delegates to the Washington State Labor Council’s Committee on Political Education (COPE) convention on May 5 voted to oppose the re-election of U.S. Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler in the 3rd Dis- trict, which covers Southwest Wash- ington. Herrera Beutler, a Republican from Camas, succeeded Democrat Brian Baird in 2010 after he decided not to run. She defeated labor-endorsed De- mocrat Denny Heck. Following the 2010 Census and re- districting, Washington gained a con- gressional seat, and the 3rd District was strengthened for the Republicans. Heck is now running in the new 10th District. He was endorsed at the COPE convention. No established Democrat stepped up to challenge Herrera Beutler. Their candidate is Jon T. Haugen, a former Navy pilot now working at a commer- cial airline. Haugen ran unsuccessfully for state Senate in 2008. Elizabeth Uelmen, a school princi- pal and wife of union firefighter Mark Johnston — filed to run but later dropped out. WSLC did not endorse in the 3rd Congressional primary. During her short time in Congress, Herrera Beutler has compiled a 4 per- cent COPE voting record — one “right” vote against 27 “wrong” votes — as tracked by the national AFL-CIO. Her “right” vote was against an amend- ment to House Resolution 1 that would have defunded the National Labor Re- lations Board for the remainder of 2011. The amendment failed by a vote of 176-250. In legislative races in Southwest Washington, COPE endorsed: • Democrat Tim Probst for Senate in the 17th District. He is leaving the House to take on four-term Republican incumbent Sen. Don Benton. • Democrat Monica Stonier, a mid- dle school teacher making a run for Probst’s House seat in the 17th District. At presstime, she was running unop- posed. • Democrat James Gizzi, a member of the Clark County Planning Commis- sion, for House Seat 2 in the 17th Dis- trict. The post is held by Republican Paul Harris. • Democrat Annette Cleveland for state Senate in the 49th District. The seat is being vacated by Democrat Craig Pridemore, who is running for state auditor. Cleveland was the only candidate to file as of press time. WSLC delegates also resolved to oppose Republican state Sen. Joe Zarelli in the 18th District. Zarelli has no opposition from any political party. In statewide primary races, WSLC endorsed the following: Washington Supreme Court, Pos. 2 - Susan Owens; Pos. 8 - Steven Gonza- lez; Pos. 9 - Bruce Hilyer and John Ladenburg (dual); Insurance Commissioner - Mike Kreidler; John Mohlis reappointed to PDC board The Portland City Council con- firmed the reappointment of John Mohlis and Charles Wilhoite to the Portland Development Commission (PDC) Board on April 25. Their new terms will run from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2015. Mohlis, 56, is executive secre- tary of the Oregon J OHN M OHLIS State Building and Construction Trades Council. He was first appointed to the PDC in January 2007, and will be serving his third term. Mohlis has played a key role in PDC’s utilization of minority contracting and apprentice- ship training programs. Wilhoite’s tenure as a PDC com- missioner began in August 2006; this will be his third term, which includes time as the board chair. Wilhoite is a managing director of Willamette Man- agement Associates, a firm specializing in financial consulting. PDC Board Chair Scott Andrews said, “I have always relied on the sound advice and guidance of John Mohlis and Charles Wilhoite, and very much appreciate their expertise, energy and wise perspectives. PDC is in very good hands, thanks to their leadership and connections to the communities we serve.” Local Motion Lt. Governor - Brad Owen; Secretary of State - Kathleen Drew and Greg Nickels (dual); Sup’t of Public Instruction - Randy Dorn; April 2012 On statewide ballot measures, WSLC took the following action: APPROVE Ref. 74 (Marriage Equality Act allowing same-sex cou- ples to marry); YES on Initiative 502 (Marijuana reform that legalizes possession of small amounts of regulated marijuana and taxes it); NO on Initiative 1185 (Tim Eyman measure requiring 2/3s super-majority to repeal special interest tax breaks or to raise taxes); NO on Initiative 1191 (Making Washington a so-called “right-to-work” state); NO on Initiative 1192 (Redefining marriage as a civil contract and banning same-sex marriage). Voting in union elections In February, the Washington State Labor Council issued early endorse- ments for U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, Jay Inslee for governor, and Bob Fer- guson for attorney general. All are De- mocrats. Both the governor and AG are open seats. Washington’s primary is Aug. 7. It is an open primary, which means the top two vote-getters, regardless of their political party, will advance to the gen- eral election in November. WSLC will consider further en- dorsements at its convention Aug. 6-9. A list of Oregon and Southwest Washington workplaces deciding whether to be union-represented – as reported by the National Labor Relations Board and the Oregon Employment Relations Board. Date Workplace (Location) Union Yes No 4/5 McCormack Coil (Lake Oswego) Teamsters Local 162 3 6 4/20 Allied Waste of Portland shop (Portland) Teamsters Local 305 0 2 4/20 Allied Waste of Lake Oswego shop (Portland) Teamsters Local 305 4 2 17 8 4 5 4/24 Dyno Nobel chemical factory (Deer Island) AWPPW 4/30 Central Pre-Mix of Oregon (Hermiston) Teamsters Local 839 Requesting a union election Workplace (Location) Union Number of workers in unit Sun River Water water district (Sun River) Teamsters Local 962 Ore. Child Dev. Coalition Head Start (Gresham) Laborers Local 320 DECERT Dosha Salon Spa (Portland) CWA Local 7901 DECERT Pacific Rail Services railroad hub center (Portland) Boilermakers Local 104 DECERT Clatsop County corrections (Astoria) C.C. Law Enforcement Assn vs. AFSCME 2746 City of Toledo (Toledo) Toledo Employees Assn vs. Oregon AFSCME 12 55 150 29 46 19 L EGEND : workers will be union-represented DECERT : workers will be on their own : A decertification election occurs when some union-represented workers declare that the union no longer has majority support. A ‘yes’ vote is a vote for the union. Low Prices! Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9:30-5:30, Sun 12-6 MAY 18, 2012 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 3
