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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2012)
Inside MEETING NOTICES See Page 4 Volume 113 Number 12 June 15, 2012 Portland Motorcycle poker run donates $55,000 to Doernbecher kids The 10th annual Unions for Kids motorcycle poker run donated a record $55,000 to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. The event was held June 9 in Portland. Displaying the check in the photo inset above is Ashley Schmidt of the Doernbecher Foundation. A large portion of the fundraiser comes from a raffle for a new Harley Davidson motorcycle. This year’s winner is Larry Fisher of Lebanon, Oregon. Fisher is a member of IBEW Local 280. A more complete report on the poker run will appear in the July 6 edition of the Labor Press. Petition circulating to give corporate kicker to K-12 With the July 6 signature gathering deadline nearing, 2012 looks to be an- other busy year for Oregon ballot measures. Up to eight initiatives could qualify for the November ballot, including one petition sponsored by the union-backed non-profit Our Oregon. That initiative would eliminate the corporate “kicker,” and instructs the Legislature to spend those funds instead on K-12 education. Oregon is the only state with the provision known as the kicker. When the Oregon Legislature develops the two-year state budgets, the state econo- mist makes a prediction about future in- come tax revenue. If actual revenues later exceed that prediction by more than 2 percent, the state rebates the sur- plus to taxpayers. That has happened five times in the last 20 years, with cor- porate kickers totaling $18 million in 1991-93, and $344 million in 2005-07. The Our Oregon initiative would continue the individual income tax re- bates, but end the corporate income tax rebates, most of which go to out-of- Homeless camp gets union sponsors But City of Portland fines are mounting for Right 2 Dream Too By DON McINTOSH Associate Editor A downtown Portland encampment of homeless people now has union sponsorship. Laborers Local 483, Painters and Drywall Finishers Local 10, and the International Al- liance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 28 contributed at least $100 each as part of a “paint-a-door” fundraiser for Right 2 Dream Too, a self-regulated camp at NW Fourth and Burnside. Then as part of the fundraiser, union members visited on June 2 and painted union logos on the sal- vaged doors that have been repurposed as the camp’s south-facing wall. “Housing should be a human right for everybody,” said Painters Local 10 Vice President Wyatt McMinn. “Any of us could be in this position at any time.” Its organizers call their camp a “rest area.” But whatever it’s called, a tour given to union volunteers gives the impression of a well-or- ganized operation. Right 2 Dream Too has port-a-potties, trash service, a communal kitchen, a clothing closet, bike storage, and a designated smoking area. Tents are neatly lined up on platforms constructed of ship- ping pallets to keep them dry. Computers — donated by Free Geek — are being set up in a shed so residents can look for jobs. Unlike other shelters, Right 2 Dream Too allows pets, and lets couples stay together. The camp has tents designated for couples, and a large group tent for single women. From 40 to 90 people sleep there each night. Sleep and safety are major concerns when you live outdoors, says camp co- founder Ibrahim Mubarak. So residents have prioritized keeping the camp safe and rest- ful. No one may enter after 10 p.m. so that those staying can get to sleep. Visitors sign in and agree to camp rules prohibiting drugs, alcohol or violence of any kind. After three days, they’re expected to volunteer. Weekly meetings are mandatory. The camp’s south- ern and western perimeters are protected by walls made of doors donated by the Re- building Center, and the camp’s entrance is guarded 24-hours a day by volunteers. The camp has been under way since “World Homeless Day,” Oct. 10, 2011. It’s on a vacant lot, and was set up with the per- mission of landowner Michael Wright. But the City of Portland’s Bureau of De- velopment Services (BDS) has begun fining the owners, saying the camp is in violation of state law and administrative rules, as well as the Portland Zoning Code. BDS spokesper- son Ross Caron says the bureau received a citizen complaint, investigated, and deter- mined late last year that a recreational camp- ground was being operated at the site with- out a campground permit. “There’s nothing recreational about being homeless,” counters camp leader Claudia Long, aka “Mama Chewy.” Long and Mubarak say the group hasn’t applied for a permit because to obtain one, they’d have to make changes that aren’t fea- sible, like a functioning restroom that’s hooked up to the city sewer system — (Turn to Page 2) state corporations. A Constitutional amendment, the initiative — Initiative Petition 35 — needs 116,284 valid signatures of reg- istered voters by July 6 to qualify. Defend Oregon outreach coordina- tor Jennifer Keenan told the Executive Board of the Northwest Oregon Labor Council June 11 that 140,000 signa- tures have been collected, and that the goal is to add another 30,000 before the filing deadline. Supporters can download and sign the petition at the Web site ourore- gon.org. Seven other initiatives may end up getting enough signatures to get on the ballot. They include a pair of initiatives to permit development of a private non- tribal casino at a former greyhound track; an initiative to abolish Oregon’s estate tax; a constitutional amendment banning local governments from pass- ing new taxes on real estate transac- tions; an initiative banning gillnetting of salmon; and a pair of initiatives to decriminalize marijuana. Wyatt McMinn, vice president of Painters Local 10, and Becca Lewis of IATSE Local 28 get ready to paint their unions’ logos at Right 2 Dream Too, a self-sustaining homeless encampment on an unused lot in downtown Portland.
