Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 2012)
...AARP ‘anxiety index’ (From Page 22) P HOTOS BY R USSELL S ANDERS Hugs from union ‘thugs By JACKIE TORTORA National AFL-CIO Forget the kissing booth. A hug from a “union thug” is so much better. On July 28, the Oregon AFL-CIO set up three “Hug a Thug” tables at Jamison Square, Laurelhurst Park, and Irv- ing Park, all in Portland, where passersby were treated to hugs from Letter Carrier Willie Groshell and members of Theatrical Stage Employees Leah Okin and Patrick Lan- ders. Anti-union politicians and pundits love to call hard- working union members “union thugs,” so the Oregon AFL-CIO went out in the community to dispel this myth by reminding people these so-called “thugs” are firefight- ers, teachers, nurses, postal workers and dozens of other workers we interact with every day. Groshell, Okin and Landers gave 14 hugs, spoke with AUGUST 17, 2012 dozens of people and handed out “Work Connects Us All” postcards and bookmarks, spreading the word about the good work unions do. Intrepid hug recipients posed for a picture and received a sticker that read, “I Hugged a Thug.” “The conversations we had were high-value, including one union skeptic who had a previous negative experience but was interested in what we had to say,” said Elana Guiney, legislative and communications director for Ore- gon AFL-CIO. “Many people we spoke with had no previ- ous union contact.” Guiney said the union volunteers were able to reach the young, urban demographic which is often skeptical about what unions have to offer. “We initiated peer-to-peer con- versations about the value unions bring to people,” she said. NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS economic downturn (77 percent). Al- most half (49 percent) of these voters disapprove of President Obama’s job performance, and more than eight-in-10 (81 percent) disapprove of Congress. As of now, voters 50-plus evenly are split in their presidential vote preference (45 percent for President Obama, 45 percent for Mitt Romney, and 10 per- cent not sure). The concerns of 50-plus voters high- light the importance of Social Security and Medicare as election issues. They think the next president and Congress need to strengthen Social Security (91 percent) and Medicare (88 percent). They also overwhelmingly (91 percent) think that these issues are too big for ei- ther party to fix alone and require Re- publicans and Democrats to come to- gether. Voters 50-plus are looking to the candidates for more information on these key issues. These voters over- whelmingly think the candidates have not done a good job of explaining their plans on Social Security (67 percent) and Medicare (63 percent). Moving for- ward, these voters — across party lines — say that getting more information on the candidates’ plans on Social Security (72 percent) and Medicare (70 percent) will help them determine their vote on election day. “The message from voters 50-plus is clear,” added LeaMond. “In a razor- tight election, candidates have a major opportunity to reach key voters by speaking about their plans on Social Se- curity and Medicare — and they are making a huge gamble if they ignore them.” For complete results of AARP voter surveys, go online at www.aarp.org/vot- ers50plus. Motorcycle poker run fundraiser for Guide Dogs Aug. 25 The 6th annual Guide Dogs Dash motorcycle poker run will be held Sat- urday, Aug. 25. The event, sponsored by Machinists Lodge 63, will start and finish at Machinists District W24 Hall, 25 Cornell Ave., Gladstone. Registra- tion is at 9 a.m. Registration is $25 per rider and $10 per passenger and in- cludes a T-shirt, barbecue, and raffle prizes. All proceeds go to Guide Dogs of America. For more info, go on line to www. iamll63.org or at www.iamw24. org. PAGE 25
