Coalition of Portland unions support school bond measure
A coalition of Portland unions, in-
cluding teachers, firefighters, police,
city and county workers, announced
support for the Portland Public Schools
(PPS) bond measure that will be on the
ballot in November. This coalition in-
cludes the Portland Association of
Teachers (PAT), Portland Fire Fighters
Association Local 43, Portland Police
Association, and City of Portland AF-
SCME Local 189 and Multnomah
County Employees AFSCME Local 88.
Measure 26-144 will fund school re-
pairs, earthquake readiness, and reno-
vating Grant High School, Roosevelt
High School, Franklin High School,
and Faubion K-8. It will be paid for by
a property tax increase of $1.10 per
$1,000 of taxable assessed property
value for the first eight years. Thus, a
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home assessed at $200,000 would pay
$220 a year for the first eight years. Af-
ter that, the cost will decrease to 30
cents per $1,000 of taxable assessed
property value (or $60 a year on a
$200,000 home) for four years after
that.
“Students need a safe and healthy
learning environment. This bond is vi-
tal to rebuilding and moving our
schools into the 21st century,” said Jim
Forquer, president of Fire Fighters Lo-
cal 43.
Gwen Sullivan, president of Port-
land Association of Teachers, said the
bond will include a local oversight
committee made up of teachers, school
staff, parents, and community mem-
bers, “to ensure our students get the
quality schools they need and Portland
taxpayers get the best return on their in-
vestment.”
Daryl Turner, president of the Port-
land Police Association, added that the
bond “will not only result in safer,
stronger buildings, but safer and
stronger communities. With this bond
we have an opportunity to support Port-
land’s struggling middle-class families
by providing living wage jobs and in-
vestments in our minority communities
through responsible contracting.”
Last month the Portland School
Board formalized a committee charged
with monitoring bond-funded projects
and offering advice to the school board.
John Mohlis, executive secretary of
the Oregon State Building and Con-
struction Trades Council, was named to
the committee, along with six others.
Chairing the committee would be
Kevin Spellman, a local management
consultant and trainer for construction
owners, contractors and industry pro-
fessionals.
Other committee members include:
Anita Decker – COO, Bonneville
Power Administration
Louis Fontenot – development man-
ager, Trammell Crow Company
Steve March – auditor, Multnomah
County
Willy Paul – executive director,
Kaiser National Facilities Services
Tom Peterson – chief engineer, City
of Portland.
Working America canvasser saves woman from burning home
Michael Taeu, a Working America
organizer, was out talking to people in
Oregon City on Sept. 26 when he saw
something he doesn’t usually see:
smoke pouring out of the windows of
one of the houses in the neighborhood.
Taue could have turned around, but
he didn’t. Instead, he went into the
house, helped rescue a woman trapped
inside, and put out the fire.
Here’s the story as reported by the
Oregonian:
“Taeu said the door was open, so he
called out to see if anyone was home
and heard a woman yell for help. He
went into the smoke-filled home and
discovered the woman on the second
floor.
“I couldn’t see her when I got up-
stairs because of all the smoke,” said
Taeu, who works with the Oregon
branch of Working America. “So I
asked her to call out to me a few times
and was able to find her.”
He escorted her to the stairs and she
left the home. Taeu then grabbed the
hose, stayed on the balcony so he could
see into the home and put out the
flames.
Brandon Paxton, a spokesman for
the Clackamas County fire department,
praised Michael for his quick thinking.
“I know that woman is grateful for
what he did,” said Paxton. “It was def-
initely a courageous and selfless act.”
Earlier in September, Working
America organizers in Center Township,
Pennsylvania, also came to the assis-
tance of their neighbors. They spotted a
man trying to rob a home — and Work-
ing America’s John Tillar called the po-
lice, leading to the suspect’s capture.
Barry Kramer, the local police chief,
“said the description they gave was so
accurate that police had a suspect in
custody just a short time later,” accord-
ing to the Beaver County Times.
Working America is a community
affiliate of the AFL-CIO, and is for
people without the benefit of a union
on the job. The Oregon chapter has of-
fices in the basement of the Oregon La-
bor Center at 3645 SE 32nd Ave. (just
south of Powell Blvd), Portland.
On its national web page, Working
America said: “We couldn’t be prouder
of Michael and John, who really exem-
plify what Working America is all
about: people helping each other by
building a relationship face-to-face.
Working America organizers were able
to lend a helping hand in these danger-
ous situations because they’re out in
communities every day, meeting people
and listening to what they have to say.
“We talk to thousands of people
every week, and while we’re not al-
ways fighting crime or putting out fires,
we are committed to getting people
more engaged so that they can make a
difference in their own lives. Whether
it’s helping in an emergency or the
long-term work of building a better
economy, we’re stronger together.”
Laborers #483 backs
Smith for mayor
Laborers Local 483 has endorsed
Jefferson Smith for mayor of Portland.
Local 483 represents City workers who
maintain streets, parks, and water treat-
ment plants.
Smith, a two-term state representa-
tive, is backed by three other City
worker unions — AFSCME Local 189,
Portland Fire Fighters Local 43, and
Portland Police Association — as well
as the Portland Association of Teachers,
Communications Workers of America
Local 7901, and the Oregon, Southern
Idaho District Council of Laborers.
The other candidate in the race, for-
mer city commissioner Charlie Hales,
has the endorsement of Amalgamated
Transit Union Local 757, Operating En-
gineers Local 701, Pacific Northwest
Regional Council of Carpenters, Serv-
ice Employees International Union lo-
cals 49 and 503, Teamsters Joint Coun-
cil 37, and United Food and Com-
mercial Workers Local 555.
OCTOBER 5, 2012
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
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