By margin of 60 to 40 percent
Anti-light rail measure passes in Clackamas Co.
Several labor organizations stepped
up to defend light rail in Clackamas
County, but judging by the vote re-
sults, no amount of effort would have
defeated Measure 3-401. The anti-
light rail ballot initiative passed by a
3-to-2 margin in a Sept. 18 special
election, barring the County from
spending any money on “public rail
transit systems” without it being first
approved by voters. Turnout was low,
with only 39 percent of the County’s
217,518 registered voters casting bal-
lots.
The measure’s passage is the
fourth in a string of defeats for advo-
cates of infrastructure and develop-
ment in Clackamas County.
Neither side spent much money in
the campaign, but Jesse Cornett, staff-
person for the campaign opposing the
measure, said if it wasn’t for union
support, the measure would have
passed by an even wider margin. Or-
ganized labor was the biggest backer
of Positively Clackamas — the politi-
cal action committee formed to op-
pose Measure 3-401. International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Local 48, Oregon State Building and
Construction Trades Council, Team-
sters Joint Council No. 37, and United
Food and Commercial Workers
(UFCW) Local 555 contributed $500
to $4,000 each. Unions also mailed
literature about the measure to mem-
bers living in Clackamas County, in-
cluding Oregon AFSCME, after Local
350, its Clackamas County affiliate,
took a stand against the measure. [Lo-
cal 350 represents 1,900 workers at
three county departments, five munic-
ipal governments and three service
districts in Clackamas County.]
“If you’re not building infrastruc-
ture, you’re not building jobs,” said
UFCW Local 555 Secretary-Treasurer
Jeff Anderson. Light rail spurs eco-
nomic development, Anderson said —
including retail, the sector that em-
ploys most Local 555 members.
Clackamas Rail Vote, the political
action committee that supported 3-401,
was funded mostly by out-of-state con-
servatives, including Nevada million-
aire and self-described sex hypnotist
Loren Parks. Parks donated $250,000
to two political action committees,
which in turn provided $15,000 of in-
kind support for advertising.
In the last 18 months, Clackamas
County voters have also turned down
a $130 million bond for upgrades to
Clackamas Community College,
struck down a $5 per year vehicle reg-
istration fee that would have paid for
improvements to the Sellwood
Bridge, and passed a citizen initiative
requiring a county-wide vote before
any municipal government can create
an urban renewal district. The latest
measure passed with 60.2 percent
support, though turnout was relatively
low, with 84,621 ballots cast (39 per-
cent of registered voters).
In the short term, Measure 3-401’s
impact will be largely symbolic, since
TriMet’s Portland-Milwaukie “Or-
ange Line” is already under construc-
tion, and there are no other current
plans for light rail expansion. Clacka-
mas County Commission contributed
$20 million toward the line, which
Cornett points out is less than 2 per-
cent of the project’s cost. Most of the
money to build the line is coming
from the federal government.
Longview/Kelso students don hard hats
Butch Willman, business manager of Longview Laborers Local 791,
shows high school students what it’s like to work from a scissor-lift at the
second annual Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Construction Career Fair held Sept.
28 at the Cowlitz Expo Center. High school students from throughout
the area attended the fair to learn what it takes to work in construction.
Hands-on booths were set up by construction unions, contractors,
apprenticeship training programs, government agencies, and other
groups, allowing students to operate a backhoe, to jack-hammer a cement
barrier, lay bricks, weld, and more. The event was hosted by Kelso High
School and attracted nearly 900 students throughout the day. (Photo
courtesy of Sheila Mace, Kelso High School.)
Thank You!
2012 Washington CLUB Golf Tournament Sponsors
The Washington CLUB Tournament Committee sincerely thanks the sponsors below for their generous support. In 11
years the CLUB has raised $950,000 for our recipient charities. This year we collected $90,000. We are so pleased
and excited — and we owe it all to you! PLEASE JOIN US NEXT YEAR WHEN WE BREAK THE $1 MILLION BARRIER!
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TITLE SPONSORS
GOLD SPONSORS
Washington Capital Management
Washington State Building & Construction Trades
Council
IBEW Local 46/Puget Sound NECA
Sue & Mike Raney
Aetna; Becker Capital; Clifton Larson Allen Ekman; Bohrer & Thulin P.S.;
Ferguson Wellman; First Choice Health; IBEW Local 76; K2 Advisors;
Labaton Sucharow LLP; Lindquist LLP; NEPC; North Sky Capital; Nuveen
Investments; NW Sheet Metal Workers Organizational Trust; Permal
Group Inc.; Premera Blue Cross; Systematic Financial Management;
Union Bank/US Bank; United Labor Bank; Washington State Council of
Firefighters; Welfare & Pension Administration Services, Inc.;
Willamette Dental; Wurts & Associate; Zenith American Solutions
PLATINUM SPONSORS
Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters
Quest Investment Management, Inc.
Rainier Investment Management
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Alliance Bernstein Institutional Investments; Allianz Global; Investors
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PAGE 8
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
“Contractors
Lock-Down”
Participants will be held in Lock-
Down until their bail bond is paid.
Date: November 13, 2012
Time: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Location: McMenamins at the Kennedy School – Gymnasium
5736 NE 33rd Ave, Portland Oregon 97211
Bond is set at $500. To find out if you know any of the lock-
down participants please visit our website www.constructing-
hope.com Goal for this event is to raise $25,000 to help fund
our general operations including: basic tools and equipment
for class and to complete community projects.
OCTOBER 5, 2012