...A union guide to the Oregon ballot
(From Page 1)
projections by more than 2 percent.
When the corporate kicker refund is is-
sued, Our Oregon points out, most of
the money goes to out-of-state compa-
nies.
• WOOD VILLAGE CASINO:
M EASURES 82 AND 83 would enable de-
velopment of a casino at a former grey-
hound track in Wood Village, just east
of Portland. Measure 82 amends the
Oregon Constitution to allow private
off-reservation casinos, and Measure 83
grants permission specifically to the
Wood Village casino, which is known
as The Grange. The Grange has pledged
to employ union workers during the
building phase of its proposed casino
APPRENTICESHIP
OPPORTUNITIES
International Union of
Elevator Constructors Local 23:
Oregon & SW Washington
Applications may be requested
Sept. 5, 2012, through Oct. 4,
2012, by mail:
Scott McGinty/
NEIEP Area Coordinator
5009 Pacific Hwy East, Unit 18
Fife, WA 98424
Or by email: smcginty@neiep.org
Completed applications must be
received between Oct. 5-25, 2012.
Applicants must be at least 18-
years of age, and must possess a
high school diploma or GED. Ap-
plicants will be selected without
regard to race, color, religion, sex
or national origin.
More information can be found on
the IUEC Local 23 website:
http://iueclocal23.org/
and entertainment complex, and to pro-
vide health benefits to permanent em-
ployees and remain neutral if they
choose to unionize.
ESTATE TAX: The Oregon AFL-
CIO OPPOSES M EASURE 84. Sponsored
by former Oregon Republican Party
chair Kevin Mannix, Measure 84 would
phase out Oregon’s estate and inheri-
tance taxes by 2016. Less than 3 percent
of estates are affected by Oregon’s es-
tate tax, which applies only to estates
worth more than $1 million. The estate
tax doesn’t apply to surviving spouses,
only to children; the tax is 10 to 16 per-
cent after that first $1 million. It’s a
small brake on the creation of an idle
rich, and it raises over $100 million a
year, revenues which are spent on
schools, public safety, and social serv-
ices. Backers are claiming the measure
is about saving small farms, but state
law already exempts farm, forest or
fishing property valued at up to $7.5
million from the estate tax.
MARIJUANA LEGALIZA-
TION: One other initiative has a labor
endorsement: M EASURE 80 —the Ore-
gon Cannabis Tax Act — is backed by
United Food & Commercial Workers
Local 555, Oregon’s largest private-sec-
tor union. Measure 80 would regulate
the cultivation and sale of cannabis to
persons 21 and over via state stores, and
use the proceeds to fund state programs
and drug abuse treatment. It would also
help kick-start an agricultural hemp in-
dustry in Oregon and promote hemp as
a source of fiber, food and biodiesel
fuel. In its Voters’ Guide statement, Lo-
cal 555 argues that lifting restrictions on
hemp could create thousands of new
jobs, including a revitalized pulp and
paper sector, as well as biofuel; and de-
criminalizing marijuana would free up
$60 million a year in police resources
that would be better spent fighting dan-
gerous crime.
RETAKING THE OREGON
HOUSE: Three and five years ago, the
Democrat-led Oregon Legislature
passed notable pro-union legislation, in-
cluding making it easier for public-sec-
tor employees to unionize, and making
it harder for private-sector employers to
force workers to attend anti-union meet-
ings. But for the last two years, the Ore-
gon House of Representatives has been
split 30-30 between Democrats and Re-
publicans. Unions find support from
some individual Republicans on some
issues, but on others, legislators largely
divide on party lines. The Oregon AFL-
CIO is putting energy into backing 10
candidates for the Oregon House of
Representatives: Shemia Fagan, Ben
Unger, Joe Gallegos, Brent Barton,
Chris Gorsek, John Lively, Claudia
Kyle, Caddy McKeown, David
Gomberg, and Nathan Hovekamp. The
state federation is also helping state Sen.
Laurie Monnes Anderson in her cam-
paign for re-election, and Arnie Roblan,
a state rep who is running for an open
seat in the Oregon Senate.
The Oregon AFL-CIO is also taking
sides in two judicial races:
• For OREGON SUPREME
COURT, the state labor federation has
endorsed Multnomah County Circuit
Court Judge Richard Baldwin, a former
Legal Aid and workers-side workers’
compensation lawyer. Baldwin signed
the AFL-CIO’s “statement of princi-
ples” supporting the rights of workers
to form a union without employer coer-
cion. Baldwin is running for an open
seat on the court against Nena Cook, a
civil attorney and pro tem judge in
Union volunteers in Labor 2012 T-shirts get ready to canvass door-to-door
for Kate Brown and Brad Avakian. Brown is seeking re-election as secretary
of state and Avakian is running for a second term as labor commissioner.
Multnomah County. She is a partner in
the corporate law firm Sussman Shank
and is running with endorsements from
Teamsters Joint Council No. 37 and the
International Longshore and Warehouse
Union Oregon Area District Council.
Cook was the winner in a three-way
May primary, capturing 37 percent of
the vote. Baldwin finished second with
31.5 percent.
The two are vying to succeed Asso-
ciate Justice Robert “Skip” Durham,
who is retiring.
The Oregon AFL-CIO is seeking
volunteers to make phone calls to fel-
low union members. To sign up, contact
Jess at jess@oraflcio.org or 503-232-
1195, ext. 114. There’s also a canvass
scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 27. Union
volunteers are fed, thanked, and given
union-made T-shirts and jackets. “And
it’s fun,” says Oregon AFL-CIO
spokesperson Elana Guiney.
• For COURT OF APPEALS, the
Oregon AFL-CIO is backing Linn
County Circuit Court Judge James
Egan, a former U.S. Marine and Judge
Advocate in the U.S. Army in Kuwait.
He faces business lawyer Tim Volpert, a
partner in the massive Davis Wright
Tremaine law firm. Volpert successfully
defended Legacy Good Samaritan
when it was sued for missed rest and
meal breaks.
K NOw Y Our r IGhTS
I f your employer forces
you to work In dangerous
work condItIons you can
make a confIdentIal
osHa by callIng
(800) 922-2689.
report to
PAGE 4
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
OCTOBER 19, 2012