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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 2012)
Who’s On Our Side? By Tom Chamberlain L ame duck, like the Senate fili- buster, has moved from an alien term to the center of political conver- sations. A lame duck session is the time between an election and when new members of Congress, state, or local governments, are sworn into of- fice. A lame duck session, though short in duration, is time when out-go- ing electeds who chose not to run or were defeated are freed from the ac- countability of constituents. A lame duck session is what al- lowed the Michigan Legislature to pass so-called “right-to-work” legisla- tion. Such legislation allows workers who are represented by a union not to pay union dues. Think about it, work- ers get all the benefits of union repre- sentation — wages, fringe benefits, political power, and a voice in the work place. In fact, if these workers get in trouble at work the union is re- quired to represent them. But they can choose to not pay dues. Imagine if Oregonians could elect not to pay taxes, but were still allowed to send their children to public schools, drive on Oregon roads, use the library, and receive unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation benefits, and a host of other services. As more and more Oregonians elected not to pay their taxes, services would erode to the point of collapse. That is exactly the corporate strategy of right to work: to bankrupt America’s unions. Twenty-four states have passed right-to-work laws. In 1957, Indiana passed such a law, and eight years later repealed it. This year we saw right-to-work once again pass in Indi- ana. The negative impact of a right-to- work (RTW) law on workers is well documented: • Wages in RTW states are 3.2 per- cent lower. Using the average wage in non-RTW states as the base ($22.11), the average full-time, full-year worker in a RTW state makes about $1,500 less annually than a similar worker in a non-RTW state. • The rate of employer-funded health insurance is 2.6 percent lower in RTW states compared with non- RTW states. If workers in non-RTW states were to receive health insurance at work at this lower rate, 2 million workers nationally would not have health insurance. • The rate of employer-sponsored pensions is 4.8 percent lower in RTW states when you compare similar workplaces. If workers in non-RTW states were to receive pensions at this lower rate, 3.8 million fewer workers nationally would have pensions. De-funding unions removes the major power base in state after right- to-work state that could stand up for workers and progressive interests. Af- ter a right-to-work law is imple- mented, right-wing conservatives and corporate CEOs have free rein to im- plement a corporate agenda at the ex- pense of the middle class and poor. That’s why we see profit-motivated experiments like private-for-profit prisons in right-to-work states such as Texas and Arizona. We’re no longer just seeing this in traditionally conservative states. In Michigan, 26 percent of workers be- long to a union (compared to 17.3 per- cent in Oregon). It is one of the most unionized states in the country. If Michigan can become a right-to-work state, every state is in jeopardy. Our nation is in jeopardy. As a movement, unions and union members must forget about old wrongs and grudges that separate us. Competition for members that pit one union against another burn up re- sources, and more often than not, deny a confused workforce any union representation at all. As a movement, we need to understand that until pri- vate and public unions, AFL-CIO and independent unions, come together as one force, one voice, we will continue to be engaged in a defensive battle that results in more Michigans. Tom Chamberlain is president of the Oregon AFL-CIO. Get involved in Clackamas water district recall effort To The Editor: As was reported in the Dec. 7, 2012, edition of the Labor Press, front line employees of the Clackamas River Wa- ter District (members of AFSCME Lo- cal 350) and the Northwest Oregon La- bor Council are supporting the recall of water district commissioners Patricia Holloway and Grafton Sterling. These two commissioners have filed numer- ous frivolous lawsuits and complaints leading to a loss of insurance for CRW and they are being investigated by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries for harassment to a CRW employee and creating a hostile work environ- ment, among other things. We had a very successful canvas day Open Forum Dec. 1, with about 27 union people showing up to go door-to-door collect- ing signatures for the recall petitions. We are planning another union can- vas day on Saturday, Jan. 5, the loca- tion to be decided. If you would like to be involved in the recall campaign, please e-mail to: crwfacts@gmail.com or call me at 503-313-2698. Naomi Angier Chief petitioner AFSCME Local 88 Milwaukie, Oregon LERA’s ‘Maggie Awards’ go to Kaer of OFN #5017, Tedesco Dannica Kaer of the Oregon Feder- ation of Nurses and Health Profession- als Local 5017 employed at Kaiser Per- manente and labor attorney Michael Tedesco were the labor recipients of this year’s “Maggie Awards,” presented by the Oregon chapter of the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA). LERA is an organization that brings labor-management relations practition- ers together to improve relations. The annual awards recognize people who have demonstrated commitment to the collective bargaining process with in- tegrity and involvement in the labor re- lations community. Kathleen Fuller-Poe, human re- sources manager at the Multnomah County Health Department, received the management practitioner award; Henry Drummonds, Lewis and Clark Law School, took home the award for neutrals; and Eva Corbin, retired deputy administrator of labor relations for the Oregon Department of Administrative Services, received the Emerita Award. The awards were presented follow- ing LERA’s annual conference held last month in Portland. The awards are in memory of Magdalena “Maggie” Jacobsen, who founded the Oregon chapter of LERA while assigned to Portland as a mediator for the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Rain Forest Boots Made in America! try a pair on, you’ll like them. tough boots for the northwest. al’s sHoes 5811 SE 82nd, Portland 503-771-2130 Mon-Fri 10-7:30 Sat 10-5:30 Sun 12-6 Season’s Greetings from the THE KORPI LAW FIRM PLLC Michael H. Korpi Attorney at Law Representing employee benefit plans in Oregon and Washington for more than 20 years 135 Second Avenue North, Suite 202, Edmonds, WA 98020 (425) 582-8935 Email: mikek@korpilaw.com DECEMBER 21, 2012 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 17
