Schwarz retires from AFT-Oregon after 24 years
In a Salem parking lot outside the office of the Oregon Employment Relations
Board, Oregon State University graduate assistants celebrate, joining hands
to sing “Solidarity Forever.” Graduate research assistants voted by a 9-to-1
margin to join American Federation of Teachers. (Photo by Matt Loewen.)
OSU graduate research
assistants unionize
CORVALLIS — Graduate research
assistants at Oregon State University
have won union representation. Over-
coming administrative opposition and
legal obstacles, they voted 287 to 32 to
join American Federation of Teachers
(AFT) in ballots counted March 8.
The 781-member group joins an ex-
isting bargaining unit of about 900
graduate teaching assistants, known as
AFT Local 6069.
The research assistants are graduate
students who get full scholarships and
a stipend in exchange for helping fac-
ulty conduct research. Last year, they
turned in union authorization cards
signed by nearly 500 graduate research
assistants, but the OSU administration
argued that they’re students, not public
employees. The Oregon Employment
Relations Board disagreed, and sched-
uled an election.
Local 6069 President Wren Keturi
said the union hopes to soon start ne-
gotiating additions to Local 6069’s
contract, which runs through mid-
2016.
The research assistants are likely to
seek cost-of-living increases and pro-
tected leave, Keturi said; teaching as-
sistants are allowed to take time off
during winter, spring and summer
breaks, but research assistants don’t
currently have that right.
Richard “Dick” Schwarz retired af-
ter four decades in the labor movement
and 24 years as executive director of
American Federation of Teachers
(AFT) Oregon. His last day was Feb.
28. During his tenure, AFT-Oregon
helped Oregon School Employees As-
sociation affiliate with AFT’s national
organization, and teamed up with Ore-
gon Education Association (OEA) in a
civil racketeering lawsuit that brought
down perennial union foe Bill Size-
more.
Richard Schwarz, 66, a self-de-
scribed army brat, grew up in Germany,
Illinois, Texas, and Missouri. He earned
an honorary commission as a Junior
ROTC cadet major. But opposition to
the Vietnam War led him later to be-
come a draft resister. He refused induc-
tion, until a motorcycle accident made
that moot.
After graduating from University of
Wisconsin-Madison in 1970 with a
philosophy degree, Schwarz worked as
a part-time general assignment and po-
lice beat reporter at the Wisconsin
State Journal. When the paper’s inde-
pendent union began contract negotia-
tions, he volunteered to serve on the
bargaining committee, and later was
elected union president. But he was let
go by the paper’s management.
Schwarz then worked as a stringer for
Associated Press and the Milwaukee
Sentinel.
In 1978 he was hired by the Wis-
consin Nurses Association as a field
representative.
When AFT set up its health care di-
vision in 1979, it hired Schwarz to help
set up locals in several states.
His first organizing campaign, at St.
on the 2000 ballot.
Francis hospital in
The initiative was in-
Milwaukee, Wiscon-
tended by Sizemore
sin, lost by five votes,
to bleed public em-
but management la-
ployee union treasur-
bor law violations led
ies, and indeed they
the National Labor
spent buckets of
Relations Board to
money to defeat it. In
overturn that result
2002, a jury found the
and order bargaining
Sizemore organiza-
to commence.
tions had committed
Schwarz moved
a pattern of fraud and
to Oregon in 1981.
forgery. The judge
He remained with
R ICHARD S CHWARZ
awarded over $2 mil-
AFT 33 years, in-
cluding five years as assistant director lion in damages, and later issued an in-
of the organizing department for na- junction that tied Sizemore’s hands
tional AFT’s health care division, and from committing further abuses.
three years as a field rep for AFT in Schwarz credits the lawsuit for ending
abuses in Oregon’s initiative system;
Oregon.
When Reagan appointees to the Na- exposures during the trial led voters to
tional Labor Relations Board made it pass a union-backed reform measure
harder for unions to form appropriate that year that ended the per-signature
bargaining units in health care, bounty in initiative campaigns.
During his tenure, AFT-Oregon
Schwarz helped craft the AFL-CIO’s
response, which eventually prevailed grew from 5,000 members to about
15,000, adding units of university and
in federal court.
In 1988, he was assigned to help community college faculty and staff
AFT members during a strike at Kaiser and graduate students at Oregon State
Permanente. Besides AFT’s nurse and University.
Schwarz says he never gave any
health professional affiliate, members
of Oregon Nurses Association and thought to quitting, despite organized
United Food and Commercial Workers labor’s ups and downs.
“I’m a Cub fan,” he said. “There’s
also struck. The strike lasted 58 days.
Schwarz became AFT-Oregon’s always tomorrow. To last in this move-
ment, you have to accept the notion of
first executive director in 1989.
In 1990 and 2000, he was sent to incremental gains.”
In retirement, Schwarz says he
Bulgaria to assist newly-independent
plans to reintroduce himself to his
trade unions.
In 2001, Schwarz led AFT to join wife, Judy, who retired last June as a
the OEA suit against Bill Sizemore’s medical social worker at Oregon
ballot measure operation, in which the Health and Science University. The
plaintiffs charged that fraud and for- two live in Northwest Portland along
gery were used to qualify an initiative with two miniature schnausers.
Blues Festival April 13 to benefit
Health Care for All-Oregon
Health Care for All-Oregon is
throwing a party on Saturday, April 13,
at the Melody Ballroom, 615 SE Alder,
Portland.
The Inner City Blues Festival:
“Healing the Healthcare Blues” — In
the Groove of Love will feature some
of the Northwest’s biggest blues stars
for a night of music that will benefit the
work of the statewide coalition Health
Care for All-Oregon for universal, af-
fordable health care for all Oregonians.
Included in the program are:
• Richard Arnold “Tribute to the
Crooners;”
• LaRhonda Steele and Andy
Stokes “Motown Songbook;”
• Norman Sylvester Band with Ben
Rice, “Blues Stains on my Hands;”
• DK Stewart Band “Tribute to Etta
James;”
• Lloyd Allen Band “Portland Blues
Legend;”
• Shoehorn “Tap Dancing Sax
Man;”
• Mad as Hell Doctors “Mad Min-
utes;”
• Steve Cheseborough “Acoustic
PAGE 8
Blues.”
Masters of ceremonies for the
evening are Paul Knauls, former owner
of legendary blues/jazz clubs Geneva’s
and the Cotton Club, and Renee
Mitchell, former columnist for the Ore-
gonian.
For more information about the In-
ner City Blues Festival and Health Care
for All-Oregon go to: www.hcao.org.
To purchase tickets on line go to
www.tickettomato.com.
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
MARCH 15, 2013