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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (July 19, 2013)
Elliott named Unions see mixed results in 2013 legislative session to top post at Machinists District W24 Chip Elliott has been appointed pres- ident/directing business representative (DBR) of Machinists District W24. He will finish out the term of Robert “Bob” Wilson, who re- tired July 1. The term expires in December 2014. Elliott, 59, has served as one of three assistant DBRs at W24 C HIP E LLIOTT since Jan. 1, 2011, when Machinist District Lodge 24 merged with Woodworkers Lodge W1. District W24 represents more than 6,000 workers covered under 120 con- tracts in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Northern California. The district lodge is located in Gladstone, Oregon. Prior to the merger, Elliott was assis- tant DBR to Wilson at Woodworkers Lodge W1. Elliott is a 40-year member of Woodworkers Local 130 in Centralia, Washington. After working 26 years as a log processor operator for Weyer- haeuser, Elliott joined the staff of Local 130 as a union rep in 1997. In 2004 he was appointed as a district representa- tive and in 2010 in was named assistant DBR. A resident of Dryad, Washington, an unincorporated town located southeast of Centralia, Elliott said as DBR he will continue to focus on organizing. District W24 recently launched a nationwide campaign at Jeld Wen. The union is try- ing to secure a first contract at Bradken Engineered Products in Chehalis, and it still has its eye on 2,000 workers at Pre- cision Castparts, where last month it lost a close election. The union also is dealing with a strike at Daimler Trucks North Amer- ica, where 520 machinists walked out July 1. By DON McINTOSH Associate Editor The Oregon Legislature adjourned its 2013 legislative session July 8, wrapping up what — for organized la- bor — was a moderately successful session. With Democratic majorities in the House (34-26) and Senate (16-14), legislators passed a law barring public sector union-busting, closed a loophole in the state prevailing wage law, and approved hundreds of millions of dol- lars in new construction and infrastruc- ture spending, enough to keep many building trades union members busy in the coming two years. Public sector unions faced a setback, however, when every Democrat in the House and Sen- ate joined Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber to trim benefits in PERS (Public Employee Retirement System). NO MORE PUBLIC SECTOR UNION-BUSTING The law the Oregon AFL-CIO is most proud of goes to the heart of union rights. HB 3342, sponsored by Representative Michael Dembrow (D- Portland) prohibits state county and lo- cal employers from deterring (or pro- moting) unionization, and from spending money or holding meetings with employees to deter or promote unionization. It passed both chambers on strict party lines, with all Democ- rats voting in favor and all Republicans opposed. “It prevents public sector managers from using public dollars to weigh in on union organizing drives based on their personal opinions,” said Oregon AFL-CIO political director Elana Guiney. “It’s none of their business. It’s a decision that should be up to the workers.” When faculty campaigned for a union at University of Oregon, the school spent over $300,000 on outside consultants and lawyers to oppose it. That would have been illegal under the new law, Guiney said. There were several other gains for workers’ rights this session, including: • Bereavement leave. The brain- child of Bakers Local 114 member Robin Zimmerman, HB 2950 allows employees to take up to two weeks un- paid leave to deal with the death of a family member. • Keeping employers’ prying eyes off workers’ Facebook pages. HB 2654 makes it illegal for an employer to request access to an employee’s or applicant’s personal social media ac- count, or to require an employee to “friend” their employer by adding the employer to their social media list of contacts. HALTING AN END-RUN AROUND PREVAILING WAGE A state law known as little Davis- Bacon requires that construction work- ers be paid the prevailing wage and benefits on public construction proj- ects. Governments are supposed to award building contracts to the lowest bidder. But the prevailing wage law en- sures that doesn’t mean the contractor with the lowest wages: All government construction contractors are required to pay the area standard wage for each specialty, as determined by an annual survey. But several recent projects at University of Oregon had sidestepped the prevailing wage by building with donor dollars from Nike mogul Phil Knight, and then deeding those build- ings to the school. “That trend was going to continue unless we nipped it in the bud,” said John Mohlis, executive secretary-treas- urer of the Oregon State Building and Construction Trades Council. Closing the loophole was a top priority this year for the building trades. HB 2646 — sponsored by Dem- brow and State Rep. Margaret Doherty — did that, saying that regardless of funding source, if construction or ren- ovation is done on property that a state university owns, will use, occupy, or ultimately own, it is subject to the re- quirement to pay prevailing wage. It passed 47-10 in the House and 27-2 in the Senate. MONEY FOR CONSTRUCTION Legislators also put money towards new construction and infrastructure, starting with a $450 million commit- ment to the Interstate-5 Bridge Re- placement Project (Columbia River Crossing), passed in the early days of the session. The project depended on a matching commitment from the Wash- ington Legislature, however, and Re- publican legislators there opposed the project, which was part of a larger transportation funding bill. When the Washington Legislature ended its 2013 session without approving the funds, the project was closed down. But lawmakers also voted to ap- prove bond funding for other Oregon projects that will keep building trades workers busy, including: • $316 million for 12 new state uni- versity projects; • $109 million for 16 new commu- nity college projects; • $80 million to construct a new state mental hospital in Junction City; • $42 million for ConnectOregon, a program of state grants and loans for non-highway transportation projects that promote economic development, including rail, shipping, and airport construction; • $34 million for pre-construction planning on a project to earthquake proof the state Capitol building; • $15 million to renovate the Mult- nomah County Courthouse; • $10 million for constructing a pri- vate hotel next to the Oregon Conven- tion Center in Portland, so long as local governments also contribute, and ap- prove local hotel taxes to repay the bonds; and • $5 million to the help plan the re- development of the 23-acre site in downtown Oregon City where the now-closed Blue Heron paper mill sits. (Turn to Page 3) (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) Established in 1900 at Portland, Oregon as a voice of the labor movement. 4275 NE Halsey St., P.O. Box 13150, Portland, Ore. 97213 Telephone: (503) 288-3311 Editor: Michael Gutwig Staff: Don McIntosh, Cheri Rice Published on a semi-monthly basis on the first and third Fridays of each month by the Oregon Labor Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non- profit corporation owned by 20 unions and councils including the Oregon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 120 union organizations in Ore- gon and SW Washington. Subscriptions $13.75 per year for union members. Group rates available to trade union organizations. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT PORTLAND, OREGON. CHANGE OF ADDRESS NOTICE: Three weeks are required for a change of address. When ordering a change, please give your old and new addresses and the name and number of your local union. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS, P.O. BOX 13150, PORTLAND, OR 97213-0150 PAGE 2 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS JULY 19, 2013
