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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 2013)
...Jobs, jobs, jobs theme of Oregon building trades convention (From Page 2) “I will proudly display this on the wall of my office next to the AFL-CIO Legislator of the Year Award,” Hoyle said. Doherty, who was introduced as “one of our greatest allies in Salem this year,” said that when she heard that the payment of prevailing wage on Oregon University System projects was the Number One listed issue for the Build- ing Trades, she stepped up to sponsor a bill to fix the problem. “The path to victory wasn’t easy, but we prevailed and received the strongest vote for a prevailing wage in state his- tory,” she said. Delegates also heard from Sonia Ramirez, political director for the na- tional Building and Construction Trades Department, and Henry Kramer, secretary-treasurer of the In- ternational Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers. Convention delegates passed resolu- tions supporting several proposed con- struction projects valued at more than $10.6 billion — a majority of which is private investment money. They backed construction of the $7.5 billion Jordan Cove liquefied nat- ural gas export terminal and Pacific connector natural gas pipeline at the Port of Coos Bay. If allowed to pro- ceed, Jordan Cove would be the largest single construction project in Oregon history. Jordan Cove’s general contrac- tors have signed a project labor agree- ment for the terminal, which will take 42 months to complete, employing 1,750 people on average, with a peak workforce of 3,400. A resolution in support of a $242 million Morrow Pacific coal export fa- cility in Boardman calls on Gov. John Kitzhaber, Oregon’s congressional del- egation, Oregon lawmakers, and state and federal regulators to support the permitting and construction of the proj- ect. The facility would be built under a project labor agreement and create more than 2,100 construction jobs. Delegates also support construction of a $100 million international eques- trian competition venue proposed near Willamina in Yamhill County. Wallace Bridge will sit on 300 acres and consist of two polo fields, a gallop track, steeple chase facilities, and a 5-star resort. The resolution calls on the National Re- sources Conservation Service and the National Appeals Division to expedite the modified conservation easement necessary to begin construction. Additionally, delegates endorsed the new scaled down ($2.75 billion) plan for replacing the Interstate 5 bridge be- tween Portland and Vancouver, also known as Columbia River Crossing. Delegates also passed resolutions opposing a pair of initiative petitions that could find their way on the ballot in November 2014. The first is Initiative Petition 3 — the Affordable Renewable Energy Act. It would weaken Oregon’s renewable portfolio standards (RPS). The RPS statute was passed by the Legislature in 2007, setting a goal for all large utili- ties in the state to provide 25 percent of the electricity they sell from renewable sources (i.e. wind, solar, and geother- mal) by 2025. IP3 would allow utilities to include hydroelectric power as part of their re- newable energy requirements. Union officials see that as a threat to the liveli- hood of construction workers. OSBCTC’s resolution says in part that IP 3 “would stifle investments in new renewable energy facilities and will significantly reduce the number of jobs associated with renewable energy facilities, thereby increasing the rate of unemployment and slowing the eco- nomic recovery.” IP3 needs 87,213 signatures to make the ballot in November 2014. The initiative was approved for circu- lation May 15. The other initiative petition has to do with “right to work.” Backers are still waiting for a ballot title from the Oregon Supreme Court, but whatever it is, construction unions will oppose it. “OSBCTC will employ significant resources to defeat any right-to-work measure or legislation in Oregon,” the resolution stated. Delegates voted to continue a $1 per member per month assessment to fund Oregonians to Maintain Community Standards to promote union construc- tion workers and lobby for and against legislation and ballot measures that protect or harm union workers. Scholarships were awarded to Alexander Peterson and Laura Wagner. Wagner is the daughter of Plumbers and Fitters Local 290 member Daniel Wagner, and Peterson is the son of Dennis Peterson, a member of Cement Masons Local 555. The scholarships are funded by $1,000 contributions each from Fergu- son Wellman Capital Management and Quest Investment Management Inc. Recipients are selected by Duke Shep- ard, a policy adviser to Gov. John Kitzhaber, based on an application and short essay. Travis Hopkins (right), president of Roofers Local 49, accepts a com- memorative U.S. flag from injured Iraq war veteran Sgt. Rob Boyce. Volunteers from the union re-roofed Boyce’s home in Keizer earlier this summer, and the flag was his way of saying ‘Thank you.’ The presenta- tion was made Aug. 25 at the union’s annual picnic. Construction workers help nab bank robber Union construction workers at Port- land Community College’s Southeast Center expansion project in Portland helped nab a bank robber Aug. 19. Scott Adams, a member of Roofers Local 49, was the first man on the scene. The 25-year-old father of one is known as “The Kid” at Arrow Roofing & Sheet Metal, where he has worked since entering the trade as an apprentice six years ago. It was just before 11 a.m. on a Mon- day morning when Adams and Brad Hanson, a member of the Carpenters Union, saw a man running through the jobsite located at Southeast 82nd Av- enue off Division Street. “He had red paint all over his hands. At first I thought he was a painter,” Adams told the Labor Press. “But he wasn’t wearing a hard hat and he wasn’t in work clothes or wearing work boots.” Suddenly, another worker yelled out that the man had just robbed a bank. Scott Adams, a member of Roofers Local 49, poses for a picture at the union’s picnic Aug. 25. A 2011 graduate of the apprenticeship program, Adams was instrumental in catching a fleeing bank robber while at work on Aug. 19. After the incident, Local 49 posted a message on its Facebook page that read: “Way to go Scott, you may not be that big, but you are plenty tough!” SEPTEMBER 6, 2013 Adams and Hanson took off after him. Adams got to him first. The suspect, who was larger than Adams, turned and squared off. “He said he had nothing to lose, and that I should turn around and walk away or he would fight,” Adams said. “He didn’t say he would shoot me, or stab me, so I figured he wasn’t armed.” The suspect threw an errant punch at Adams, who countered with a left that knocked the robber to the ground. Hanson, who works for Fred Shearer & Sons, Inc., then jumped on the man and held his arm behind his back. He described the hold to the Oregonian newspaper as a “chicken-wing.” Adams said a couple more construc- tion workers showed up to hold the sus- pected robber until police arrived and took him into custody. According to news reports, 44-year- old Frazer Scott Piccolo took a cab to Bank of the West at 8135 SE Division St. and gave a teller a demand note for money. He then got back inside the cab, and a dye packet in the stolen money exploded, leaving red paint all over his hands. He fled from the cab in to the construction site. Adams said that after being inter- viewed by police, all the men returned to work, clocking out at their normal quitting time. NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS OSBCTC opened its convention by launching Twitter (@OregonTrades) and Instagram accounts. The council already has a YouTube channel and Facebook page. “Just a few years ago, many of us thought that social media platforms like Twitter were something for kids to play with. After all, construction workers are not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Instagram,” said Executive Secretary John Mohlis. Roofers #49 gets special flag from injured veteran Injured Iraqi war veteran Sgt. Rob Boyce honored Roofers Local 49 with a special presentation at their union picnic Aug. 25 — an American flag that flew with U.S. soldiers in Iraq. For Sgt. Boyce, it was a gift of thanks to the union, whose members volunteered to re-roof his home in Keizer, Oregon, last June. Fifteen members of Roofers Local 49 responded to a call for assistance from the Oregon Military Support Network and the Wounded Warriors Project to help the injured Army Na- tional Guard soldier. Boyce was serv- ing a third tour of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom when he injured his lower pelvis jumping from a rescue helicopter that was under mortar at- tack in Afghanistan. The injury re- quired multiple surgeries, leaving him permanently disabled. In a day-and-a-half, the union crew tore off the old roof, replaced several sections of plywood sheathing that had sustained water damage, and re- shingled the entire home. “You don’t know how much this means to me and my family,” Sgt. Boyce told the picnic crowd, which also was celebrating the union’s 100th anniversary. The American flag Sgt. Boyce pre- sented to the union was flown during Operation Iraqi Freedom on over 30 lifesaving missions; it spent over 200 days in a combat zone with over 80 combat flight hours; and it had six trans-Atlantic crossings with over 60,000 flight miles. Accepting the flag were Local 49 President Travis Hopkins and Busi- ness Manager Russ Garnett. Both men were part of the volunteer team that re-roofed the house. The flag and accompanying plaque will be put in a display case at the union hall at 5032 SE 26th Ave., Portland. Also receiving flags were signatory contractors Anderson Roofing and Stryker Sheet Metal. PAGE 3
