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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 2013)
All labor-backed candidates for Vancouver City Council win VANCOUVER — Labor-endorsed Tim Leavitt won re-election as Van- couver mayor. He defeated challenger Bill Turlay, a city commissioner, 52.44 percent to 47.56 percent. Turnout for the general election was 36.82 percent of registered voters. “I feel really good, and I hope each of you do, about where we’re headed for the next four years,” Leavitt said at his election night party. The Columbia River Crossing was a big issue in this race, though the City Council has no official role in the proj- ect. Leavitt, a 42-year-old civil engi- neer, is a staunch advocate for the In- terstate-5 Bridge replacement project between Portland and Vancouver. He used it as a pillar of his campaign. In the weeks prior to the election, Leavitt purchased a billboard ad near the bridge so Vancouver commuters were reminded of his position. Turlay, 77, opposes the CRC and light rail to Vancouver. Throughout the campaign, Turlay criticized Leavitt for his support of the bridge. Joining Leavitt on the City Council will be newcomers Alishia Topper and Anne McEnerny-Ogle. Both were en- dorsed by labor. Topper defeated three- term incumbent Jeanne Stewart, taking 52.16 percent of the vote. McEnerny- Ogle defeated Frank Decker, capturing 56.72 percent of the vote. McEnerny- NOVEMBER 15, 2013 Ogle and Decker had advanced in the August primary after outpolling 17- year commissioner Jeanne Harris. Incumbent City Councilor Jack Burkman — also endorsed by labor — defeated Micheline Doan, 52 per- cent to 48 percent. Turlay will retain his seat on the City Council to finish out his term. “This year, there were two very dis- tinct sets of philosophies,” Burkman told the Columbian newspaper. He de- scribed himself and the other winners as “looking to the future, progressive, and willing to take bold steps.” Each of the winners support the Co- lumbia River Crossing. All of the los- ers campaigned against it. “I’m extremely pleased with the re- sults,” Leavitt said. “Given all the rhet- oric out there, this is a nice mandate for our community.” Five labor-backed candidates for freeholder were also victorious. Clark County is electing 15 nonpartisan free- holders to draft a new county charter. They will have 13 months to draft a proposal for voters. If the voters reject the proposal, or if the freeholders can’t agree on a draft charter, Clark County will remain a statute code county. If a majority of voters agree with the char- ter proposal, it will be enacted. The Southwest Washington Central Labor Council and Columbia Pacific Building and Construction Trades Council took positions in all 15 races. Among the endorsed winners were union members Temple Lentz in Dis- trict 3, Position 1; and Jim Moeller in District 3, Position 3. Lentz, a member of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, captured 26.3 percent of the votes in a 13-person race. Moeller, a member of the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Pro- fessionals Local 5017, outpolled eight opponents with 35.5 percent of the vote. Other labor-endorsed winners were Paul Dennis in District 2, Position 4; Pat Jollota in District 3, Position 1; and Val Ogden in District 3, Position 2. Endorsed union members Bob Car- roll, Jamie Hurly, Rob Lutz and Tom Lawrence all fell short in their respec- tive races. NW Oregon Labor Council 1-1 on Election Day There wasn’t much on the plate on Election Day for the Northwest Ore- gon Labor Council. The council took action on only two issues — a five-year local option levy for schools in Lake Oswego, and a levy to fund jail operations in Colum- bia County. The school levy — Measure 3-434 —won with a whopping 86 percent of the vote. Proponents attributed the large margin of victory to the fact that it was a renewal levy that didn’t change tax rates. The jail levy — Measure 5-234 — lost by a whopping 58 percent to 42 percent. If passed, the levy would have added 58 cents per $1,000 of assessed property values. Voter turnout was nearly 43 percent. NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS In other Clark County election re- sults, Dave Town, a retired union offi- cer of Painters and Allied Trades Dis- trict Council 5, was elected to the Clark County Fire and Rescue Commission. Genetic food labeling initiative I-522 fails Statewide ballot initiative I-522 was defeated by Washington voters, 52.42 percent to 47.58 percent. (It failed in Clark County, 56.84 percent to 43.16 percent.) The labor-backed initiative sought to require labeling of geneti- cally engineered foods sold in the state. Multinational corporations like biotechnology giant Monsanto, Dow Chemical, and Coca-Cola contributed millions to the No on I-522 campaign. Overall, nearly $32 million was raised to defeat the measure, setting a state record for money spent against a ballot measure. Polling in September showed 66 percent of voters supported I-522. By mid-October the percentage of sup- porters had shrunk to 46 percent, with 12 percent undecided. Most of those undecideds voted against the measure on Election Day. Voter turnout statewide was 38.31 percent. SeaTac measure to boost wages to $15 an hour clings to lead SEATAC — A ballot measure to raise the minimum wage for SeaTac hospitality and transportation workers to $15 an hour and adjust it for infla- tion each year thereafter, was clinging to a 43-vote lead as this issue of the La- bor Press went to press. Election results won’t be certified until Nov. 26. Proposition 1 has been watched closely nationally. Organized labor supported the ballot measure, while na- tional business groups contributed to the opposition campaign. The measure lifts wages for an esti- mated 6,500 workers, including jet fu- elers, baggage handlers, hotel house- keepers, and rental car employees. It applies to airlines, hotels with more than 100 guest rooms and 30 or more workers, shuttle services and car rental agencies with more than 25 workers, and institutional food service opera- tions — such as conference centers and corporate cafeterias — which have 10 or more non-managerial employees. It also: • Requires employers to provide one hour of sick leave for every 40 hours worked, up to 6.5 days a year of paid sick leave for full-time airport em- ployees; • Prohibits managers or owners from taking workers’ tips, including gratuities charged to banquets or catered meetings; • Requires employers to offer addi- tional hours to existing part-time em- ployees before hiring from the outside; and • Gives employees of contractors an opportunity to keep their jobs when the contract changes hands. The City of SeaTac, with a popula- tion of 27,000, contains within it Seat- tle-Tacoma International Airport, along with airport hotels and conference cen- ters, and shuttle and rental car compa- nies. The city has 12,100 registered voters. Washington currently has the na- tion’s highest state minimum wage at $9.19 an hour. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. PAGE 3
