...‘Right-to-work’ intiative dropped in Oregon
(From Page 1)
lic Employee Choice Act,” which
would have removed any requirement
that public employees pay union dues
or any share of the costs that unions in-
cur to represent them).
Similar right-to-work laws have
been passed across the country in re-
cent years, most notably in Wisconsin,
Ohio and Indiana.
Also withdrawn were union-backed
initiative petitions 14, 15, 16, 17, 18,
19, 29, 30, 32, 33 and 35. Our Oregon
sponsored all but IP 35. Ten of the
measures were different versions of
proposals to raise taxes on big corpora-
tions and the wealthy. The others were
counter-initiatives to IP 9. Under Ore-
gon law, if two ballot measures contra-
dict each other and both pass, the one
that gets the most votes prevails.
IP 35, “Employee Rights At Work,”
was sponsored by Oregon AFSCME
Council 75 political director Joe
Baessler. It said that any initiative that
alters laws on minimum wage, family
leave, payroll deduction, or collective
bargaining would be required to de-
scribe current law and specify whether
the initiative enhances or restricts em-
ployee rights, a determination that
would by made by the state labor com-
missioner.
Two other initiatives — one pro-
union and one anti-union — were not
withdrawn.
Initiative Petition 2 is a constitu-
tional amendment that would prohibit
public employees from using payroll
deductions to transfer funds to/on be-
half of unions. It has yet to be certified
for signature gathering. The chief peti-
tioner is Nicholas Urhausen of Eugene.
Initiative Petition 36, “Protect
Workers Right to Contribute,” names
Service Employees International Union
Local 503 political director Arthur
Towers as chief petitioner. IP 36 says
that “no law shall restrict the ability of
employers and their employees (either
individually or through their bargain-
ing representative) to negotiate and
agree upon terms governing payroll de-
ductions.”
Neither petition has been certified
for signature gathering.
In a press release following Gov.
Kitzhaber’s announcement, Oregon
AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain
thanked everyone who was involved in
the conversations that removed the
measures from the ballot.
“I look forward to working with
union members, community leaders,
and employers in our state as we con-
tinue to chart the best path ahead for
Oregon.”
“The best news out of this deal is
that Oregon workers will not have to
face a major, multi-million dollar attack
from out-of-state corporate interests,”
said Scott Moore, spokesperson for
Our Oregon. “While the Koch Broth-
ers and ALEC are moving these anti-
worker laws around the country, we
won’t have to face that threat this year.”
In a joint press release, the Oregon
Education Association and SEIU said
that as advocates for working people,
public education, and an economy that
works for the middle class, “(we) will
be working closely together to secure
more funding for schools and the serv-
ices that Oregon’s communities need
and deserve. We’ll be fighting to make
sure that big corporations and those
who are not paying their share are do-
ing their part. And we’ll fight to keep
Oregon the kind of place where work-
ing parents can realistically dream of a
better tomorrow for their kids.”
Chamberlain added that the agree-
ment doesn’t mean labor will sit out the
2014 election.
“There are still important decisions
to be made, and now that our state isn’t
fighting for the future of the middle
class and our economic bottom line on
the ballot, it is crucial to turn our atten-
tion to electing pro-worker leaders who
can fend off battles like this in our Leg-
islature,” he said.
...Parkrose won’t contract out bus drivers
(From Page 1)
the head of the district’s parent-led
fundraising organization. And the
statewide leadership of OSEA and of
the Oregon AFL-CIO showed up to
show their opposition.
Yet OSEA leaders didn’t know what
the outcome would be going into the
Feb. 24 board meeting. Of the five
board members, only Portland school-
teacher Erick Flores had openly criti-
cized the outsourcing proposal. OSEA
thought retired teacher Mary Lu
Baetkey would also lean against it, but
software engineer and board chair Ed
Grassel was plainly for it, and Port of
Portland HR manager James Trujillo
signaled his support too. That left vice
chair Thuy Tran, an eye doctor, as the
swing vote. When she spoke against the
plan, the room erupted in applause.
“We need to know our kids,” Tran
said. “We need to control our environ-
ment from A to Z.”
Reading, writing, and arithmetic are
important, Tran said, but the district is
responsible for much more than that.
Three quarters of the district’s 3,500
students are eligible for free or reduced
cost lunch. Parkrose School District
takes responsibility for the physical,
emotional and psychological well-be-
ing, the meals — even the clothing —
of the kids in its charge. And that re-
quires a team effort, Tran said, from the
time students are picked up in the
morning until they return home.
Tran likened the Parkrose staff cuts
of recent years to amputating body
parts, and said she would refuse to cut
any more.
And with that, she joined Baetkey
and Flores in a 3-2 vote to reject the
proposal to contract with First Student.
OSEA represents school support
workers, and has repeatedly fought
school district efforts to contract out
school bus, custodial, and cafeteria op-
erations.
OSEA Executive Director Rick Shi-
daker said he sees no villains at
Parkrose. Just as in other districts, the
push to outsource at Parkrose is a re-
sponse to real budget limitations. But
the union contends that slashing district
worker wages and benefits is not the
right solution.
“Every single worker has value,”
Shidaker said, “and every single
worker should have a living wage,
which includes the ability to retire after
a long career.”
In Parkrose, OSEA did everything it
could to reach out to the community,
and found that its message resonated.
“The community reacted, and the
message got to the board,” Shidaker
said. “They recognized the importance
of keeping it local, and keeping it in the
community. This is not just a victory
for unions. It’s a victory for the com-
munity.”
Portland teachers
ratify new contract
Teachers at Portland Public Schools
voted Feb. 27 to approve a new three-
year contract, which was ratified by the
district board March 3.
The deal was reached Feb. 18 —
two days before a strike was set to begin
— and involved compromises on both
sides. The district let go its demand to
eliminate a provision limiting teacher
workload, and went the other direction,
agreeing to hire 150 teachers to reduce
class sizes and workloads for teachers.
Portland Association of Teachers
agreed to phase out an early retirement
incentive, and simplify the transfer
process. The contract also provides an-
nual raises of 2.3 percent, and adds two
more days to the school year. The dis-
trict will continue to pay 93 percent of
health insurance premiums.
MARCH 7, 2014
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
PAGE 11