EE
R
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Who’s On Our Side?
By Tom Chamberlain
G
rover Norquist set the tone for
the Conservative Political Ac-
tion Conference (CPAC) with the
battle cry “[unions] are not dead
yet — but they’re in decline.”
Good ol’ boy Grover then laid out
a plan to destroy unions once and
for all: Gain control of governors’
mansions and state legislatures and
pass right-to-work laws.
Getting right-to-work on the
Oregon ballot was part of their
plan for 2014, but thanks to Gov.
John Kitzhaber, leaders in the busi-
ness community, and strong, com-
mitted union leaders who put the
good of the Oregon labor move-
ment ahead of their individual
agendas, we are not dead yet.
Understand, I believe that we
could have defeated this Groverian
agenda that was designed to si-
lence the voice of working Orego-
nians. But workers and their allies
would have spent over $10 million
and thousands of hours knocking
on doors and phone calling.
The Koch brothers would have
invested millions to destroy the
Oregon workers’ movement be-
cause they know that if they had
passed these anti-worker initiatives
in Oregon, they could pass them
anywhere.
We have too many other battles
to pick a $10 million fight where
we’re sure to be outspent, even
when we know we can win.
Unions have been under intensi-
fying attack for the last four
decades — since Ronald Regan
broke the Air Traffic Controllers
Union. These attacks do not target
just unions. They target any organ-
ization that builds people power.
The Association of Community
Organizations for Reform Now
(ACORN) was a community-
based organization that worked in
local neighborhoods throughout
the United States advocating for
low- to moderate-income families,
increasing voter registration, fight-
ing for affordable housing and
supporting other social issues. At
its peak, ACORN had a member-
ship of over 500,000 people in
1,200 neighborhoods. Their 2008
voter registration program regis-
tered 1.3 million voters. ACORN’s
internal audits revealed that ap-
proximately 400,000 were dupli-
cates. Most states require voter
registration programs to turn in all
completed registration forms —
including duplicates — to protect
voters’ information. ACORN
helped get millions of Americans
into the voting booth, building
power for working families. They
were so successful that they be-
came a target for the Grover
Norquists of the world.
In 2009, two conservative ac-
tivists released a selectively edited
video that falsely suggested that
ACORN staff members were a
part of illegal activities. While
ACORN was later cleared of any
wrongdoing, funding by then had
already dried up. That funding was
used to register low-income Amer-
icans to vote. It was used to help
communities advocate for their fu-
tures. It was a threat to Norquist’s
agenda.
We could have won right-to-
work in Oregon. This time, our lo-
cal union and business leaders
found a common interest — find-
ing a better path forward for The
Beaver State.
But as Gov. Kitzhaber leads us
down that path, we must make
sure that the outcome really is a
good deal for working people. And
we must be ready for Norquist’s
next attack on working people.
We don’t plan on dying off, but we
know the Grover Norquists of the
world will keep trying.
Tom Chamberlain is president
of the Oregon AFL-CIO.
Blues Festival April 5 to benefit Health Care for All
For the third year, Health Care for
All-Oregon is throwing a party that
will benefit its work to get simple, fair,
affordable, high quality health care for
all Oregonians.
The Inner City Blues Festival —
“Healing the Healthcare Blues,” will
be held Saturday, April 5, at the
Melody Ballroom, 615 SE Alder, Port-
land. Doors open at 6 p.m.
The Inner City Blues Festival stars
Norman Sylvester and a host of North-
west musicians. Masters of Cere-
monies are Paul Knauls, a NE Portland
businessman and former owner of leg-
endary blues/jazz clubs Geneva’s and
the Cotton Club, and Renee Mitchell,
former columnist for the Oregonian
and renowned poet and author.
The evening will include Commu-
nity Village information tables, a raffle
prize drawing and silent auction.
Tickets are $15 in advance at
www.tickettomato.com or at Music
Millennium, Geneva’s Shear Perfec-
tion, Musicians Union Local 99, or $20
at the door.
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Free tax preparation available
Labor’s Community Service Agency
is spreading the word that low- to mod-
erate-income Oregonians can have their
income tax returns prepared free by
trained volunteers statewide. CASH
(Creating Assets, Savings and Hope)
Oregon, a non-profit group in partner-
ship with AARP Tax-Aide, supports
free tax preparation in 32 counties in
Oregon at more than 140 tax sites.
Many people who earn very little
may be eligible for a refund. Tax credits
that many could qualify for are the Fed-
eral and Oregon Earned Income Tax
Credit, the Federal Child Tax Credit,
and the Oregon Working Family Child
Care Credit. Trained volunteers will
help taxpayers sort through their ques-
PAGE 6
tions and provide assistance.
For more information or to find a lo-
cation nearest you, call 2-1-1, or visit
www.cashoregon.org.
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
MARCH 21, 2014