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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 2014)
IN MEMORIAM Who’s On Our Side? By Tom Chamberlain E very Workers Memorial Day we read the list of names of Orego- nians who died on the job, at war, or in industrial accidents in the past year. Every year we say we hope next year’s list will be shorter. Oregon’s list is not getting shorter. We saw dramatic decreases in workplace deaths as our economy changed 20 and 30 years ago. We saw decreases more recently as safety measures were stepped up. But for the last few years, our num- bers have not decreased dramatically. On April 28, we will hear the names of 46 workers read. Last year we remembered 52. We have sent condolences to 40 to 50 families a year for quite some time now. That is too many families every year. There are measures we can take to protect more of our fellow workers. We know that good training, a culture that prioritizes safety, and ensuring workers have access to safety equip- ment, all help. That’s where our unions come in. The morning of Workers Memo- rial Day, I’ll be at a groundbreaking for a new apartment building in Port- land that will be built with 100 per- cent union labor. Our unions provide some of the best training programs around. We demand a culture of safety. We bargain for the equipment that will keep our members — and in many cases the people we serve — safe. And we try to make sure work- ers know that they can say something if working conditions aren’t safe. Accidents still happen. We tragi- cally lost a few of our members on the job this year. But we can, and we must, do more to lower Oregon’s number of names read. I recently heard someone say that business owners may take on the fi- nancial risk of starting a company, but every single day workers take on the physical risk. Whatever your job, there is physical risk involved. You take on risk in exchange for a pay- check that may or may not fully com- pensate you for the physical toll of the work you do. Most days, we leave work intact. The risk paid off. In 2013, though, the risk wasn’t worth it to 46 families. We must recommit to making our workplaces safer — via the Legisla- ture, through demanding the training we need, at the bargaining table, and every day when we show up to work by reminding our bosses that we are the ones who take on the physical risk of making a profit, and no profit is worth the cost of our lives. Tom Chamberlain is president of the Oregon AFL-CIO. Oregon renewable energy initiative withdrawn The ballot initiative that aimed to gut Oregon’s “renewable portfolio” re- quirement was withdrawn by its spon- sors this month. 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Oregon already gets more than 25 percent of its power from existing hydro dams, so it would have E E FR removed most of the incentive for building wind, solar and other renew- ables. That’s one less defensive battle this fall for the Oregon AFL-CIO, which opposed the initiative. BARGAIN COUNTER Free ads to subscribers DEADLINE: Friday prior to publication Published 1st and 3rd Fridays Send to: NW Labor Press, PO Box 13150, Portland, OR 97213 • 15 words or less • Include address label from front page and telephone number • Sorry, we cannot accept ads over the telephone • No commercial or business ads • 1 ad per issue • Type or print legibly Classified ads MUST include area code on all phone numbers or they will not be published MotorcycleS, quads, boats, tractors, rVs, trailers, bicycles, autos, lawnmow- ers, cash paid, will pick up 503-880-8183 BuyiNG uS & world coins to add to col- lection, paying fairly, any amount wel- come. 503-939-8835 collector, cash paid, old fishing tackle, wood plugs, reels, creels, salmon fishing photos, etc. 503-775-4166 F OR THE H OME keNMore Dryer, may also be used as a stacked unit, no issues or damage, $185 obo. 360-904-9606 S PORTING G OODS 1993 BlueWater 19’ open bow aluminum, full top with back drop, great fishing boat with extras call Brad 503-969-6389 ruGer SiNGle Six, both cylinders 22/22mag NiB $410; Marlin 39a Golden Mounty $825, 360- 750-1739; 360-904-1700 cell 27.5 foot 5tH WHeel with hitch, 1994 kit companion, new refer, $4,200. 503-667-1093 24’ MarliN 1989 240hp with 15hp Merc kicker, fresh water cooler, many electronics, runs fine, $7,500. 503-505-4622 GreNDel .380 cal piStol, 11-shot compact Model p12, excellent condition, $195. 503-545- 6520 M ISCELLANEOUS 1860-uS Military staff/line officer sword, $550; WW 2 military flare gun, $350. 503-799-1715 coleMaN poWer cHill, iceless, 12-volt cooler, 23.5 x 15 x 17, $50. 503-356-8370 aSHforD SpiNNiNG WHeel, New Zealand made, table top drum card, book, raw wools, plus misc, $200 obo. 503-647-2153 JoNSereDS – SWeDeN chainsaw, 450, #5141976, $125; Jonsered eager Beaver, $100. 503-775-7457 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS Longtime Inter- national Brother- hood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 48 member P HILIP P ARKER died of a heart attack April 2. He was 67. Parker joined Lo- cal 48 in 1978. He was an active mem- ber, serving on the Executive Board, as vice president, as an apprenticeship in- structor, and as chair and later treasurer of the Washington IBEW Political Ac- tion Committee. Parker “retired” (started collecting his pensions) in 2009, but never retired from the IBEW, re- maining an active dues-paying member. At the time of his death he was serving as president of the Labor Roundtable of Southwest Washington, and he had recently been reappointed by Gov. Jay Inslee to a second, four- year term on the Washington State Transportation Commission. Parker also was currently serving on the boards of the Clark County Pub- lic Facilities District, the Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council, the Columbia River Eco- nomic Development Council, and he was a member of the Greater Vancou- ver Chamber of Commerce. He previously served as a member of the Washington State Electrical Board, the Washington State Univer- sity-Vancouver Advisory Board, the Tech Prep Advisory Committee for Clark College, and on the Clark County Planning Commission for 14 years. In his spare time, he volunteered with the local Boy Scouts and coached youth soccer (one of his players was Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt). In 2012 he ran unsuccessfully for Clark County Public Utility District commissioner. P HILIP A RTHUR P ARKER was born Oct. 27, 1946, in Providence, Rhode Island. His family moved to Orlando, Fla., where he was raised with two sis- ters and a younger brother. He graduated from Colonial High School in Orlando in 1964 and later at- tended local community college there. He served and was honorably dis- charged from the U.S. Army Reserves. Parker met his wife of 44 years, Sherry Waltz, on a blind date in Florida, where she was a student at the University of South Florida. They were married on July, 19, 1969. In 1970, at age 23, Parker was ac- cepted into the union electricians ap- prenticeship training program and be- came a member of IBEW Local 606. When worked slowed down in Florida, Parker moved his family to Houston, Texas, then to San Diego, and finally to Portland, where he dispatched out of IBEW Local 48. His wife and two sons settled in Vancouver, Wash. In 2007 the Parkers moved to Battle Ground. Parker is survived by his wife, Sherry, a former county clerk and cur- rent Clark College trustee; sons Jeffrey of Sammamish, Wash., and David of Ridgefield, Wash.; and four grandchil- dren. David is a member of Local 48. About 75 people — union mem- bers, politicians and business leaders — attended the April 11 meeting of the Labor Roundtable, of which Parker was chairman. Attendees described Parker as a humble man — a giant with an undying commitment to jobs, the in- frastructure, and all workers. “Phil’s in- fluence is felt all over the state,” said state Sen. Annette Cleveland. A celebration of life will be held Tuesday, April 22, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Luepke Community Center, 1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd., Vancouver. NW Oregon Labor Council to relocate The Northwest Oregon Labor Council will move to a new office on April 23. The space is located in the building owned by the IBEW and United Workers Federal Credit Union at 9955 SE Washington Street, Port- land, Ore. 97216. NOLC will be on third floor in Suite 305. Their phone and fax num- bers will remain the same, 503-235- 9444 and 503-233-8259. Starting April 28, Executive Board meetings will be held in the second floor meeting room (Suite 201) in the building. Broadway Floral for the BEST flowers call IRS PROBLEMS? • Haven’t filed for ... years? • Lost records? • Liens - Levies - Garnishments? • Negotiate settlements. • Prepare offer in Compromise. Call Nancy D. Anderson Enrolled Agent NPTI Fellow/America’s Tax Expert LTC-1807 503-288-5537 www.nancydanderson.com 1638 NE Broadway, Portland 503-244-2577 PAGE 15
