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Oregon renewable energy initiative withdrawn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.
Oregon passed a law in 2007 re-
quiring big utilities to have 25 percent
A UTOMOTIVE
’91 toyota celica cp, new tires, runs
great, $1,500. 503-658-8788
1947 Buick Super 8, 4-door, needs
paint, $5,500. 360-694-8852
’04 GMc Sierra 2500 Slt, gas, ext cab, 4WD,
loaded, low miles, one owner, $16,500. 971-201-
8238
H OUSING
rockaWay ocean front, 503-777-5076,
5 bdrms/2 ba, book now for summer!
http://rockawaybeachfrontrental.com
rockaWay BeacH rental, 3 bed, 2
bath, sleeps 10, Jacuzzi, 5 min to beach/
shops. Vacationhomerentals.com/43026
100 acreS, trees, wildlife, will carry contract,
Spray oregon, $750 per acre oBo. 541-468-
2961
W ANTED
caSH paiD old fishing tackle, wood plugs, reels,
creels, salmon fishing photos, derby items, hunt-
ing knives, game calls, etc. 503-775-4166
olD WooDWorkiNG tools, planes, lev-
els, chisels, handsaws, slicks, adzes,
wrenches, folding rulers, leather tools, tool
chests. 503-659-0009
collector payS cash for older toys,
older oil paintings and older american art
pottery. 503 703-5952
HaM raDio and short wave radio equip-
ment, particularly older 1950s/60s equip-
that uses tubes, 503-823-4577
u.S., GerMaN, Japanese military items,
uniforms, aviation, hats, helmets, swords,
daggers, bayonets, rifles, pistols. 503-852-
6791
APRIL 18, 2014
of their power from new renewables by
2015. The initiative would have let util-
ities count old hydroelectric dams as
new renewables. 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