EE
R
F
Who’s On Our Side?
By Tom Chamberlain
T
his April’s U.S. Supreme Court
decision striking down limits
on the total amount of campaign
contributions a person can make
was a deliberate power shift from
the middle class to the 1%ers.
We’ve created a super-class of
Americans who control more
power and wield more influence
than we’ve seen in 100 years.
You’ve heard this before. But I
hope you’ll keep reading, because
it’s possible that the Supreme Court
is about to make it even worse, and
you need to know what’s coming.
There is no question that income
inequity and its impact on the
American family is entering a criti-
cal phase. Between 1991 and 2011,
Oregon’s median income dropped
by approximately $5,000.
According to Pulitzer Prize-win-
ning journalist David Cay Johnston,
real wages for the bottom 90 per-
cent of American wage earners be-
tween 1966 and 2011 grew by $59
per year. The average income
growth for the top 10 percent over
the same period of time was
$116,071 — and we know the bulk
of that increase was in the top 0.1
percent. To put that into perspective:
if you say a $59 boost is equivalent
to one inch, the incomes of the top
10 percent of Americans rose by
168 feet.
I can’t think of an elected official
who isn’t talking about wage in-
equality. But while politicians wring
their hands and talk in sound bites,
AFSCME and the Service Employ-
ees (SEIU) have taken action by or-
ganizing low-wage workers.
Childcare and home health care
workers provide essential services
for society. They take care of our
kids while parents work, and in-
crease the quality of life for the
physically challenged and elderly.
They are also very low-wage work-
ers who have few, if any, benefits.
AFSCME and SEIU have em-
powered these workers, bargained
higher wages, and sought health
care and other benefits on their be-
half. In 2000, 63 percent of Oregon
voters amended the Oregon Consti-
tution to create the Oregon Care
Commission for the Elderly and
Disabled, giving homecare workers
the right to join a union and collec-
tively bargain. Childcare workers
were given similar rights in 2005.
Tens of thousands of Oregon work-
ers and their families are shrinking
the wage gap thanks to these
changes.
In 2013, California Gov. Brown
signed into law the Domestic Work-
ers Bill of Rights, giving thousands
of domestic workers the right to join
a union and collectively bargaining
for the first time.
As union members, we must lift
all workers up. Achieving collective
power for workers who are exempt
from the National Labor Relations
Act through state laws is central to
rebuilding the middle class.
This brings us back to the
Supreme Court, where we are
awaiting a decision on a case called
Harris v. Quinn. The decision in
this case could not only reverse the
gains made for low-wage workers,
but could upend public-sector
unionism.
Harris v. Quinn is a constitu-
tional challenge to the inclusion of
state-paid homecare workers under
Illinois’ public sector collective bar-
gaining laws. The case was brought
by the National Right to Work De-
fense Foundation. The plaintiffs are
non-member homecare workers.
The plaintiffs argue that requir-
ing all workers in the unit to be rep-
resented by a union and requiring
non-members represented by a
union to pay their fair share of the
cost of representation is forced as-
sociation, which is forbidden by the
First Amendment.
The federal Court of Appeals in
Chicago rejected this argument and
upheld the law. Their ruling was
based on a 1977 U.S. Supreme
Court decision that rejected the First
Amendment defense in a case re-
garding fair share fees in the public
sector.
Worst case scenario: the U.S.
Supreme Court overturns the 1977
decision and implements a free
rider system that gives non-mem-
bers the right to all the benefits of a
union in the workplace without
paying a dime. Even if the court
doesn’t go this far, a decision that
focuses on home healthcare, child-
care and domestic workers would
reverse 15 years of hard-fought
gains for low-wage workers.
Best case: the Court upholds the
Court of Appeals decision, main-
taining collective power for these
workers.
A lot is at stake in this decision.
Our Supreme Court has ruled in fa-
vor of corporations and against
working people, but in this case we
have strong precedent on our side.
Some time in the next month, we’ll
know where the justices stand when
it comes to putting workers ahead
of corporate profits.
Tom Chamberlain is president of
the Oregon AFL-CIO.
Motorcycle poker run June 14; tickets to win a
new Harley Davidson motorcycle still available
The 12th annual Unions for Kids Motorcycle Poker Run
& Chili Cook-off will be held Saturday, June 14, starting at
9 a.m.
Unions for Kids is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization
established in 2003 by union members and supporters to
raise money for Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. One hun-
dred percent of the proceeds from its events go to that cause.
To date, $390,000 has been donated.
Most of the money is raised through a raffle to win a
Harley Davidson Softail Classic motorcycle valued at
$21,569. Tickets are $10 each, with only 5,000 tickets sold.
The 75-mile motorcycle poker run starts and finishes at
the IBEW Local 48 Hall, 15937 NE Airport Way, Portland.
Registration is from 8:30 to 10 a.m. All poker hands must be
returned by 2:45 p.m. to be eligible to win cash prizes.
The event also features vendors, raffle prizes a silent auc-
tion, and chili cook-off competition.
The drawing for the motorcycle will be held at 4 p.m.
PAGE 10
Unions for Kids president Lee Duncan said Hampton
Inn, 3039 NE 181st Ave., Portland, is offering a discounted
room rates for participants. The phone number is 503-669-
7000.
For more information about Unions for Kids, the Poker
Run, or to purchase a Harley motorcycle raffle ticket, visit
www.unionsforkids.org, or call Duncan at 503-260-5905.
BARGAIN COUNTER
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DEADLINE: Friday prior to publication
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Ads MUST include area code or they will not be published
A UTOMOTIVE
’87 TOYOTA MOTORHOME, 21’, 48k
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H OUSING
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100 ACRES, trees, wildlife, will carry con-
tract, Spray Oregon, $750 per acre OBO.
541-468-2961
2002 PREMIER PARK model, 39.5’,
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289-0027 or 503-816-2000
special, needs tires, $700 OBO. 503-647-
2153
CRAFTSMAn 6hp, Hd rear tine tiller,
$400; Farmall C with sickle bar mower,
needs paint, gd rubber, $2,000 OBO. 360-
265-0869
S PORTING G OODS
COllAPSIBlE TRI-POd, 24”-60” tilt
swivel, $50; Celestron spotting scope, 12
to 36 zoom, 50mm $50. 360-823-3486
REMIngTOn 870 12 gauge pump (Wing-
master) short barrel tact, stock and original
stock, $325. 360-823-3486 (Jim)
1989 CABIn CRUISER, 24’, inboard out-
board mtr, 15hp kicker mtr, lots of elec-
tronics, runs fine, $7,500. 503-505-4622
RUgER SInglE six .22/.22 mag nib,
$410; Marlin 39a golden Mounty .22 lever
action, $800. 360-750-1739
W ANTED
Old WOOdWORKIng tools, planes, lev-
els, chisels, handsaws, slicks, adzes,
wrenches, folding rulers, axes, hatchets,
leather tools, tool chests. 503-659-0009
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
COllECTOR PAYS cash for older toys,
oil paintings, American art pottery, and
costume jewelry. 503 703-5952
1947 FRAnKlIn High School yearbook.
503-522-6542
Low Prices!
Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9:30-5:30, Sun 12-6
M ISCELLANEOUS
BElT SAndER, 4”x106”, CR laurence
CR 12200RP, wet abrasive w/roller platen,
extra belts, $800; misc glazing equip. 360-
274-6397
HORSE TRAIlER, 2 axel, handy man
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
Harley Davidson motorcycle raffle tickets can be pur-
chased at the following locations:
IBEW & United Workers Federal Credit Union, 9955
SE Washington St., Portland; Teamsters Council 37 Fed-
eral Credit Union, 1866 NE 162nd Ave., Portland; Bounty
Hunter Saloon, 11445 SW Pacific Hwy., Tigard; Midnight
Roundup Saloon, 345 NW Burnside, Gresham; Gateway
Pub, 39100 Pioneer, Sandy; Dita’s Chocolates, 38915
Proctor Blvd., Sandy; and Wooden Chicken Pub, 12500
NE Sandy Blvd., Portland.
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
MAY 16, 2014