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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 2014)
Inside MEETING NOTICES See Page 21 Volume 115 Number 16 August 15, 2014 Portland, Oregon E very year, labor unions throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington hold Labor Day picnics. The largest gathering by far takes place at Oaks Amusement Park in Southeast Port- land. Sponsored by the Northwest Oregon Labor Council, the picnic attracts members from multiple unions, who enjoy barbecue, music, games, carnival rides, raffle drawings, and time to visit with local politicians. The picnic runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Political speeches take place at 1 p.m. Food and beverage scrip sells for 50 cents. Three scrip gets you a hamburger and chips; two scrip a hot dog and chips; four scrip for beer; two scrip for pop; and one scrip for water and chili. Deluxe ride bracelets are $9.50. The Oregon Pacific Railroad Shuttle Train will transport people to and from Oaks Park from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Cost is $5 per person round trip for adults. Children under 12 can ride for free. Street parking is available near the McLoughlin Overpass, McCoy Millwork, and the Portland Opera. The train boards at 4th and Caruthers. For more information about the pic- nic, call the Labor Council at 503-235-9444. Following is a list of all the other Labor Day picnics in Oregon and Southwest Washington: ASTORIA — Cullaby Lake — in the North Shelter off U.S. Highway 101 between Astoria Central Oregon Central Labor Council, there will be music, games and fun for the whole family. Labor Day PICNICS EUGENE/SPRINGFIELD — John Lively Picnic Shelters, behind SPLASH at 6100 Thurston Road in Springfield. Noon – 4 p.m. Please bring a side dish. Sponsored by the Lane County Central Labor Council. Labor Day – Monday, Sept. 1 MEDFORD — TouVelle State Park, 8425 Table Rock Road, Central Point. 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Lunch served from noon to 1 p.m. Labor music, games and fun for the whole family. There is a $5 charge for parking. Sponsored by the Southern Oregon Central Labor Council. For more information, call Kathy McUne at 541-664-0804. and Seaside. Noon to 5 p.m. Parking is $3 per vehicle. Sponsored by the Clatsop-Tillamook Central Labor Council. COWLITZ-WAHKIAKUM COUNTIES — Toutle River RV Resort, 150 Happy Trails, Castle Rock, Wash., Exit 52 off I-5. Grilling hamburgers and hot dogs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bring your favorite picnic dish to share. There will be swimming, kids’ games and a great chance to socialize with union members. BEND — Pioneer Park, NW Wall St. Pic- nic hours are noon to 3 p.m. Sponsored by the NORTH BEND/COOS BAY — Ferry Road Park in North Bend. 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Mu- sic, games and fun for the whole family. Spon- sored by the Southwestern Oregon Central La- bor Council. The council is asking for a donation of non-perishable food items. SALEM — Waterfront Park. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Food, music, and guest speakers. There will be a bouncy house for the kids! Sponsored by Marion-Polk-Yamhill Central Labor Coun- cil. Cost: two non-perishable food items per person. Labor steps up big to help pass paid sick leave By DON McINTOSH Associate Editor Activists in Eugene, Oregon, are cel- ebrating a major win for workers’ rights and public health: A city ordinance mandating paid sick leave. The ordinance, which passed July 28 on a 5-3 vote, gives Eugene workers up to 40 hours of paid sick leave per year, to be used when they or a family mem- ber need treatment or diagnosis. It will take effect July 1, 2015, and will cover all employees who perform their work in Eugene, regardless of where their employer is based. Eugene’s ordinance is stronger than the similar ordinance that took effect in Portland in January, because it applies to all workers, whereas Portland’s ordi- nance doesn’t require employers with fewer than six employees to provide paid sick leave. The Eugene ordinance contains two exceptions. It doesn’t apply to federal, state, county or school district employ- ees, because the City lacks authority to regulate their employment conditions. And it doesn’t apply to construction in- dustry workers who are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, be- cause their employers don’t provide benefits directly: They make hourly benefit contributions, and benefits are administered independently by area- wide trusts that are overseen jointly by union and employer group representa- tives. To win passage of the ordinance, Eu- gene activists followed the same play- book as their Portland counterparts: The foundation-supported nonprofit Family Forward Oregon spearheaded a local coalition with the substantial support of unions and sympathetic business own- ers. United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555, in partic- ular, stepped up to make it happen. It helped fund the salary of a full-time community organizer, repeatedly mobi- lized members to show support for the ordinance, and paid for a canvass which knocked on over 10,000 doors and de- veloped a list of several thousand sup- porters, in a city of 158,000. “Sick leave was the hot topic in Eu- gene in the last seven months,” said Family Forward Oregon organizer Lori Trieger. According to her group’s estimate, half of Eugene’s private sector work- force — just over 25,000 workers — don’t currently have paid sick leave. The ordinance will improve the lives of those workers, and of other workers who do have sick leave. UFCW Local (Turn to Page 8) UFCW Local 555 members in yellow union shirts pack the house at a hearing on Eugene’s proposed sick leave ordinance, which passed July 28.
