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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 2014)
Labor to join rally to demand action on climate change The Oregon AFL-CIO and other labor organizations will take part in Portland’s People’s Climate March Sunday, Sept. 21, at Waterfront Park. The march will coincide with a much larger march in New York City, and other demonstrations around the world. Organizers in New York City are expecting the demonstration to be the largest political rally in that city in over a decade, and the biggest demonstration for climate action ever held. The march will be notable not only for its size, but for its diversity. More than 1,100 organizations have en- dorsed the march, including more than 60 labor organizations, and six international unions: Amalgamated Transit Union, Communications Workers of America (CWA), National Education Association, National Nurses United, Office and Profes- sional Employees International Union, and Service Employees Inter- national Union. The unionists will as- semble in a several block area next to Central Park and march together. Celebrities also have begun show- ing support, including model Helena Christensen, musician Peter Gabriel, actor Susan Sarandon, Argentine foot- baller Lionel Messi and actor Edward Norton. The New York City Council en- dorsed the march, passing a resolu- tion encouraging people across the city to take part in the mobilization. The worldwide actions will take place just two days before President Obama and other world leaders are set to attend a Climate Summit at the United Nations hosted by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The summit is designed to build momentum for na- tional and international climate ac- tion, including a new global climate treaty that will be finalized in Paris next year. March organizers say they are looking for “action, not words” at the summit. “Let’s be clear, climate change is the most important issue facing all of us for the rest of our lives,” said John Harrity, president of the Connecticut State Council of Machinists, which endorsed the march. “Climate change is threatening our environment and our economy, and we must address it immediately, and do so in a way that builds a stronger economy and creates new jobs across the country,” said Kim Glas, execu- tive director of the BlueGreen Al- liance, a national partnership of labor unions and environmental organiza- tion uniting nearly 16 million mem- bers and supporters. “As world lead- ers gather for the UN Climate Summit, we urge immediate action to address the threat of global climate change.” In Portland, organizers are ask- ing union members to wear their union colors and to bring their union banners. Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain will represent organized labor at the microphone. The Portland march also has union endorsements from AFSCME Local 3336, CWA Local 7901, Musicians Local 99, Ore- gon AFSCME Green Caucus, Ore- gon BlueGreen Apollo Alliance and Oregon Tradeswomen. The labor contingent will gather at 2:45 p.m. just south of the Hawthorne Bridge in Tom McCall Waterfront Park. The march begins at 3 p.m. Leading up to the Portland event, the Labor Education and Research Center (LERC) at the University of Oregon will hold a two-day confer- ence entitled “Searching for consen- sus: The Climate Policy Debate in Oregon.” The conference will include workshops on economic harm from inaction on climate change; how car- bon taxes, cap-and-trade and other systems operate; what Oregon union- ists can learn from the experiences of other states and countries; and whether carbon pricing is feasible in the 2015 legislative session. It takes place at the UO Portland White Stag building, 70 NW Couch St. and runs from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Satur- day, Sept. 20, just before the Portland climate march. The conference fee is $40. Call 503-412-3721 for more in- formation. After an SUV slammed into their motorcycle in the early morning of July 5, fired phone fundraiser David Neel (right) and his fiancée Stephanie Castillo have months of recovery ahead of them. The accident prompted Neel to settle his National Labor Relations Board case against Fund for the Public Interest, the non-profit fundraiser for PIRGs, which fired him in November 2012 after he emerged as a union leader. ... PIRG settlement 1638 NE Broadway, Portland tebrae, and head lacerations. On re- lease, she’s in a wheelchair, and he’s walking with a cane, and they have months of recovery ahead of them. Pondering medical bills and lost wages, and with two teenage sons to support, Neel decided to accept the set- tlement. The terms of the settlement, ap- proved in mid-August by the NLRB and CWA Local 7901, are that the Fund pay Neel $19,088 of backpay and interest, plus $7,000 for waiving his right to reinstatement. “David would be coming back to work if it weren’t for that horrific acci- dent,” said CWA Local 7901 President Madelyn Elder. “The NLRB found the Fund in the wrong. They wrongfully fired him, and they need to stop dis- criminating against union people.” Low Prices! IRS PROBLEMS? (From Page 1) ancee Stephanie Castillo were heading home on his 1982 Yamaha motorcycle after a night out watching fireworks. As they stopped for traffic on South- east Milwaukie Boulevard and Ochoco, a Ford Explorer SUV plowed into them. Neel and Castillo survived the crash, but suffered significant in- juries. Castillo stayed in the hospital 10 days with a shattered pelvis, a broken ankle, and two fractured vertebrae. Neel was in the hospital three days with a concussion, four fractured ver- Congratulations to Chris Frost for receiving the ‘Doug Swanson Outstanding Workers' Compensation Attorney Award’ from OTLA. Broadway Floral for the BEST flowers call 503-288-5537 • 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 www.nancydanderson.com Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9:30-5:30, Sun 12-6 SEPTEMBER 19, 2014 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS 503-244-2577 PAGE 3
