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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 2014)
SW Washington students get taste of construction careers SW Washington Labor Council backs Clark County charter change Amendment would add two members to County Commission, cut its pay, and allow initiatives Jack Miller and Tom Wishard (in baseball cap), field reps with Operating Engineers Local 701, help a student operate a heavy equipment computer simulator at the fourth annual Cowlitz Wahkiakum Construction Fair hosted by Kelso High School. Several craft unions and their respective training centers participated in the event, which attracted 1,200 students. KELSO — Construction trade unions participated in the Cowlitz Wahkiakum Construction Fair Sept. 26 at the Cowlitz Expo Center. The fair, in its fourth year, was hosted by Kelso High School and drew approximately 1,200 students from Cowlitz, Wahki- akum and Clark counties. The fair is designed to introduce students to careers that they might not otherwise be familiar with. Some of the union crafts displaying their wares were Operating Engineers Local 701; Plumbers and Fitters Local 26; the Ore- gon and Southwest Washington Mason Trades Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee; the Washington and North- ern Idaho District Council of Laborers and Local 335; Cowlitz Fire Depart- ment; IBEW Local 48 and the National Electrical Contractors Association Training Center; Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 1, and the Wash- ington State Labor Council. Union signatory contractor JH Kelly donated hard hats, eye protection and safety vests for every student that par- ticipated in the fair. “This was an amazing community effort that had a huge impact on our high school students who took advan- tage of such a great opportunity,” said Mollie DuBois, a career specialist at Kelso High School and event organizer. VANCOUVER — The Southwest Washington Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO encourages Clark County residents to vote “yes” on a proposed Home Rule Charter that will be on the Nov. 4 ballot. Last November voters elected five county residents from each of the three Clark County commissioner dis- tricts to serve as a Board of Freehold- ers — charged with drafting new rules for Clark County government. The 15-member Board was a mix of Democrats, Republicans and inde- pendents. Members unanimously elected Nan Henriksen, former mayor of Camas, as chair. They elected Joe Zarelli, former Republican state sena- tor from Ridgefield, as vice chair, and former Democratic state representa- tive Val Ogden of Vancouver as sec- retary. [Val passed away after com- pleting a partial term and the Board appointed Dan Ogden to fill his wife’s unexpired term.] The freeholders, who served with- out pay, met for about six months and came up with a proposal that makes three main changes. Their proposed charter strengthens citizen representation by going from three commissioners to five council members, with four elected by district and one at-large (the chair). Salaries are lowered so that the cost for all five will be no more than the current cost for three. Salaries of the policymak- ers would be reduced from $102,000 to $53,000. The chair, with additional responsibilities, would make 20 per- cent more ($63,600). Adjustments to the salary would be based on percent- age changes established for state leg- islators by the Washington State Salary Commission. The elected par- tisan offices of Clark County Asses- sor, Auditor, Clerk, Prosecuting Attor- ney, Sheriff and Treasurer are retained under the proposed charter. The second change puts the county under professional management. Un- der the current commissioner form of government, three commissioners serve as “co-chief executives” as well as “policymakers.” Under the pro- posed council-manager form of gov- ernment the council would hire/fire a professional manager who has the re- sponsibility and authority to imple- ment policies adopted by the council and to manage the administrative branch. The council would serve as the legislative branch: setting policy, adopting the budget and representing the County on various boards. Third, the proposed charter would give voters the right to initiate and en- act legislation through the initiative process similar to the way statewide initiatives are considered on the bal- lot. Through the referendum process voters could petition to have an ordi- nance that has been enacted by the Council submitted to the voters for their approval or rejection. Unlike in the current system, Clark County vot- ers could change the charter in the fu- ture if they so choose. “This proposed home rule charter was truly created by the people, for the people,” said Shannon Walker, president of the Southwest Washing- ton Central Labor Council. The Charter YES campaign is led by co-chairs Clark County Sheriff Garry Lucas and Betty Sue Morris, a former Democratic legislator and county commissioner. Community members John McDonagh, Nan Hen- riksen, Greg Kimsey and Judie Stan- ton serve as members of the steering committee, along with the co-chairs. The charter will become law if ap- proved by a simple majority of voters in the general election. It would go into effect Jan. 1, 2015. On that day the legislative and administrative powers will be separated into two branches of government. The charter provides for the election of two addi- tional council members during 2015 who will be seated on Jan. 1, 2016. The transitioning of the salary de- crease would occur over two years. Broadway Floral for the BEST flowers call 503-288-5537 1638 NE Broadway, Portland Mesothelioma has a long latency period. Asbestos exposures from 40 or 50 years ago can cause cancer. A detailed work history is necessary to reconstruct exposure history on the job. OCTOBER 17, 2014 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 3
