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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 2014)
Unions endorse oil distribution center proposal in Vancouver Construction unions will sign a project labor agreement with Vancouver Energy on the $210 million project VANCOUVER, Wash. — Major construction unions in Southwest Washington and Oregon have endorsed the proposed crude oil distribution ter- minal at the Port of Vancouver and reached an agreement with Vancouver Energy to ensure the project is built with union labor. The Columbia Pacific Building Trades Council, the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, and Operating Engineers Local 701 are partnering with Vancouver Energy on the project, which is expected to create thousands of jobs through the construc- tion and operation of a $210 million crude oil loading and unloading facility. The labor organizations and Vancou- ver Energy agreed that project labor agreements (PLAs) will be in place for construction of the facility, assuring it will be built with union workers. “This project creates great family- wage jobs, fuels our economy and pro- motes energy independence,” said Willy Myers, executive secretary of the Co- lumbia Pacific Building Trades Coun- cil. “We agree that transportation of HOLIDAY PARTY DONATIONS NEEDED Labor’s Community Service Agency (LCSA) and the Northwest Oregon La- bor Council (NOLC) are accepting do- nations of toys and cash for the 18th an- nual Presents from Partners Holiday Toy Party. The event — for families of unemployed union members and those facing temporary hardships — will be held in mid-December at the Sheet Metal Workers Local 16 Hall in North- east Portland. Entrance is by ticket only. Members must be referred by their lo- cal. Referral forms will be sent to unions and must be returned to LCSA by Dec. 9. Toy donations also will be accepted through Dec. 9. Toys can be dropped off at the following locations: • IBEW and United Workers Fed- eral Credit Union, or the Northwest Oregon Labor Council (Suite 305), or LCSA (Suite 211). All of the offices are located in the same building at 9955 SE Washington St., Portland. • Oregon AFL-CIO, 3645 SE 32nd Ave., Portland. • Portland Jobs with Justice, 1500 NE Irving St., Suite 585, Portland. • Office and Professional Employees Local 11, 3815 Columbia St., Vancou- ver, Wash. • American Federation of Teachers- Oregon, 10228 SW Capitol Hwy, Port- land. • Any Sunrise Dental location. Cash donations can be sent to LCSA, 9955 SE Washington, #211, Portland, Ore., 97216. crude oil by rail and marine vessel to and from the terminal can be accom- plished in a safe, environmentally re- sponsible manner, and Vancouver En- ergy is committed to doing that. We’re anxious to help them build it.” Backers say the terminal will pro- vide $2 billion in economic value to the local and regional economy through la- bor income and tax revenues during construction and the first 15 years of op- eration. They estimate more than 1,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs on av- erage annually; 320 full-time construc- tion jobs and 616 direct on-site and off- site operations jobs, including 176 jobs on-site at the terminal and sourced from the local area; $22 million in state and local taxes during construction; and $7.8 million in tax revenue annually once fully operational. “This is great — Southwest Wash- ington needs these jobs and the eco- nomic benefits will flow to the entire re- gion,” said Lee Newgent, executive sec- retary of the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council. “With all the uncertainty in the world, especially in countries that have been major sources of oil, this is also an es- sential infrastructure project to increase our country’s economic security and en- ergy independence.” “We’re impressed with Vancouver Energy’s commitment to safety and the specific safety elements to be built and designed into the facility and its opera- tion,” said Nelda Wilson, business man- ager of Operating Engineers, Local 701. “Employing a safety-trained, skilled workforce and utilizing a full array of safeguards, including only newer and safer model rail cars, will help make this a great project for working men and women, their families, and local com- munities.” Tesoro Refining & Marketing Com- pany LLC and Savage Companies formed a joint venture — Vancouver Energy — to develop, own and operate the terminal at the Port of Vancouver that will transfer North American crude oil from rail to ship, subject to regula- tory approval. At full operation the ter- minal would receive up to 360,000 bar- rels of oil a day, which would be transferred to West Coast refineries. The project is currently being evalu- ated by Washington’s Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC), which will produce a draft Environ- mental Impact Statement for public re- view. EFSEC required Vancouver En- ergy to prepare a preliminary analyses to address the range of potential im- pacts, which the company submitted in August and September. Ultimately, EFSEC will submit a recommendation on the project to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who de- cides whether Vancouver Energy should receive a permit. Grievance settled: AFSCME members will write parking tickets in Portland Parks The City of Portland has settled a union grievance over who should write parking tickets in Washington Park. Last year, the City announced it would install parking meters in the park and assign park rangers working for the Portland Parks Bureau to write tickets. But AFSCME Local 189, which rep- resents parking enforcement officers at the Portland Bureau of Transportation, filed a grievance saying that work should be assigned to its members, who make $24.94 an hour plus benefits — not to park rangers who make about half that amount. The rangers, though represented by Laborers Local 483, supported AFSCME’s argument in an open letter to the City. To resolve the dispute, an Oct. 15 hearing was scheduled before an arbi- trator. But in late September, the two sides worked out a settlement: The Parks Bureau will hire 1.5 parking en- forcement officers. They’ll be Local 189 members, and will be paid the same scale as the other parking enforcement officers. Until then, rangers will con- tinue writing tickets, as they have since the beginning of the year. “It shows a willingness to look at settlement outside of arbitration, and I’m glad to see it,” said Oregon AF- SCME representative Rob Wheaton, who worked on the grievance. Wheaton credited City Commis- sioner Amanda Fritz, who’s in charge of Parks, for the settlement. Portland City Council was sched- uled to approve the new hires on Nov. 5, after this issue went to press. (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) Established in 1900 at Portland, Oregon as a voice of the labor movement. 4275 NE Halsey St., P.O. Box 13150, Portland, Ore. 97213 Telephone: (503) 288-3311 Editor: Michael Gutwig Staff: Don McIntosh, Cheri Rice Published on a semi-monthly basis on the first and third Fridays of each month by the Oregon Labor Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non- profit corporation owned by 19 unions and councils including the Oregon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 80 union organizations in Ore- gon and SW Washington. Subscriptions $13.75 per year for union members. Group rates available to trade union organizations. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT PORTLAND, OREGON. CHANGE OF ADDRESS NOTICE: Three weeks are required for a change of address. When ordering a change, please give your old and new addresses and the name and number of your local union. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS, P.O. BOX 13150, PORTLAND, OR 97213-0150 NOVEMBER 7, 2014 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 3
