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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 16, 2015)
The high cost of low wages In Oregon, an estimated 412,000 workers (25 percent of the workforce) make $12 an hour or less, and 9 percent make minimum wage (which is cur- rently $9.10 an hour), according to a study released Jan. 8 by the University of Oregon’s Labor Education and Re- search Center (LERC), “The High Cost of Low Wages in Oregon.” The figures are worse for women and minorities: 45 percent of Latino workers and 50 percent of African- American workers are in low-wage in- dustries. And those at the bottom of the barrel for hourly wages are also more likely to have little or no health or re- tirement benefit, less predictable work schedules, more volatile paychecks, Illinois to sponsor public retirement for private sector Illinois governor Pat Quinn signed a bill into law Jan. 4 that’s predicted to help around two million workers save for retirement. Starting in 2017, em- ployers with at least 25 employees will have to start deducting 3 percent of workers’ paychecks into the program. Workers can opt out manually, or may choose to deduct more than 3 percent. The program, known as Secure Choice, is intended to address inadequate re- tirement savings by workers. Many em- ployers don’t offer retirement plans be- cause of the administrative and cost burden. In this case, the employer bur- den will be limited to administering a payroll deduction, which they’re al- ready doing for taxes. President Obama has advocated a similar program at the federal level. and to work part-time. Low-wage jobs are concentrated in a handful of occupations, including retail, restaurant, janitorial and landscaping, personal care, and health care support. The report argues that many low- wage workers rely on publicly-funded safety net programs to meet basic needs — particularly food stamps, Medicaid, and employment-related day care as- sistance — and thus that those pro- grams are being taken advantage of by big corporations. The report was funded by six labor organizations and authored by LERC faculty members Raahi Reddy and Bob Bussell, along with UO sociology pro- fessor Ellen Scott and Ph.D. student Shauna Dyer, and Daniel Morris, re- search director Our Oregon. The full report is available online at http://bit.ly/1xVK6r7. E E FR Who’s On Our Side? Free classified ads to subscribers By Tom Chamberlain O regon ended 2014 by bucking the national trend in the No- vember general election, giving progressive, pro-worker candidates a decisive win. This was due to the coordination, determination and dogged dedication of like-minded people and organizations. While Oregon workers look for- ward to a 2015 legislative session that could increase the minimum wage, implement paid sick leave and move toward universal retire- ment security, one thing is clear: we are not immune to what hap- pens in Washington, D.C. For the first time in eight years, Republicans hold majorities in the United States Senate and House of Representatives. We are beginning to see, in bits and pieces, the for- mation of their agenda. On the first day of the 2015 Congress, House Republicans passed legislation establishing par- liamentary rules for the year. The rules include a little-noticed provi- sion that blocks Congress from shifting funds to prevent a 2016 shortfall in Social Security’s dis- ability insurance programs. The Social Security Administration has projected that, without a transfer of funds from other Social Security accounts, 11 million Americans will see their disability benefits re- duced by 20 percent. Keep in mind that the maximum month disability benefit is just under $1,300 per month. The second day of the 114th Congress, the U.S. House passed legislation that would increase the number of hours necessary to qual- ify for healthcare under the Afford- able Care Act (ACA); from 30 to PAGE 6 BARGAIN COUNTER 40 hours per week. This is the first step in the attempt to systematically dismantle the ACA. Never mind the fact that almost 10 million Americans, including 240,000 in Oregon, now have healthcare cov- erage under ObamaCare. Never mind that the ranks of the unin- sured have dropped by almost 14 percent, or that the Congressional Budget Office predicts over the next four years Americans will see $500 billion in health care savings. The Affordable Care Act is working. After voting 50 times for an outright appeal of the ACA in the House and failing to get rid of it, Republican leadership is now rolling out a strategy to kill Obama Care by a thousand small cuts. Also in the crosshairs of the Right are overturning President Obama’s Executive Order to ease the threat of deportation of millions of undocumented workers, as well as easing regulations on Wall Street and large financial institutions. These financial regulations were put in place to end racketeering banking practices that resulted in the worst financial meltdown since the Great Depression, and the sub- sequent bailout of financial profi- teers. Thinly veiled in the cloak of job creation, Republican leadership will attempt to roll back environ- mental standards, along with worker and consumer protections, and reduce the power of the Na- tional Labor Relations Board, as well as to repeal the Davis-Bacon Act, which requires contractors to pay prevailing construction wages for federally-funded projects. Finally, the outspoken anti- worker Newt Gingrich is advocat- ing for passage of the Employee Rights Act, a sweeping piece of legislation that, if passed, would upend labor law in the United States. The Employee Rights Act would impose greater barriers to workers who are trying to form a union and make it more difficult for unions to participate in the political process — and that’s just two com- ponents of this proposed law. Elections have ramifications, and the result of the 2014 election is a frontal assault on the men, women and children who are not a part of the privileged class. We live in a nation where the 1% controls both the Congress and the Supreme Court. The 99 percent has but one check in this unbalanced system: a presidential veto stamp. But we can’t just sit back and wait for that to happen. We have to organize and take action. Our challenge will be to push back against anti-worker, pro-cor- porate bills in Congress and under- stand that defeating bad legislation may very well be our greatest vic- tories over these next 24 months. We must take every opportunity to expose the corporate agenda of the 1%, and hold accountable those elected leaders who advocate it, re- gardless of what political party they belong to. We must prepare for 2016 and take back America for working Americans. Tom Chamberlain is president of the Oregon AFL-CIO. NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS DEADLINE: Friday prior to publication Published 1st and 3rd Fridays Now accepting e-mails Send to: Michael492@comcast.net Mail to: NWLP, PO Box 13150, Portland OR 97213 (Please include union affiliation) • 15-20 words • No commercial or business ads • 1 ad per issue • All lower case (NO CAPITAL LETTERS, PLEASE) • Ads MUST include area code or they will not be published A UTOMOTIVE W ANTED ’13 ToyoTa Prius 3, dark blue metallic, 21,000 mi, backup camera/nav, one owner, $17,500. 971-219-3746 Ford TirEs, Wild Country radial XTX sport, 275/70r18, 10-ply, 8-hole, matched set, 90%, $550 obo. 503-799-1715 ’00 BuiCk Park avENuE ultra, 114 k, loaded with extras, good cond, $3,450. 503-875-3978 (Bruce) ’64 Ford FaLCoN ventura, 4 dr, rebuilt eng and trans, $5,500. 503-679-0017 (Ed) 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 MoTorCyCLEs, boat, tractors, trailers, cars, trucks, riding lawn mowers, guitars cash paid. 503-880-8183 H OUSING roCkaWay BEaCH rental, 3 bed, 2 bth, sleeps 10, Jacuzzi, 5 min to beach/ shops.vacationhomerentals.com/43026 roCkaWay ocean front, 503-777-5076, 5 bdrms/2 bath, book now for summer! http://rockawaybeachfrontrental.com S PORTING G OODS aMMuNiTioN, .22 Lr, .22 Magnum, 7.62 X 39 HP russian, 30-06 FMJ, 7.63 Mauser. 360-891-5889 M ISCELLANEOUS TriMLiNE TrEadMiLL, Model 7600 with heart monitor, 1 owner, used but not abused, $200. 503-926-3253 aNTiquE TruNk, dome top, great con- dition, $150. 503-628-1939 draFTiNG Board/parallel rule device for 1st year architecture student. 503-667- 1093 IRS PROBLEMS? • Haven’t filed for ... years? • Lost records? • Liens - Levies - Garnishments? • Negotiate settlements. • Prepare offer in Compromise. 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