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April 3, 2015 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
Port of Portland to vote on
improvements for airport workers
The Port of Portland Commis-
sion is expected to vote April 8
on a package of measures to im-
prove conditions for low-wage
service workers at the Portland
International Airport — includ-
ing a mandate that future airport
concessions contractors provide
at least $13 an hour compensa-
tion.
UNITE HERE, Service Em-
ployees International Union,
and Portland Jobs with Justice
are mobilizing to show support
for the package, which the Port
crafted in response to a year-
long union campaign. Support-
ers will gather at 9 a.m. at the
airport baggage claim area near
the MAX station entrance, and
march to the Port Commission
meeting that starts at 9:30 a.m.
BUILDING COMMUNITY
‘Solidarity for Charity’ launched to benefit
Labor’s Community Service Agency
Labor’s Community Service
Agency announced its first an-
nual spring fundraising cam-
paign to run through May of
2015. The “Solidarity for Char-
ity” campaign is asking for do-
nations from the greater labor
community to help sustain and
grow the charitable organization.
“In the past, Labor’s Commu-
nity Services has held seasonal
fund drives for specific pro-
grams, like Helping Hands for
temporary hardship assistance,”
said Vickie Burns, executive di-
rector. “Resources and opportu-
nities have changed over the
years. We must find new ways
to generate support so that we
can continue to offer great pro-
grams and services while grow-
Union members volunteer
at kids’ fishing derby
VANCOUVER — Union volun-
teers will be out in force Friday
and Saturday, April 10-11, for the
annual Klineline Pond Kids Fish-
ing Derby at Salmon Creek Park
in Vancouver, Wash.
Several unions donate money
to the event, and members volun-
teer to help kids bait hooks, untan-
gle lines, and catch fish.
The derby is put on by the
Klineline Kids Fishing Nonprofit
and the Washington State Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife. It’s
goal is to get more kids involved
in fishing. More than 3,000 kids
ages 5 to 14 and their parents at-
tend. Registration is $5 per child
and includes a Zebco rod and reel
and T-shirt. Friday is for kids with
special needs. Fishing starts at 8
a.m. on Saturday, and continues
until 3:45 p.m.
For more information, call
360-608-7973 or go to Facebook
a t : h t t p s : / / w w w. f a c e b o o k .
com/KlinelineKidsFishingEvent?f
ref=ts.
ing the agency.”
One way, says Burns, is to
hold an annual fundraising cam-
paign offering the opportunity to
donate at the click of a button.
The LCSA’s newly launched
website, www.lcsaportland.org,
provides that opportunity.
The Solidarity for Charity
campaign kicked off at the
March 23 delegates meeting of
the Northwest Oregon Labor
Council. The campaign will
wrap up at the Northwest Oregon
Labor Council’s annual “Labor
Appreciation Night” banquet on
June 6.
To learn more about Labor’s
Community Service Agency
and its programs, visit the web-
site or the agency’s LCSA-Port-
land Facebook page. To donate
online, go to www.lcsaport-
land.org/donate, or send dona-
tions to Labor’s Community
Service Agency, 9955 SE Wash-
ington, Suite 211, Portland, OR
97216.
Recognition dinner June 6
Mark your calendars for Saturday,
June 6, for the Northwest Oregon
Labor Council’s annual Labor Ap-
preciation and Recognition Night.
The event is two-fold; it’s a special
evening honoring men and
women identified by their peers
for outstanding contributions to la-
bor and their community, and it’s
a fundraiser for Labor’s Commu-
nity Service Agency.
The banquet will be held at Mil-
waukie Elks Lodge, 13121 SE
McLoughlin Blvd. Dinner tickets
are $20 per person. Raffle tickets
also will be sold.
The labor council is currently
accepting cash and prize donations
for the raffle, and nominations for
persons to be recognized.
For more information or to or-
der tickets, call 503-235-9444.
UNITE AGAINST CANCER. Unite for the Knight, a coalition of unions and businesses working together to
raise money for Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute, got a $21,000 boost from the
Oregon State Fire Fighters Council on March 25. The funds were contributed by firefighters from 18 locals
throughout the state. It is the largest donation among unions, which have helped raise nearly $1 million for
the United for the Knight campaign. The Knight Cancer Challenge was launched last year when Nike co-
founder Phil Knight and his wife, Penny, pledged to donate $500 million for cancer research if OHSU raised
an equal amount in two years. “Our members have a significantly higher incidence of cancer than the general
population,” said Kelly Bach, president of the Fire Fighters Council, pictured above with Lisa Coussens, Ph.D.,
associate director of basic research at OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, and firefighters from Station #4 near
Portland State University. “This is an issue that hits close to home for many of Oregon’s firefighters,” Bach
said. A 2014 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that firefighters are susceptible
to mesothelioma at twice the expected rate. Mesothelioma is an aggressive and rare cancer affecting the
lining of the lungs and abdomen. OHSU will use the money to try to find smarter, faster ways to detect cancer
earlier, when the disease is most curable, Coussens said. To make a contribution, go to www.unite-
fortheknight.org.