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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2015)
PAGE 6 | April 17, 2015 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS DROWNING IN MANURE Mourn Randy Vasquez, and fight for dairy workers’ safety Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, is rais- ing funds to help the wife and children of a dairy worker who drowned in a cow manure lagoon. The effort comes as its United Farm Workers (UFW) affiliate cam- paigns to improve safety at suppliers of Darigold. The death took place Feb. 24 at River Ranch Dairy, in Mabton, Washington, between Yakima and Ken- newick. Randy Vasquez, 27, was a milker on the night shift. At around 9 p.m., he drove a front loader out to feed the cattle. He was found at 4:30 a.m. the next morning strapped into the front loader sunk six feet deep in a manure lagoon. According to the Yakima County coroner, Vasquez died of “asphyxiation due to inhalation of dairy waste water sludge.” The Washington Department of Labor and Industries is investigating the death. On March 31, UFW held a demonstration and vigil outside Darigold’s Seattle headquarters, demanding to know why the manure lagoon wasn’t marked, lit, and WSLC President Jeff Johnson (center) takes part in a March 31 demonstration by United Farm Workers outside Darigold’s Seattle offices. UFW wants dairy worker safety improved so accidents like this never happen again. fenced, and why the search for Vasquez didn’t begin un- til the next morning’s shift started at 4:30 a.m. Dairy work is considered one of the most hazardous occupations. Dairy workers breath foul air containing bacteria and manure dust for 10 to 12 hours per shift. They move quickly over slick cement floors. And they are frequently kicked and stepped on by 1,500-pound animals. WSLC says Vasquez is at least the 10th Wash- ington dairy worker to die on the job since 2000. He leaves behind a wife, 28-year-old Nubia Guajardo Ayala, and two children, two-year-old Jazzlyn and three-year-old Jayzaiah. WSLC is asking union members to contribute to help them. Checks can be made out to the WSLC, with Randy Vasquez written in the memo line, and sent to Washington State Labor Council, 321 16th Ave. South, Seattle, WA, 98144. The donations and the names of the contributors will be sent to Vasquez’ wife, Nubia. In addition, UFW is asking supporters to sign an on- line petition calling on Darigold to work with the UFW to improve safety for dairy workers: http://action. ufw.org/page/speakout/randy Labor Council to host recognition dinner June 6 ...Wah Chang From Page 1 on medical treatment, unaware of the program,” Steffy said. “I think it’s important they know about it.” The program’s benefits are automatic for those who worked at Wah Chang in 1971 and 1972 and are diagnosed with cancer. For those who went to work Oral history workshop in Portland on May 9 The Oregon Labor Oral His- tory Program of the Pacific Northwest and the Labor Edu- cation and Research Center (LERC) at the University of Oregon will host an oral history workshop Saturday, May 9, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Ave, Portland. Registration is $20. The workshop, to be pre- sented by Jim Strassmaier and Michael O’Rourke, will provide instruction on how to conduct an oral history interview, including how to get started, effective pro- cedures, interviewing tech- niques, and standards for record- ing and preservation. “This is an opportunity to contribute to preserving the his- tory of labor and workplace in the Northwest,” Strassmaier said. For more information con- tact Strassmaier at 503-236- 1094, or by email strassj@spiri- tone.com. there after that, the U.S. Depart- ment of Labor uses a dose re- construction formula to estimate whether a cancer is more than 50 percent likely to have been caused by residual radiation. In the four years Wah Chang has been on the program’s list, more than 200 former workers or their survivors have been ap- proved for benefits, and the gov- ernment has paid out $29.8 mil- lion in compensation and $1.8 million in medical bills. Steffy learned that members of Local 6163’s nearby sister lo- cal—USW Local 7150 at Al- bany Research Center—are also eligible. There, the issue is not radiation but beryllium contam- ination. Inhalation of beryllium dust or fumes can cause beryl- liosis, an incurable chronic fatal lung disease. So far, five work- ers at the Albany Research Cen- ter (formerly known as the U.S. Bureau of Mines) have been ap- proved for benefits. Steffy expects to meet with ATI president Tucker Redford May 4 to ask for company sup- port for a mailing to all former workers, especially those who were employed at Wah Chang when it handled uranium. The Linn-Benton-Lincoln Central Labor Council planned to honor Steffy for his work at an April 15 meeting, after this issue went to press. 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 spe- cial 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 dona- tions for the raffle, and nomina- tions for persons to be recognized. For more information or to or- der tickets, call 503-235-9444. Retired Steelworker Garry Steffy Bill would allow Oregon State Bar employees to unionize SALEM — On April 8 the House Business and Labor Committee, chaired by Rep. Paul Holvey (D-Eugene), held its first hearing on HB 2565, which would allow members of the Oregon State Bar to organ- ize a union. The Oregon State Bar was es- tablished by the 1935 Oregon Legislature to license and disci- pline lawyers, regulate the prac- tice of law and provide a variety of services to bar members and the public. The bar is not a state agency, but a public corpora- tion, and state bar employees are considered public employ- ees. However, they are not in- cluded under the state’s Public Employee Collective Bargain- ing Act, as workers eligible to unionize. HB 2565 would change that, and allow state bar employees — most of whom are not attor- neys—the right to form a union. Oregon AFSCME Council 75, whch lobbyied for the bill, was optimistic the bill will move forward. There was no further action scheduled at press time. F ROM O REGON AFSCME E- LERT Washington CLUB golf tourney June 16-17 BREMERTON, Wash.—The Washington CLUB Charity Golf Classic will be held June 16-17 at Gold Mountain Golf Complex in Bremerton, Wash. This year’s tour- nament has been moved up a day to accommodate the U.S. Open, which will be held at Chambers Bay in Tacoma June 18-21. The CLUB—Contractors, Legislators, Unions and Busi- ness— has raised over $1 million for charity and is celebrating its 15th anniversary. For more information on how to become a CLUB tournament sponsor, or to register a team, con- tact Brian Remington at 206-432- 9014 or e-mail him at: brian@golfcorpsolutions.com.
