Northwest labor press., April 17, 2015, Page 7, Image 7

NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | April 17, 2015 | PAGE 7
Port of Portland passes
new ‘social equity’ policy
John Mohlis, executive sec-
retary of the Oregon State
Building and Construction
Trades Council, received
the Port of Portland’s 2014
Compass Award April 15 at
the Port’s “Gateway to the
Globe” meeting.
Photo courtesy of Jerry McCarthy, Port of Portland
John Mohlis
lands Compass
Award from
Port of Portland
The annual award recog-
nizes individuals who serve
as civic and/or corporate
role models in the commu-
nity, and who have demon-
strated exceptional support
John Mohlis (center) receives Compass Award resolution from Port of
for the Port of Portland.
Portland Commission President Jim Carter (left) and Port Executive
Mohlis is the first union offi- Director Bill Wyatt.
cial to receive the Compass
Award since it was insti-
tuted in 2006.
In a resolution passed by the Port Commission on April 8, Mohlis was recognized as an “exceptional
leader in organized labor with a strong commitment to the community and state.”
Mohlis serves on the Portland Development Commission, the Community Investment Initiative Lead-
ership Council, the Management-Labor Advisory Committee, the Industrial Land and Brownfield
Coalitions, Portland-Vancouver Economic Development District, and the State of Oregon Energy Fa-
cility Siting Council, as well as numerous other boards, committees and advisory groups.
The resolution further states that Mohlis “consistently offers vision, a balanced perspective and a uni-
fying voice on contentious issues,” and “has contributed significant time advocating for infrastructure
and economic development policies and investments at the state and regional level that support
middle wage jobs and training opportunities for Oregon residents.”
More than 500 business leaders, elected officials, and community stakeholders attended the Gateway
to the Globe luncheon.
At its April 8 meeting, the Port
of Portland Board of Commis-
sioners approved the first piece
of a new “social equity” policy
to help airport service workers.
Members and staff of the
Service Employees Interna-
tional Union (SEIU) and
UNITE HERE have been turn-
ing up at commission meetings
for over a year to ask for a pol-
icy to help low-wage airport
service workers.
The new resolution may im-
prove job security for some
workers when service or con-
cessions contracts change
hands.
When a new airport service
contractor comes in, like a com-
pany that cleans cabins, handles
baggage or helps disabled pas-
sengers, the company would
have to hire at least 80 percent
of its employees from among
the employees of the contractor
it replaced. SEIU spokesperson
Jesse Stemmler said he wasn’t
aware of any such contracts that
are currently coming up for re-
newal. But the policy would ap-
ply when those contracts change
hands, as long as the company
has at least the equivalent of 50
full-time employees at the air-
port.
Meanwhile, for concessions
workers at airport cafes and gift
shops, the policy establishes a
PDX Labor Pool made up of
laid-off workers from old con-
cessionaires that new conces-
sionaires could tap into for hir-
ing. Participation by both
employees and employers
would be voluntary. For every
individual hired from the pool,
an employer would receive an
incentive payment of $1,000
from the Port, with $500 of it
going to the worker.
The Port will also help em-
ployers offer reduced-cost
TriMet passes to airport work-
ers.
But another element of the
draft policy was sent to a work
group for further discussion: A
proposal that the Port require fu-
ture concessions contractors to
provide workers at least $13 an
hour in total compensation.
The resolution passed 7 to 1,
and had the support of Port
Commissioner Tom Chamber-
lain, who is president of the
Oregon AFL-CIO. The sole dis-
senting vote was Eastern Ore-
gon farm owner Robert Levy.
First big raise under
Seattle’s minimum
wage ordinance
Seattle’s least-paid workers
got raises of up to $1.53 an hour
April 1, under a city ordinance
passed last year that will raise
the minimum wage to $15 for
all Seattle workers by 2025. The
ordinance first step is a raise
from the state minimum of
$9.47 an hour to either $10 or
$11 an hour. At companies with
less than 500 employees nation-
wide, the minimum is now $10
for those receiving tips or em-
ployer-provided health insur-
ance. For all others, Seattle’s
minimum wage is now $11, the
highest in the country.
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