PAGE 4 | May 15, 2015 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
BUILDING COMMUNITY
‘Solidarity for Charity’ launched to benefit labor agency
Labor’s Community Service Agency an-
nounced its first annual spring fundraising cam-
paign to run through May. The “Solidarity for
Charity” campaign is asking for donations from
the greater labor community to help sustain and
grow the charitable organization.
“In the past, Labor’s Community Services
has held seasonal fund drives for specific pro-
grams, like Helping Hands for temporary hard-
ship assistance,” said Vickie Burns, executive
director. “Resources and opportunities have
changed over the years. We must find new ways
to generate support so that we can continue to
offer great programs and services while grow-
ing the agency.”
One way, says Burns, is to hold an annual
fundraising campaign 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 March 23, and will wrap up at the North-
west Oregon Labor Council’s annual “Labor
Appreciation Night” banquet on June 6.
To learn more, visit the website or the
agency’s LCSA-Portland Facebook page. To
donate online, go to www.lcsaportland.org/do-
nate, or send donations to Labor’s Community
Service Agency, 9955 SE Washington, Suite
211, Portland, OR 97216.
SW Washington teachers stage 1-day strike
As this issue went to press,
about 2,400 public school teach-
ers in the Camas, Washougal,
Hockinson and Evergreen/Clark
County school districts in
Southwest Washington were
preparing for one-day strikes
May 13 to protest state budget
proposals.
Since April 22, teachers have
waged one-day walkouts at 23
other Washington school dis-
tricts. Another 14 districts were
scheduled to strike through May
22, including Seattle on May 19,
bringing the total to 40 school
districts.
Washington school budgets
are set at the state level, and the
state constitution mandates fully
funded public education and
class size limits. But the Legisla-
ture’s current budget proposal
would short-change teacher pay
and benefits and increase class
sizes, Washington Education As-
sociation (WEA) says. The union
is also protesting proposals to
mandate that student test scores
be used in teacher evaluations.
Public school teachers and
support staff have gone six years
without even a cost-of-living
adjustment. This year, the state
is proposing a cost-of-living
raise, but no catch-up.
Teacher pay is higher in 41
other states, WEA says, and
only five states have larger class
sizes than Washington’s.
“This is not an action against
our local community,” said
Evergreen Education Associa-
tion president Rob Lutz in a
press statement. “Our action is
against the Washington Legisla-
ture, which is failing our stu-
dents.”
New apprenticeship coordinator at Roofers #49
Joel Gonzales has been ap-
pointed interim apprenticeship
director at the Oregon & SW
Washington Roofers & Water-
proofers Training Center. He
succeeds Clint Mapes, who is
leaving for New York to do
charity work for his church.
Gonzales, 40, has worked at
the training center for the last 15
years, first as an instructor, and
most recently as the full-time
curriculum coordinator. He is a
graduate of the four-year train-
Joel Gonzales (right) is the new interim apprenticeship director for the
Roofers. He succeeds Clint Mapes (left) who is leaving to do charity work
for his church.
ing program located in South-
east Portland.
Mapes, 45, was hired as the
director in 2005. He went
through an expedited training
program in Portland in the mid-
’90s, after working several years
for a nonunion shop. “I heard
about the union, so right away I
went over to the union hall to
sign up,” he said. He was placed
in the apprenticeship program,
which he completed in less than
two years under the tutelage of
Coordinator Roy Bolt. Mapes
helped Bolt build mockups for
classes, and eventually was
hired as an instructor. He took
over the program when Bolt re-
tired. At that time, there were
about 65 apprentices. Today, the
program has more than 200 ap-
prentices, and 25 classes that are
held from October to mid-May.
“I love to teach,” Gonzales
said. “The industry changes so
much. You have to stay aggres-
sive, create new classes, to keep
ahead of it in order to turn out
good, all-around roofers.”
...PERS victory
market crisis. The PERS system
was 98 percent funded in De-
SCME Local 189, Arken is
cember 2007. A year later, it was
president of the Oregon AF-
71 percent funded.
SCME retirees chapter, and one
The 2013 cuts have so far
of 13 PERS participants who
cost retired public employees
were named as plain-
over $200 million, said
tiffs in the lawsuit.
Greg Hartman, lead attor-
“The Legislature
ney for the plaintiffs.
continues to see pub-
That money will now
lic employee retirees
have to be paid back to
as a revenue stream,”
retirees. [The $4 billion
Arken said. “That’s
figure is the present value
just unconscionable
of benefits that were to be
that you give a great
cut over the next 20
big tax break to Intel
years. Most of the cut
and Nike and then
Everice Moro
was to come in the later
you come to us to
years, because COLAs,
make up the windfall.”
like the inflation they’re meant
Ever since its founding in
to combat, are compounded.]
1945, PERS has been pre-
The ruling will have no im-
funded based on employer and
mediate impact on state or local
worker contributions, which are
budgets, because PERS contri-
invested. When the system got
bution rates have already been
into trouble a few years ago, it
set for the 2015-17 biennium.
wasn’t because of a sudden
But the decision means public
surge in benefit levels. The me-
employers will have to increase
dian benefit was $1,891 a month
pension contributions after that
as of 2013. Rather, the crisis was
period.
caused by losses in the financial
From Page 1
CORRECTIONS
Strike that: There were 11
major strikes last year, not 9
In “The Disappearing Strike”—an article in our Feb. 6 issue—
we reported that there were nine major work stoppages in the
United States involving more than 1,000 workers in 2014. That fig-
ure was generated by totaling monthly reports from the Bureau of
Labor Statistics, but the reports missed two work stoppages. BLS
later revised two of its monthly reports, and cited 11 major stop-
pages in its annual report on work stoppages (a term that includes
strikes by workers and employer lockouts).
The two work stoppages we missed in our tally were one-day
strikes:
• At Queen of the Valley Medical Center, Sutter Tracy Commu-
nity Hospital, and Watsonville Community Hospital, in Central Cal-
ifornia on Aug. 14 by 1,000 members of California Nurses Associ-
ation; and
• At St. Joseph Medical Center and St. Clare Hospital in Tacoma
and Lakewood, Washington, by 1,100 members of Service Employ-
ees Local 1199NW on Nov. 18.
The corrected data doesn’t fundamentally change the story —
which is about the near total disappearance of the strike. It means
that instead of 2014 being the second-lowest strike year since 1947,
as we reported earlier, it’s tied for second-lowest with 2010.
HHH
An article in the May 1 edition—about Machinist Lodge 63
member Sam Beekman’s battle against ALS—misstated his years
of marriage, and the year he started jogging. Beekman took up jog-
ging in 1991. He and wife Pam have been married for 43 years.
Additionally, a fundraiser for ALS that Beekman is coordinating
in September will follow a similar route as the Hood to Coast Relay,
but it is not associated with that race.
To donate to Beekman, go online to:
http://webor.alsa.org/goto/Sam_Beekman