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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 2015)
PAGE 2 | June 19, 2015 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) Established in 1900 in Portland, Oregon as a voice of the la- bor movement. Published on a semi-monthly basis on the first and third Fridays of each month by the Oregon Labor Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non-profit mutual benefit corpo- ration owned by 20 unions and councils including the Ore- gon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 120 union organizations in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Office location: 4275 NE Halsey St., Portland, Oregon Mailing address: P.O. Box 13150, Portland, OR 97213 Phone: (503) 288-3311 Web address: http://nwlaborpress.org Editor: Michael Gutwig Associate editor: Don McIntosh Office manager: Cheri Rice Printed on recycled paper, using soy-based inks, by members of Teamsters Local 747-M. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Individual subscriptions are $13.75 per year for union members, $20 a year for all others. Send a check for that amount, indicating mailing address and union affilia- tion, to P.O. Box 13150, Portland, OR 97213. For 25 or more subscriptions, group rates of $9.60 a year per person are available to trade union organizations. Call 503-288-3311 for details. CORRECTIONS: See an error? Please let us know at editor@nwlaborpress.org or by phone at 503-288-3311. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT PORTLAND, OREGON. CHANGE OF ADDRESS NOTICE: Three weeks are required for a change of address. When or- dering a change, please give your old and new addresses and the name and number of your local union. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS P.O. BOX 13150 PORTLAND, OR 97213-0150 Between 2003 and 2012, new IRS stats show, the average in- come tax rate paid by America’s bottom 99 percent rose from 9.6 to 10.4 percent. In the same years, the tax rate paid by the top 0.001 percent — Americans making over $62 million in 2012 — fell from 20.6 to 17.6 percent. — From Too Much, an Institute for Policy Studies monthly online publication. IRS PROBLEMS? • Haven’t filed for ... years? • Lost records? • Liens - Levies - Garnishments? • Negotiate settlements. • Prepare offer in Compromise. Call Nancy D. Anderson Enrolled Agent NPTI Fellow/America’s Tax Expert LTC-1807 www.nancydanderson.com 503-244-2577 Oregon Shakespeare Festival goes union were served bran muffins and paid for their time. At the meet- ings, the managers painted the union as an outside “third party,” and suggested that employees ASHLAND—Backstage crew would be under the direction of members at Oregon Shake- a powerful union president if speare Festival (OSF) in Ash- they went with IATSE. Manage- land voted 37 to 25 to unionize ment fliers posted in the work- with International Alliance of place also framed the election as Theatrical Stage Employees a vote of confidence in manage- (IATSE) in a June 10 election ment: If you believe managers overseen by the National Labor have done a great job, and are Relations Board. trying to close the pay gap, you The lead-up to the vote lacked should vote no, the fliers said. the rancor of union campaigns Union supporters rejected elsewhere: Union that frame- supporters never work: Man- trashed managers, agers are “ Workers want a long-term and managers kept doing a fine commitment. They’re done their “anti” cam- job, they dating now. They’re getting paign fairly mel- said, but married, and they want a low. workers pre-nup. ” “[The union or- want a — IATSE Organizer ganizing commit- voice in set- Chris “Radar” Bateman tee] kept up a posi- ting their tive message,” said terms and IATSE organizer conditions, Chris “Radar” and the security of a written Bateman. “They’re doing this agreement. for the right reasons.” “I think the employer’s taking In the final weeks before the [the union drive] really hard,” vote, OSF executive director Bateman said. “I don’t think they Cynthia Rider and production realize this means workers want director Alys Holden held volun- a long-term commitment. tary-attendance anti-union meet- They’re done dating now. ings at which crew members They’re getting married, and they Backstage crew members vote to join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees want a pre-nup.” In the end, three- fifths of the work- ers voted for the union. The job of union supporters will now be to earn the trust of the other two-fifths, and in- vite them to partici- pate as union mem- bers in drafting proposals to take to the employer, Bate- man said. After the vote, OSF human resources director Pam Wallize e-mailed employees offering sessions with professional workplace coaches to mend re- lationships that might have frayed during the campaign. “We value the diverse ideas and the opinions that were evi- dent during the campaign,” Wal- lize wrote. “They serve to illus- trate the strong commitment our staff has to OSF.” Bateman predicted bargain- ing will result in a unique union contract tailored to OSF. The bargaining unit will consist of employees who work on light- ing, video and projections, sound, stage operations, wardrobe, wig and hair during the nine months of the year when plays are being per- formed. They’re part of a much larger workforce of up to 500, which includes actors, ticket sellers, and workers who create costumes and construct the sets. When a first collective bar- gaining agreement is ratified, IATSE would issue a charter for a new union local in Ashland. “We have an opportunity at OSF to create our own local and really celebrate the crazy magic that we do here with a contract that reflects that,” said sound en- gineer Amanda Sager, a mem- ber of the organizing committee. “As we move forward, we’ll make this work, and we’ll con- tinue to be a great organization,” said OSF spokesperson Amy Richard.
