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.