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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 2015)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | June 19, 2015 | PAGE 9 United Way names Portland Federation of School Professionals #111 top labor partner United Way of the Columbia- Willamette raised a record- breaking $25.7 million during its 2014-15 fundraising cam- paign. That’s an increase of $3.3 million over last year’s revenue. The announcement was made at the annual “Spirit of Generos- ity” awards banquet held June 3 to honor donors, companies, and volunteers that contributed to the campaign’s success. Portland Federation of School Professionals Local 111 was named Labor Partner of the Year. The union represents clas- sified employees in the Portland Public School District. Of the total amount raised, a little over half, or $13.5 million, goes directly to United Way and helps support the nonprofit’s work and 10-year commitment to break the cycle of childhood poverty in Multnomah, Clacka- mas, and Washington counties in Oregon, and Clark County, Washington. The remaining amount of $12.2 million is dis- tributed directly to the individ- ual nonprofits designated by donors on their pledge forms, a service made possible by United Way’s Cornerstone Program. The record fundraiser is good news for Labor’s Community Service Agency (LCSA), a la- bor partner of United Way since 1974. The non-profit organiza- tion, which operates under the auspices of the Northwest Ore- gon Labor Council and a 16- person board of directors, gets much of its funding from United Way. LCSA receives an annual al- location of $125,000 from LOCAL MOTION MAY 2015 The following are Oregon and Southwest Washington workplaces where workers are determining whether to be represented by a union. The thumbs-up symbol means workers will be union- represented. Thumbs-down means they’ll be on their own. Decert means a decertification election, where union-represented workers vote whether to remain union. The information comes from the National Labor Relations Board and the Oregon Employment Relations Board. Election Requests Employer (Location) Union Southern Wine and Spirits (Wilsonville) Teamsters Local 162 ■ 23 drivers PeaceHealth (Springfield and Eugene) SEIU Local 49 ■ 1,040 hospital support workers in 40 classifications, from CNAs to techs to food service Food Front Cooperative Grocery (Portland) UFCW Local 555 ■ 86 workers – all full-time, part-time, and on-call workers First Student (Dillard) Oregon School Employees Association (AFT Local 6732) ■ 15 full-time and part-time drivers and bus aides Unionization by majority signup Employer (Location) Union Keith Thomajan, president and CEO of United Way of the Columbia- Willamette, presents Portland Federation of School Professionals Local 111 President Belinda Reagan with United Way’s “Labor Partner of the Year” award at the June 6 Labor Appreciation and Recognition Night banquet. United Way’s general cam- paign. This year it received an additional $60,000 in direct des- ignations from donors who checked a box on the United Way pledge card. LCSA works with an array of community-based and govern- mental organizations through- out Oregon and Southwest Washington to provide educa- tion, information, referral serv- ices, and social service pro- grams to citizens. It operates with a two-person staff of Exec- utive Director Vickie Burns and Office Manager Eryn Byram. “It’s inspiring to see such strong support of United Way from every sector, every com- munity in our four counties,” said Keith Thomajan, president and CEO of United Way of the Columbia-Willamette. “We are especially grateful to the em- ployees and retirees of our cor- porate partners who so gra- ciously donated their time and talent in developing innovative campaigns that inspire thou- sands of others to give, advocate and volunteer in service to our region.” Metro/MERC (Portland) IATSE ■ 28 workers –patrol and investigative sergeants City of Hubbard (Hubbard) Fraternal Order of Police ■ 4 sworn police officers Siuslaw Valley Fire & Rescue (Florence) Fire Fighters Local 851 ■ 3 firefighters Election Results Employer (Location) Union Yes-No = Quality Custom Distribution (Tigard) Teamsters Local 305 14-7 Glacier Northwest/CalPortland (Hillsboro) Teamsters Local 162 5-7 Southern Wine & Spirits (Wilsonville) Teamsters Local 162 13-13 Providence Newberg Medical Center (Newberg) ONA 80-48 Firestop (Vancouver) UA Road Sprinkler Fitters Local 669 1-2 PeaceHealth (Springfield and Eugene) SEIU Local 49 527-367 FERC revises schedule on Jordan Cove LNG COOS BAY—The Federal En- ergy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued a revised schedule for the environmental review of the Jordan Cove liq- uefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal and Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline. The final Environ- mental Impact Statement (EIS) will now be issued on Sept. 30, 2015 rather than the previous date of June 12, 2015. According to Veresen, the Calgary, Alberta, British Co- lumbia-based company that owns the projects, the delay in issuing the final EIS is primarily due to the FERC’s evaluation of an alternative pipeline route, known as the Blue Ridge route, which consists of approximately 14 miles of the 232-mile natural gas pipeline route. Don Althoff, president and CEO of Veresen, said the com- pany supports the alternative route, which was proposed by community members in South- west Oregon. Given the change in the FERC schedule for issuing the final EIS, Veresen is currently reviewing any potential impacts on the project schedule. The terminal and supporting power plant will cost roughly $6 billion, and will be built under a project labor agreement (PLA) with the Oregon State Building and Construction Trades Coun- cil (OSBCTC) and the North- west National Construction Al- liance, which consists of the Carpenters Union and Operat- ing Engineers Local 701. Construction is anticipated to span 42 months, with an aver- age workforce of 900, and a peak workforce of approxi- mately 2,100. The average con- struction wage will be $85,000 per year, including benefits. The general contractors are Black & Veatch Corporation, Inc. and Kiewit Power Con- structors. The Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline is an additional $1.5 billion project. Construction will employ 1,400 at peak, with an average of 800 workers. A general contractor has not been selected, but John Mohlis, exec- utive secretary of OSBCTC, is “99.9 percent” certain it will be built under a PLA. The terminal will be owned and operated by Veresen. The pipeline will be owned 50-50 by Veresen and Tulsa, Okla.-based Williams Partners Operating.
