Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (July 17, 2015)
PAGE 6 | July 17, 2015 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS Washington Legislature budget battle nearly closes state government OLYMPIA, Wash.—Ending a months-long standoff that came within a day of shutting down state government, the Washing- ton Legislature passed a two- year budget June 29 that in- creases funding for schools and colleges, raises gas taxes to pay for transportation investments, and gives schoolteachers and state employees a raise for the first time in seven years. It took the regular session plus three special sessions to finalize the budget because of difficulty reconciling the vision of the Re- publican-led state Senate and the Democratic-led state House. Re- publicans proposed a budget of $37.9 billion, and the Democrats a budget of $38.4 billion. And one of the differences was that Senate Republicans didn’t want to fund public employee raises that Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee had agreed to in collective bar- gaining. The final resolution came after rolling one-day strikes by up to 40,000 teachers and a series of lunch-time rallies by members of Washington Federation of State Employees (AFSCME Council 28). Public employee unions— including Washington Federation of State Employees, Teamsters Local 117, Service Employees, Professional & Technical Em- ployees Local 17, HealthCare 1199NW, American Federation of Teachers-Washington, and Washington Public Employees Association (United Food and Commercial Workers Local 365)—waged a “Public Service Matters” campaign combining protest demonstrations with newspaper and radio ads. Ultimately, the two sides split the difference with a $38.2 bil- lion compromise budget. As part of the deal, Democrats dropped a proposal to institute a capital gains tax, something 41 other states have. Washington is un- usual in that it has a sales tax and property tax, but no income tax. A union-backed coalition known as Washington United for Fair Revenue supported the capital Who’s on our side? By Tom Chamberlain Oregon AFL-CIO President Legislature ends with mixed reviews The 2015 Oregon Legislature has ended, but with mixed reviews. Strong leadership from Oregon’s House Speaker Tina Kotek ushered through a package of bills to lift up low-wage workers and address economic inequality. Paid Sick Days: After passing a strong bill last month, nearly half a million more Oregon workers have access to paid sick time. No one should have to choose between taking care of their health, or the health of their family, and keeping their job. This is an important step forward. While we applaud legislation that gives hundreds of thousands of workers ac- cess to paid sick time, it comes at a cost. Sen- ate leadership refused to pass a clean version of Paid Sick Days, and passed a compromise that includes a two-year ban on local govern- ments enacting fair scheduling ordinances that can provide stability and fairness to workers. Such a decision by Senate leader- ship ignores challenges of workers who must juggle child care, transportation, or are work- ing two jobs when work schedules can change at a moment’s notice. Retirement Security: This bill ensures that every worker in Oregon can plan for a se- cure retirement after a lifetime of work. Workers now have access to a simple, easy and effective way to save, because everyone should be able to provide security for them- selves and their families, regardless of where they work. Ban the Box: Qualified applicants with prior convictions and arrests are regularly shut out of jobs and not given a fair shot at achieving employment. HB 3025 removes from job applications any reference concern- ing whether an applicant has been arrested or incarcerated. This practice has long been used to deny thousands of ex-offenders access to a job interview trapping them in a cycle of un- employment, low wage jobs and in some cases a return to past behavior. Ban the Box legislation is proven to significantly reduce recidivism. End Profiling: Profiling by law enforce- ment happens in Oregon, whether it’s based on race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, or housing status, and there is no statewide sys- tem for reporting. By passing this important bill, law enforcement will be prohibited from profiling, and a system to report unfair profil- ing will be established, because people shouldn’t live in fear and be targeted because of their appearance, country of origin, or reli- gion. While the 2015 session provided victories for low-wage workers, it failed to raise our minimum wage that currently keeps hundreds of thousands of workers under the federal poverty level. It was a session where Ore- gon’s Senate was an obstacle to passing needed Oregon public employee collective bargaining reform, allowing public employers to unilaterally implement new programs and practices mid-term of a collective bargaining agreement without a fair process to raise con- cerns. The Legislature failed to pass a crucial transportation package that would have cre- ated thousands of jobs by expanding and im- proving Oregon’s aging infrastructure by re- lieving congestion to increase the state’s competiveness in world markets. Despite the shortcomings, the 2015 session was an example of the power of unions and community coalitions. The Fair Shot for All Coalition was instrumental in passing key components of a workers’ agenda. Thank you for all your efforts. Tom Chamberlain is president of the Oregon AFL-CIO, a 120,000-member-strong federation of labor unions. gains tax proposal, and also called on lawmakers to close corporate tax loopholes. Legis- lators did close a few of the loopholes, including preferential business sales tax rates for soft- ware manufacturers, for royalty income, and for out-of-state wholesalers. But they extended or adopted other tax breaks, in- cluding one for oil refineries. The compromise budget deal also includes a transportation funding package paid for with a 7-cent gas tax hike Aug. 1, fol- lowed by a 4.9-cent hike on July 1, 2016. The increases will raise $16 billion over 16 years to ex- pand highways and pay for local roads, ferries, maintenance, safety, transit and trails. As part of the compromise, Democrats also dropped a low-carbon fuel standard Inslee had campaigned for. Environmental groups con- demned the transportation pack- age because of that. The compromise budget passed the Senate by a 39-9 vote. Vancouver Republican Don Benton was among those voting against it, as was Republican John Braun in the 20th District (North of La Center). State employees will get a 4.8 percent wage increase over the next two years—the first general wage increases for state employ- ees in seven years—plus main- tenance of health benefits. Re- publican legislators earlier threatened to cut health coverage for state employees’ spouses. The stand-off is not unlike the one in 2013, when House De- mocrats and Senate Republicans fought through one-and-a-half special sessions—and took Wash- ington state government to the same brink before reaching agree- ment on June 27— three days be- fore it would have shut down. FREE CLASSIFIED ADS AUTOMOTIVE ’00 CAD DEVILLE, 149k miles, runs good, new front brakes, trans flush, $3,300. 503-630-4177 HOUSING ROCKAWAY BEACH rental, 3 bed, 2 bth, sleeps 10, Jacuzzi, 5 min to beach/ shops.Vacationhomerentals.com/43026 ROCKAWAY ocean front, 503-777- 5076, 5bdrms/2 bath, http://rockaway- beachfrontrental.co issue. Ads should be 15 to 20 words, all in lower case (NO CAPITAL LETTERS). Ads must include a phone number, including area code, or they will not be published. No commercial or business ads. HOW TO SUBMIT A CLASSIFIED AD Indicate which union you are a member of, and send your ad to michael492@comcast.net or by mail to PO Box 13150, Portland OR 97213. We publish the first and third Fridays of each month, and the deadline is one week prior to that. SPORTING GOODS ZODIAC RAFT, Bombard, like new, pump, oars, seat. 503-647-2153 WANTED OLD WOODWORKING tools, planes, levels, chisels, handsaws, slicks, adzes, wrenches, folding rulers, axes, hatch- ets, tool chests. 503-659-0009 BUYING US & world coins to add to col- lection, paying fairly, any amount wel- come. 503-939-8835 COLLECTOR, cash paid, old fishing tackle, wood plugs, reels, creels, salmon fishing photos, etc. 503-775- 4166 COLLECTOR PAYS cash for older toys, oil paintings, American art pottery, and costume jewelry. 503 703-5952 MISCELLANEOUS LANGLITZ LEATHER VEST, sz 44, like new condition, no holes, no dings, pur- chased in the ‘80s, $200. 503-926-3253 LOG SPLITTER, Troy-Bilt LS 27 ton, Honda engine, runs great, real good condition, $1,150. 503-455-2248 PATIO HEATER, 38,200 BTU, bronze heat-focusing propane., w/empty tank, very good cond. 503-522-6542 CLASSIFIED AD GUIDELINES Subscribers may place one free classified ad per 140
