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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 7, 2015)
SERVING ORGANIZED LABOR IN OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON SINCE 1900 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS VOLUME 116, NUMBER 15 INSIDE Minimum wage 2 Fast Track rancor 5 Union meetings 6 Free classifieds 10 PORTLAND, OREGON AUGUST 7, 2015 Trans-Pacific Partnership talks stall IAM helps combat ALS PRESIDENT OF MACHINISTS LODGE 63 TAKES ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge became a global phenomenon in 2014 and raised $220 million for ALS research and patient care. As a result, significant new in- vestments in research on the causes of and po- tential treatments for this fatal disease have been made. Year two of the Ice Bucket Chal- lenge officially began July 31 in Boston and will continue through the month of August. Ma- chinists Lodge 63 got a jump on the field at their annual picnic July 18. There, retired mem- ber Sam Beekman, who was diagnosed with ALS a few years ago, challenged Local 63 Presi- dent John Kleiboeker (pictured above) to have a bucket of ice and water dumped over his head by Secretary-Treasurer John Hall (photo left). Beekman’s challenge raised a quick $184 from the membership. Here’s how the Ice Bucket Chal- lenge works: A person has a bucket of ice and water dumped over his or her head, then challenges three friends to either do the same, donate to the ALS charity of their choice, or do both. Last year, more than 17 million videos of people taking the challenge were posted on Facebook. Those videos were watched by 440 million people a total of 10 billion times. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to paralysis due to the death of motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain. There is no known cure. For more in- formation, go to www.alsicebucketchallenge.org. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)— a proposed 12-nation NAFTA-style deal — is on ice. The corporate-led agreement is a top priority for the Obama Ad- ministration, and it was sup- posed to be finalized at a July 28-31 summit of trade ministers in Maui. Instead, the summit ended July 31 without a deal, and without any further dates set for negotiation. The talks have been con- ducted entirely in secret, and even the U.S. proposals are clas- sified. But news reports pointed to a variety of sticking points that caused the breakdown: U.S. unwillingness to open up its pro- tected sugar market to Australia, Canada’s unwillingness to open up its protected dairy sector to New Zealand, Mexico’s con- cern about duty-free import of Japanese cars made with Thai parts, and multiple countries’ unwillingness to go along with a U.S. demand for 12-year patent monopolies on new drugs. Meanwhile, on the same day the summit ended, Wikileaks re- leased classified evidence that the United States National Secu- rity Agency (NSA) has con- ducted surveillance on Japanese trade negotiators. That certainly won’t foster an atmosphere of trust going forward. It’s possible the stall could spell the end of Obama’s chances of passing the TPP. Un- der the recently-passed Fast Track procedure, Congress re- views trade deals for 30 days, followed by 60 days during which the public can see it. That means at least three months would elapse before a vote, and Congress is less likely to pass the unpopular trade deal in 2016, an election year. Obama’s term ends in January 2017. On a related issue, the Obama Administration appears to have employed a cynical dodge to a Turn to Page 9 HIGH-ROAD EMPLOYER: UFCW secures first union contract for cannabis workers in Oregon Oregon’s first unionized cannabis dispensary had its grand opening July 15 in a newly-renovated storefront at 7827 SE Powell Boulevard in Portland. A three-year contract between United Food & Com- mercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555 and Stoney Brothers LLC spells out wages that start at $15 an hour for cashiers, $20 an hour for trimmers, and up to $32 an hour for master cannabis cul- tivators. The contract also pro- vides paid holidays and vacation days, pension contributions of 75 cents an hour, and employer- paid health insurance offered through the union’s multi-em- ployer trust. “I’m really hoping this spreads to other dispensaries all over Oregon,” said Stoney Brothers employee Kyle Maestas. The union contract covers just three employees now, but Stoney Brothers has expansion plans. Company president Trevor Reed says a second loca- tion is slated to open within a few months at 193 Marine Drive in Astoria. And grow, pro- cessing, extract and wholesale operations will follow. Turn to Page 12 Kyle Maestas and Hannah Poole — on the job at the brand-new Stoney Brothers medical mari- juana dispensary — are Oregon’s first unionized cannabis workers. Poole, whose husband Stephen McBride is a union member with Glaziers Local 740, holds a copy of the collective bargaining agree- ment between Stoney Brothers and UFCW Local 555.
