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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 4, 2015)
September 4, 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 & Manager: 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 de- tails. 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 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 AWPPW begins strike at Kapstone mill in Longview On day four, a striker is hit by a replacement worker driving through the picket line About 800 members of Associ- ation of Western Pulp and Paper Workers (AWPPW) Local 153 went on strike Aug. 27, shutting down the Kapstone paper mill and box plant in Longview, Washington. The strike comes after Kapstone declared an im- passe in bargaining and imposed its own contract terms Aug. 10 over the objection of union members. AWPPW is part of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. This was its first time bargaining with Chicago-headquartered Kapstone Paper and Packaging Corporation, which bought Longview Fibre in 2013. AW- PPW members had made big concessions in their most recent contract with Longview Fibre, including giving up their pen- sion and retiree health coverage. But Kapstone’s offers, which workers three times voted to re- ject, included further significant cuts to health insurance benefits and other takeaways. U.S. labor law allows em- Photo courtesy of AWPPW PAGE 2 | DefenDing family-wage jobs: At the Kapstone paper mill and box plant in Longview, Washington, a striker and his family walk the picket line. AWPPW vice president Greg Pallesen says family members are a common sight on the picket line, but children have been moved back from the gate because cars driven by strikebreakers are putting picketers at risk. ployers to permanently replace strikers in “economic” strikes, but not in strikes that are called in protest of labor law viola- tions, known as “unfair labor practices.” AWPPW is calling its walkout an unfair labor prac- tice strike, and has filed charges alleging violations. Kapstone announced that it’s using the shutdown to perform maintenance, and that it plans to restart its largest paper machine on Sept. 2 (after this issue went to press) using replacement workers. Strikers are maintaining a 24- hour picket line. AWPPW Vice President Greg Pallesen says no members have crossed the picket line, but managers and hired strikebreakers are crossing the line. And some are driving fast through the line, putting strikers at risk. “It’s an extremely dangerous situation,” Pallesen said. At 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 30, a replacement worker leaving the mill in his car struck picketer Steve Blanchard. The impact lifted him onto the hood. Palle- sen witnessed the assault, which was caught on video, and said the driver accelerated after the impact, throwing Blanchard into somersaults. He was taken to St. John Medical Center, but was not injured. Pallesen said strikebreakers are driving vehicles with license plates from Alabama, Arkansas, and Georgia, some flying Con- federate flags. Kapstone managers also in- terfered with workers’ right to strike, Pallesen said — ordering workers to remain on site after the strike had commenced, and refusing to allow mechanics to take their tools with them when they left the plant. As of press time, the two sides had no plans to meet.
