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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 2015)
PAGE 2 | October 2, 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 Oregon Working Families Party Minor party strives to be a major player in Oregon Founded in 2006, the Oregon Working Families Party has had major impact — for a minor party that had 11,421 registrants as of August. Labor-friendly candidates seek the party’s cross-endorsement, while elect- eds who stymie pro-worker leg- islation know they may face re- election challenges — like Mike Schaufler, a longtime incumbent state House Democrat who lost re-election in 2012. With support from local unions and from the better-es- tablished Working Families Party of New York, the Oregon party employs a full-time staff of four, plus a permanent can- vass that works to support its legislative and electoral efforts. Its canvassers are represented by Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7901, with a contract that puts them on track to earn to $15 an hour. And this fall, they’re working to reg- ister more voters in the party. At the Oregon Legislature, the party brings distinctive is- sues. It was an important part of this year’s successful push to pass a statewide paid sick leave law. Other bills failed this year, but could come back later. would have allowed a bond-financed revolving fund to be set up for that purpose. And this year, lawmakers not only balked at the start-up price tag, but questioned whether students who do well should have to pay more, and whether students who do poorly should get off so easily. ■ Fusion votingThe holy grail for the Oregon Working Families Party is full- fledged fusion voting, a system where parties can cross-endorse candidates but keep their own ballot line. Operating in New York and Connecticut, it creates conditions for third parties to thrive. But in Oregon, a bill directing the Secretary of State to study it couldn’t get anywhere this year. Oregon Working Families executive director Karly Edwards – a former union organizer with UNITE HERE – moderates an Aug. 25 panel discussion. Also pictured are, from left: party co-founder Barbara Dudley; national party chair Dan Cantor, and Portland State University economist Mary King. ■ Inclusionary zoning Housing is fast becoming unaffordable for working people in places like Portland and Bend, but a pre-emption passed by a Republican majority in 1999 bars cities from addressing that with “inclusionary zoning,”, in which they require developers to make a certain percentage of new units affordable. A bill to undo the pre-emption passed the House 34- 25, but failed in the Senate. ■ Pay it forward The national media were so excited in 2013 when the Oregon Legislature passed a bill for a program of free public college tuition in return for students paying a certain percentage of their income after they leave. But the program would have required a funding pool to start the program. Voters last year rejected a complicated, thinly-supported constitutional change ballot referral that WHO’S ON BOARD? Nine labor organizations contribute to the Oregon Working Families Party and have representation on its leadership board: ■ UFCW Local 555 ■ Teamsters Local 206 ■ CWA Local 7901 ■ Operating Engineers Local 701 ■ ILWU Oregon Area District Council ■ Laborers Local 483 ■ Laborers District Council ■ IBEW Local 48 ■ UNITE HERE Local 8
