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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 2015)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | October 2, 2015 | PAGE 9 A call for labor action on climate change swered by email. By Don McIntosh Associate Editor What needs to happen in or- Joe Uehlein — a nationally der to slow down and stop hu- prominent advocate of a labor- man-caused climate change? environmental alliance — will We call for a World War II style speak in Portland Oct. 10. The mobilization. It will take a na- tional program of un- event —hosted at the precedented scope and Oregon Labor Center scale to reduce green- by the group Climate house gas emissions in a Jobs PDX — is billed manner consistent with as an evening of music the best science-based tar- and dialogue with la- gets and timelines, and in bor activists on cli- a way that addresses our mate and jobs crises. income inequality crisis at Uehlein is the director the same time. We’ve of the Washington, done it before — winning Joe Uehlein D.C.-based Labor World War II, building the Network for Sustainability, and U.S. highway system, going to a board member at the group the moon. And we can afford it: Voices for a Sustainable Future We found a trillion dollars in (alongside Oregon AFL-CIO 2008 to bail out the very financial Secretary-Treasurer Barbara institutions that caused the mar- Byrd). He’s also a former secre- ket crash. What we can’t afford tary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO’s is to not do it, because the eco- Industrial Union Department nomic impact of climate change and director of the AFL-CIO will be devastating. Center for Strategic Campaigns. To what extent is organized la- By night he’s a musician in a bor working to combat climate Washington, D.C., roots-rock change? Organized labor has band, and a member of Ameri- recognized the science and the can Federation of Musicians — severity of the problem, and the hence the music at the event. short timeline we have to deal The Labor Press had some ques- with it. But we have been very tions for Uehlein, which he an- slow to take the necessary action. LOCAL MOTION ] AUG/SEPT 2015 The following are Oregon and Southwest Washington workplaces where workers have voted on 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 Results Employer (Location) Union Yes-No = Providence Portland (Portland) Oregon Nurses Association Recology Western Oregon (McMinnville) Teamsters Local 324 Con-Way Freight, Inc. (Clackamas) Teamsters Local 162 Oregon Fruit Products (Salem) Teamsters Local 670 DECERT Sunshine Dairy (Portland) Teamsters Local 305 Waste Management (Klamath Falls) Teamsters Local 962 10-3 18-5 5-9 36-31 3-1 5-15 ^ ^ % ^ ^ % Endorsed by the Northwest Oregon Labor Council Authorized and paid for by the NW Oregon Labor Council So often it seems that union- ists and environmentalists butt heads — about whether to build a new pipeline, the size of a new bridge, or the right balance of industrial land and natural reserves. Do you see a way out of those fights? These tensions have al- ways existed. They have in- creased lately because our shrinking labor movement still has density in the fossil fuel in- dustries, so anything that chal- lenges those industries is not re- ceived well within the house of labor. That said, fossil fuels are a major part of the problem, and we must reduce consumption of them. The corporate-fueled “jobs vs. environment” frame is a major reason that we’ve not developed a common vision, yet we have far more in common with our environmental allies than with the corporations. We need a common vision and we have to get serious about devel- oping that common vision. We believe that it is through honest differences of opinion that we arrive at sound conclusions and correct judgements. Both sides have to work harder at this. What are the prospects for a truce, or even of the two form- ing a broad and enduring al- liance? What do you think the two movements could win united that they would lose di- vided? Both movements are failing at achieving their goals. Together we could start winning. The environmental movement needs to work much harder at not just recognizing labor’s need for jobs, but at truly understand- ing the primacy of work in peo- ple’s lives. And labor needs to more fully understand that cli- mate protection represents a new kind of human solidarity, and that our future as a labor movement will be more secure if we find a way to become a central player in the movement to build a sustainable future for the planet and its people. On the other side, how sympa- thetic do you think the leaders of prominent environmental groups are to labor’s agenda of living-wage jobs? I think they are very sympathetic, and the work of LNS, the Blue- Green Alliance, and others has helped increase this level of sympathy. But we need much more than sympathy. Just like we say that labor needs a climate plan of its own (If Not Now When?), we say that envi- ronmentalists need a jobs plan of their own. They need to go way beyond sympathy and un- derstanding and begin to fight for worker rights, and good fam- ily-supporting jobs. This is in their self-interest just like be- coming a climate protection movement is on our self interest as a labor movement. EVENT DETAILS ■ Time: Saturday Oct. 10, 6:30 p.m. ■ Place: Oregon Labor Center, 3645 SE 32nd, Portland. ■ More info: 503-286-5850 or climatejobspdx.weebly.com. ONLINE EXTRA See a fuller version of this Q&A at http://bit.ly/1QyIlrF. For a detailed outline of what a labor-led climate change effort could look like, visit http://bit.ly/1VaVYyq. Novick’s Uber rollout hits Union Cab hard On Oct. 7, Portland City Council will hear a report from Commis- sioner Steve Novick’s aide Brian Hockaday about the City’s six- month experiment with taxi deregulation. But the immigrant drivers at Communications Workers of America-affiliated Union Cab say they’re already seeing the impact — and their American dream of a driver- owned taxi co-op is growing more unsustainable by the day. Playing by the previous rules, 50 drivers waited two years for the City to issue their permits, and then invested their life sav- ings to form Union Cab in April 2013. That was when Portland, like most cities, put a cap on the number of taxis allowed to op- erate. The cap wasn’t about cre- ating a cartel. It was a solution to the taxi industry’s basic sup- ply and demand problem: How to make sure there are enough cabs for those who want them, but not so many that drivers can’t survive. The system had its merits, but also its limits, partic- ularly during peak times like weekend bar closing hours. But the free-market regime begun after Novick was put in “To continue to make $1,300 a month] I now have to work 14 hours a day to survive.… I’m taking time from my family.” — Union Cab driver and board member Bekele Jimma “Our income is going down.… But I would never drive for Uber.… It’s not a fair business.” — Union Cab driver Semaineh Belaye, whose earnings support his wife and two small children charge of City tax regulation has destabilized the industry. Since April, over 2,500 drivers have applied for permits to drive for Uber and Lyft, with fewer re- quirements than taxi companies. For example, the City requires taxi companies to purchase handicapped-accessible vehi- cles. Two of them sit unused in the parking lot outside Union Cab’s Southeast Stark office, be- cause they can’t find drivers for them. Nor has Union Cab found drivers to take advantage of the 50 new permits the City issued in the Spring. With the market and the rules in such flux, who’d want to invest $30,000 purchas- ing and outfitting a cab?
