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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 2015)
PAGE 8 | October 16, 2015 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS AFSCME Local 88 praises Multnomah County’s new paid parental leave policy Multnomah County will imple- ment a paid parental leave pol- icy of up to six weeks to all eli- gible employees following the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. The new policy takes effect Nov. 1. Currently only three states — California, New Jersey and Rhode Island — offer paid fam- ily leave. Washington passed a program in 2007, but it has not been implemented due to lack of funding. According to the Council of Economic Advisers in a 2014 report to the White House, only 11 percent of pri- vate sector workers have access to a formal paid leave policy. “The national landscape is shifting in the direction of rec- ognizing the importance of in- creased flexibility and work-life balance for new mothers and fa- thers,” said Deirdre Mahoney- Clark, president of AFSCME Local 88, which represents more than 3,000 county em- ployees. “It is of consequence that Chair Deborah Kafoury and the Board have taken a leader- ship role on this important issue in increasing our ability to re- cruit and retain talented and hard-working public employees for Multnomah County.” A recent survey of Mult- nomah County employees found that women were taking an average of six weeks unpaid leave following the birth of a child. Given that women are be- coming increasingly the primary breadwinners for their families, a statewide family leave insur- ...Hood to Coast in a wheelchair From Page 1 tioned” ALS Hood to Coast re- lay. Two other ALS patients and more than a half dozen sup- porters joined them on the route, which was similar to that of the Hood to Coast relay. Twenty- nine hours later the team was celebrating in Seaside. Their conquest was picked up by a local television station, and Beekman received donations from his union and former co- workers and managers at Boe- ing totaling $3,100. All together, Beekman raised $11,613.81. He applied the donations to his team, “Come What May” in the sanctioned Southwest Washing- ton Walk to Defeat ALS, held Oct. 3 in Vancouver. The team raised $12,303.81. Often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a pro- gressive, fatal neuromuscular disease that slowly robs the body of its ability to walk, speak, swallow and breathe. The life expectancy of an ALS pa- tient averages 2 to 5 years from the time of diagnosis. ance program is long overdue, Mahoney-Clark said. “Multnomah County’s taking a leadership role in raising the bar on this issue should be seen as a challenge to other public and private entities in this state,” she said. NATIONAL Strong union support among workers making less than $15 an hour The first-ever poll of U.S. work- ers making less than $15 an hour shows 72 percent support for unions. The National Law Employ- ment Project says 42 percent of American workers make less than $15 an hour. Its poll re- leased earlier this month shows 69 percent of low-wage workers who aren’t registered to vote would register to vote for a can- didate supporting a $15 an hour minimum wage and policies making it easier to join unions. A recent Gallup poll shows 58 percent of the general popu- lation in the U.S. approve of unions. From Workers Independent News 2015 General Election ENDORSEMENTS CITY OF VANCOUVER B ART H ANSEN City Council, Position 5: T Y S TOBER City Council, Position 6: G EORGE R. F RANCISCO City Council, Position 4: CLARK COUNTY M IKE D ALESANDRO County Councilor, Pos 2: C HUCK G REEN County Chair: CITY OF BATTLE GROUND City Council, Position 7: C ANDY B ONNEVILLE NO on Initiative 1366 (Paid for and authorized by the Southwest Washington Central Labor Council.)
