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.)