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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 2015)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | November 20 , 2015 | PAGE 7 ...Fair Shot ready for Round 2 From Page 1 the ban on local jurisdictions go- ing higher. Fair Shot will also push to pass a stronger version of the law passed this year on the prac- tice of racial profiling by police. And it will add a new priority: legislation to combat wage theft. Wage theft is a catch-all term that includes employers who fail to pay the minimum wage, time- and-a-half for overtime, or pre- vailing wage on construction projects where it’s required; em- ployers who steal tips; and em- ployers who pay late, issue pay- checks that bounce, or don’t pay at all. It also includes situations where workers don’t get paid rest breaks or pay for donning and doffing gear, or are made to work off the clock or under the table. And it includes employers who wrongfully misclassify workers as independent contrac- tors. “Good employers that are try- ing to do the right thing are un- dercut when they have to com- pete with businesses not paying their workers or paying them less than they’re due,” said An- drea Miller, executive director of the Latino civil rights group Causa. Wage theft is particularly common in construction, where responsible employers, includ- ing union employers, lose busi- ness to competitors who break the law. At the Fair Shot event, Darrin Boyce — now a journeyman sheet metal worker at Sheet Metal Workers Local 16 — de- scribed some of the many ways he was cheated during the years he worked the nonunion side of the industry, including faked timecards, off-the-clock work, and pay at a lower classification. “It seems pretty basic,” Boyce said. “We should all get paid for the work we do. But there are workers every day in Oregon who are getting shortchanged. Our elected officials need to un- derstand that wage theft isn’t rare, and it isn’t limited to a sin- gle class of individuals.” “Many workers don’t report wage theft out of fear of losing their jobs,” Boyce said. “That’s something I’ve seen first-hand.” Fair Shot’s wage theft pro- posal is still being worked out, but will likely include making it easier for workers to sue when they’re cheated, and giving the Bureau of Labor and Industries the power to require repeat of- fenders to post a bond guaran- teeing payment of wages. — Don McIntosh Feb. 27. The Oct. 28 complaint, which followed an investiga- tion, says Instafab broke federal labor law when it fired six strik- ers and repeatedly threatened to fire other employees for talking with strikers, among other charges. The NLRB seeks nearly $33,000 in back pay, cov- ering the period from Feb. 27, when Instafab fired the strikers, to April 20, two weeks after it offered to reinstate them. The complaint gives the company until Nov. 18 to respond, and sets a hearing Feb. 23, 2016 be- fore a federal administrative law judge. WORKERS RIGHTS NLRB says Instafab broke the law when it fired strikers The National Labor Relations Board has issued a formal com- plaint against Instafab — a nonunion steel fabrication and erection company based in Van- couver, Washington, where a group of workers went on strike Why is it that a worker injured on the job is made to feel like they are now “the accused” who did something wrong? Good question! Don’t let them add insult to your injury! HOW TO BUY UNION THIS HOLIDAY SEASON Plan to do any holiday shop- ping this year? If you buy union-made, you’re helping keep good jobs in the com- munity, and voting with your dollars for enterprises that pay your fellow workers a liv- ing wage with benefits. Of course, union-made gifts aren’t easy to find. here are 10 ideas to make it easier. Union blankets: Keep your loved ones cozy in the cold winter months with a blanket from Pendleton Woolen Mills. Pendleton blankets (but not apparel) are made in Washougal, Washington, and Pendleton, Oregon, by members of the Workers United union. That means they earn wages of $15.42 to $17.73 an hour, with overtime after eight hours, plus health and pension benefits. Union Boots: Danner, maker of stylish and indestructible boots, may be a subsidiary of Japanese shoe company ABC-Mart now, but the company’s retail profile is expanding, with high-end show rooms like the one at Union Way across on 1022 W Burnside St., Portland, or Tanasbourne Town Center. Check the label: If the boots are U.S.-made, they were made by members of UFCW Local 555 in Portland. Union Books: Why would you ever go to nonunion Amazon? Buying books (and gifts) at Powells supports about 450 Portland-area members of ILWU Local 5, from cashiers to truck drivers to computer programmers. That means wages that average $14.39 an hour, and health benefits for full-time employees. Union Culture: Oregon Ballet Theater, the Portland Opera, the Oregon Symphony … even traveling Broadway shows like the Book of Mormon, which opens in Portland Jan. 12: All of them employ members of American Federation of Musicians Local 99, and some also employ members of IATSE Local 28 as stagehands and ushers. The biggest employer of union musicians is the Oregon Symphony, with 76 full- timers. Session players earn $200 per two-hour appearance, plus pension and healthcare contributions. Union gifts: What’s on your list today? When you buy your holiday gifts at Fred Meyer, Portland’s only unionized general retailer, the money you spend will employ members of UFCW Local 555 (and Bakers Local 114, at Fred Meyer bakery departments). Or keep it simple and get a Fred Meyer gift card. Union chocolate: Ghirardelli chocolates and See’s Candies gift boxes are made in California by members of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco and Grain Millers. Union wine: Unions may be rare in the wine industry, but happily, Washington’s award-winning Chateau Ste. Michelle is an exception. It employs members of United Farm Workers in its vineyards, and members of Teamsters Local 117 in the barrel room, warehouse, production, shipping and maintenance departments at its Woodinville facility. Company labels include Columbia Crest, Chateau Ste. Michelle wines, Domaine Ste. Michelle, and Snoqualmie, among others. Union cannabis: Another idea for the 21-and-over crowd: Celebrate Oregon’s legalization with a gift of union-made, union-retailed cannabis. Hi Casual Cannabis, 7827 SE Powell Blvd, Portland; and West Salem Cannabis, 2625 Salem Dallas Hwy NW, Salem, employ members of UFCW Local 555 at wages that start at $15 an hour, plus benefits. Union kitchenware: Foreign imports may fill the shelves, but union-made in America is still a mark of quality for several brands. U.S.-made Pyrex glassware and All-Clad Stainless Steel Cookware are made by United Steelworkers members in Pennsylvania. Cutco cutlery are made by union Steelworkers in New York. And U.S.- made Fiesta brand dinnerware is made in West Virginia by members of the Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastic and Allied Workers union. Union inspiration: The union gospel needs to reach more doorsteps. Do you have friends and family who don’t get the Northwest Labor Press? Not only is it the only local publication that focuses on news for workers; it also employs members of Office and Professional Employees Local 11. Gift subscriptions are $13.75 a year (for union members, $20 for others) for 24 issues — by credit card online at nwlaborpress.org/ subscribe or by check to P.O. Box 13150, Portland, OR 97213.
