NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | December 18 , 2015 | PAGE 19
Who’s on our side?
By Tom Chamberlain Oregon AFL-CIO President
The minimum will rise
2015 was a year of victories
and defeats for Oregon’s
working people. The 2014
election cycle proved to be a
big win nationally for the
conservative right. Oregon,
however, bucked this trend
and increased pro-worker
majorities in both the Oregon
House and Senate. What was
significant about the 2014
election was the emergence
of a coalition of unions, com-
munity groups, non-profits
and immigrants’ rights
groups called the Fair Shot
for All Coalition. Fair Shot
focused on advocating a
workers’ agenda, including
raising the minimum wage,
paid sick days, retirement se-
curity, banning “the box,”
and working toward ending
racial profiling.
This agenda became the
focus of Oregon’s 2014 elec-
tion, with candidates earning
endorsements from member
groups of Fair Shot based on
their support of Fair Shot’s
agenda.
We were successful during
the 2015 legislative session in
passing four out of five of
Fair Shot’s priorities. But the
Legislature failed to give
low-wage Oregonians a
much-needed raise to the
minimum wage. Whether it is
done during the upcoming
February 2016 legislative
session, or through the ballot
initiative process, working
people can rest assured that
we will increase Oregon’s
minimum wage next year.
Our Legislature also failed
to pass a crucial transporta-
tion package that would have
created thousands of jobs by
expanding and improving
Oregon’s aging infrastructure
to relieve congestion and in-
crease the state’s competitive-
ness in world markets by
making sure Oregon goods
can move expediently from
our region.
The first six months of
2015 witnessed working peo-
ple across America mount an
unprecedented fight against
giving President Obama Fast
Track Trade Promotion Au-
thority for sweeping free
trade agreements, in particu-
lar the Trans-Pacific Partner-
ship (TPP). We ran a compre-
hensive campaign in Oregon,
utilizing radio, television and
print ads, social media, door-
to-door canvassing, lobbying
members of Congress by
workers, and massive mobi-
lization of activists across the
state.
We won a victory of sorts
by delaying Congress’s vote
for months, which lead to
President Obama flying to
Oregon to shore up support
for the TPP. At the end of the
day, Sen. Ron Wyden and
U.S. Reps. Kurt Schrader,
Earl Blumenauer, Greg
Walden and Suzanne Bonam-
ici voted to give Fast Track
authority to the president.
Sen. Jeff Merkley and
Congressman Peter DeFazio
stood with the majority of
Oregonians who have had
enough of corporate-driven
free trade agreements, which
lower workers’ wages and
ship jobs overseas.
Some members of Con-
gress voted for Fast Track,
but promised they wouldn’t
vote for a bad trade agree-
ment, which means we must
continue our fight in 2016 as
the TPP heads to Congress
for ratification.
In 2015, the national AFL-
CIO began a new program to
consolidate and restructure
state federations and central
labor councils, with the goal
of putting more staff on the
ground to increase worker
power and push back against
attacks on workers’ rights.
Oregon was one of five states
to go through this restructur-
ing in the first half of 2015,
and was the first state to com-
plete the process. While this
process was difficult, today
we have staff in Medford,
Eugene and Bend to assist
unions and our community
coalitions in not only advo-
cating for an agenda that ad-
vances prosperity for work-
ing people, but also prepares
for struggles including anti-
worker ballot measures and
electing pro-worker candi-
dates.
We have many challenges
to face in 2016. But as long
as we fight together there is
hope.
PEOPLE
Oregon Fair Trade Campaign
hires new director
Oregon Fair Trade Campaign — the
union-backed coalition that fights
trade policies that lead to overseas off-
shoring — has hired Michael Shannon
as its new director. Shannon replaces
Elizabeth Swager, who now works in
Portland for the national Citizens
Trade Campaign. Shannon has a mas-
ter’s degree in Social Work from Port-
land State University and has worked
as a union organizer for Service Em-
ployees International Union Local 503
since 2006. Prior to that, he worked
for gay rights organizations in Oregon
and Florida.
Even if an employer
fails to buy workers’
comp coverage an
injured worker has the
right to obtain benefits.
Learn about your rights
before you give up on
obtaining help when
you are hurt on the job.
Michael Shannon