NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | January 1, 2016 | PAGE 3
... 2015 in review
From Page 1
— paid where there are 10 or
more employees (six or more in
Portland), and unpaid where
there are fewer. Here are some
other highlights (and a few low-
lights) of the year:
OREGON
■ In the capitol, some real gains for
working people Besides sick leave, the
Oregon Legislature also approved a state-
sponsored low-fee retirement savings plan
for the 400,000 private sector workers in
Oregon who don’t have an employer-
sponsored retirement plan; it will debut in
2017. But lawmakers punted on proposals
to increase transportation funding, curb
wage theft, and raise the minimum wage.
■ PERS cuts struck down The state
supreme court ruled it unconstitutional for
the Oregon Legislature to reduce cost-of-
living increases for retired public
employees — after they worked decades
to earn their benefits.
■ Big organizing win At Eugene’s
PeaceHealth Sacred Heart hospital, 1,100
CNAs, housekeepers, and other support
workers voted to join SEIU Local 49
■ Big projects in limbo Building trades
unions got pledges to use union labor
from developers on a number of
controversial projects, but none moved
forward in 2015. Portland welcomed
Pembina’s proposed propane export
terminal, then reconsidered. The proposed
Tesoro-Savage oil train terminal at the Port
of Vancouver is up for review by
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. And the
proposed Jordan Cove liquified natural gas
terminal in Coos Bay is under review by
the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission.
Gone but not forgotten
The local labor movement lost some dedicated hands in 2015. They are remembered for
the lives they led in service of the trade union movement. Among them:
■ Bob Stanfill, a leader of Plasterers Local 82 and Oregon State Building Trades Council
■ Ed Whelan, former Oregon AFL-CIO president
■ Bruce Zimmerman, former president of IBEW Local 48
■ Billy McNicholas, former leader of the Portland Metal Trades Council and Local 290
■ Robert Crumpton, retired Oregon Education Association (OEA) executive director
■ Ron Fortune, former head of the Northwest Oregon Labor Council
What’s ahead in 2016
WASHINGTON
NATIONAL
■ Friedrichs vs. California Teachers Association On
Jan. 11, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case that
could deliver a body blow to public sector unions: The
court is being asked to rule that no public employee can
be required to pay dues to a union, even though the
union negotiates and enforces wages and workplace
rights and enjoys majority support in the workplace.
■ Trans-Pacific Partnership vote – President Obama
gets to set the timetable for a ratification vote in
Congress. The treaty is unpopular with the public, so
judging by past tactics, the vote might be scheduled for
the lame duck Congress after the November election.
■ Presidential election Hilary Clinton? Bernie Sanders?
Donald Trump? One of them may win the November
2016 election, and for working people, it matters a lot:
Presidents propose budgets, oversee enforcement of
laws, and help shape the political climate.
■ Battle royale in the Washington
Legislature After rolling one-day strikes
by up to 40,000 teachers, lawmakers
increased funding for schools and colleges,
raised gas taxes to pay for transportation
investments, and gave schoolteachers and
state employees a raise for the first time in
seven years.
■ $15 – Now – in Seatac The state
supreme court upheld Seatac’s $15
minimum wage, and tossed Alaska
Airlines’ lawsuit against it.
NATIONAL
■ TPP negotiations conclude Now that
the negotiations are complete for the 12-
nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal,
union trade policy experts say the
secretly-bargained trade deal is as bad as
they feared it would be. And organized
labor is gearing up for the fight in
Congress against ratifying it.
■ The Fight for $15 Campaigns for a $15
an hour minimum wage continued to
gain momentum. New York passed a
statewide $15 minimum wage for the
fast-food industry. And Los Angeles joined
Seattle and San Francisco in phasing in
$15 citywide.
OREGON
■ Minimum wage fight In its February short session, the Oregon Legislature will
take up proposals to raise the minimum wage. If they fail to raise it, or raise it high
enough, initiatives to raise it to $13.50 or $15 could vie for the November 2016 ballot.
■ Ballot measure bonanza Besides the minimum wage, dozens of initiatives have
been filed for 2016, including proposals to raise corporate taxes, phase out coal-
generated electricity, privatize liquor sales, repeal mandatory minimum sentencing
laws, make English the official language, and establish universal healthcare. The
campaigns vary widely in their resources; they’ll have until July 8 to gather signatures.
PORTLAND
■ Gas tax for street maintenance Portland City Commissioner Steve Novick says
he’ll push once again for more funds to tackle the city’s street maintenance backlog,
this time with a proposal to raise the gas tax.