PAGE 6 | January 15, 2016 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
FREE CLASSIFIED ADS
Who’s on our side?
By Tom Chamberlain Oregon AFL-CIO President
AUTOMOTIVE
America is angry, and for good reason
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very political candidate is talking about
wage disparity: The gap between the top
tier of wage earners and the rest of us. And
it’s for good reason. According to a recent
Esquire-NBC poll, 54 percent of Americans
feel that their financial situation today isn’t
what they thought it would be when they
were younger. Three-quarters of Americans
believe that wage equality will grow larger as
elected leaders favor the agenda of the rich
over the needs of working people. The poll
points to the growing rage in America, specif-
ically among those who earn less than
$75,000 a year. And white women stand out
as the angriest. They are angry about billion-
aires dumping over $500 million into the
2016 election process, a dysfunctional Con-
gress, and increased violence in our schools.
Donald Trump’s slogan to “Make Ameri-
can Great Again” is a message that resonates
with many people. That’s because Americans
no longer believe in the American dream —
that if you work hard and play by the rules,
you and your family will get ahead and will
have a better life than your parents. Ameri-
cans no longer believe that America is the
most powerful nation on earth. The majority
of those polled stated that immigrants
strengthen our country because of their hard
work and talents, which runs counter to
Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Elected leaders and business associations
talk a lot about wage disparity, but their mes-
sage is about workers being better trained,
and incentivizing businesses to create jobs.
At the same time, too many leaders and busi-
ness associations are supporting trade agree-
ments that are wealth generators, not job cre-
ators. Just look at the data. Trade agreements
are job destroyers. Too many oppose stream-
lining the organizing process for those work-
ers who want to join a union, or follow the
lead of the Koch brothers who are doing
everything in their power to destroy our union
movement. In the history of the world, a vast
middle class has not been created and main-
tained without a strong union movement.
When I hear business groups talk about job
creation incentives, my gut tightens into a
knot. In 1973, corporations paid 18.5 percent
of Oregon income tax. Today it’s 5 percent.
That equates to $900 million a year.
Oregon law contains 49 income tax breaks
for corporations. According to the Oregon
Center for Public Policy, two-thirds of Ore-
gon corporations pay just $10 a year income
tax. Corporations only pay taxes on profits.
Washington state taxes corporations based
on gross receipts, which is similar to a pro-
posed ballot measure to increase the corporate
minimum tax for businesses whose Oregon
sales exceed $25 million each year. The meas-
ure would increase our revenue by $4-5 bil-
lion to fund schools, increase services to those
in need, and increase revenue to address is-
sues such as hunger and homelessness.
Corporations and Wall Street have been
riding high for over half a century by gaining
more power and influence. They care about
job creation as long as middle-class taxpayers
pay for them through state and local incen-
tives. They are for the creation of family wage
jobs as long as there isn’t a union and they can
increase their ability to outsource jobs and in-
crease their profit through free trade agree-
ments.
It’s no wonder that Americans are mad as
hell at corporations, Wall Street, and elected
leaders. Perhaps 2016 is the year that Orego-
nians and Americans say “enough,” and for
once vote for candidates that put working
people first.
Tom Chamberlain is president of the Oregon AFL-CIO, a
120,000-member-strong federation of labor unions.
Bricklayer Eleazer featured in episode of Brotherhood Outdoors
Matt Eleazer, president of
Bricklayers and Allied
Craftworkers Local 1-Ore-
gon, will be featured in an
upcoming segment of
Brotherhood Outdoors. The
unique TV series, sponsored
by the Union Sportsmen’s
Alliance (USA), is back for
its 8th season on the Sports-
man Channel.
Eleazer, a 25-year fishing
veteran and owner of East
Fork Outfitters in Battle
Ground, Wash., takes hosts
Daniel Lee Martin and Julie
McQueen fishing for king
salmon on the Columbia River
near Astoria.
The episode airs Jan. 19 at 2
Matt Eleazer
p.m.; Jan. 21 at 2 p.m.; Jan. 22
at 10:30 p.m.; and Jan. 24 at 10
a.m. on the Sportsman Channel.
Check local listings for channel
numbers.
The Union Sportsmen’s Al-
liance is a non-profit organiza-
tion that brings union sports-
men and women together
outside the workplace to dis-
cuss important conservation
issues. The organization
travels the country volun-
teering time and unique trade
skills to expand and improve
public access to the out-
doors, conserve and main-
tain critical wildlife habitats,
restore the nation’s parks,
and provide mentoring pro-
grams that introduce youth
to the outdoors.
USA currently is working
with the Columbia Pacific
Building Trades Council to hold
a conservation dinner banquet
later this year in Portland.
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STATS OF THE MONTH
• The median U.S. family has
a net worth of $81,000. The
Forbes 400 own more wealth
than 36 million of these typical
American families. That’s as
many households in the United
States that own cats.
• Sitting on a U.S. corporate
board of directors now pays an
average $258,000. The average
time directors say they put in on
directing: five hours per week.
• Presidents at 32 private U.S.
universities are making over $1
million annually, the Chronicle
of Higher Education reports.
Meanwhile, adjuncts averaging
under $25,000 make up 75 per-
cent of all higher ed faculty.
(From Too Much, an Institute
for Policy Studies publication.)
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HOW TO SUBMIT A CLASSIFIED AD
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send your ad to michael492@comcast.net or by
mail to PO Box 13150, Portland OR 97213. We
publish the first and third Fridays of each month,
and the deadline is one week prior to that.
Infrastructure
Senior Project Manager
WORKSYSTEMS is currently recruit-
ing for a dynamic and enthusiastic Sen-
ior Project Manager with excellent proj-
ect management, communication, and
program development skills. The focus
of the position is managing Worksys-
tems’ efforts in the infrastructure / con-
struction sector, and coordinating the de-
velopment and implementation of CBA
projects across the region
Candidates should have:
• Bachelor degree in a related field pre-
ferred, will consider substantial work ex-
perience in the construction industry as
an organizer / project manager in lieu of
a Bachelor’s degree.
• Knowledge of the Infrastructure and
Construction industry, Registered Ap-
prenticeship, Construction Contracting,
Unions, Construction Training Pro-
grams, & Community Based Organiza-
tions
• At least 3 years of experience in plan-
ning and research or other work directly
related to human services, program ad-
ministration, workforce development,
private business and/or community de-
velopment.
• Ability to communicate effectively
orally and in writing at all levels, making
complex material clear and concise to
varied audiences.
Senior Project Manager Salary Range:
$62,270 - $93,404
Position will begin as a 1 year Limited
Duration. Continued funding for this po-
sition will depend largely on Worksys-
tems’ and the incumbent’s success in se-
curing ongoing CBA agreements in the
Portland Metro Area and leveraging sup-
port for the position by community part-
ners and local businesses.
A detailed job description can be found
at www.worksystems.org.
Application instructions:
To apply, please submit a cover letter,
résumé, and three professional refer-
ences to: Worksystems, Attn: Human
Resources, 1618 SW 1st Ave, Suite 450
Portland, OR 97201, or e-mail
to hr@worksystems.org. First review of
résumés will be January 18, 2016.
Worksystems is an Equal Opportunity
Employer and offers a competitive salary
and benefits package.
