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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 2016)
PAGE 8 | February 5 , 2016 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS Retirees speak out against proposed TPP trade deal Two dozen retirees and concerned citi- zens braved the cold and rain Jan. 12 outside the Portland office of U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden to express their opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The rally took place just hours before President Obama’s State of the Union address, at which he was expected to (and did) push for passage of the TPP trade agreement between 12 countries. More than 20 rallies — sponsored by lo- cal chapters of the Alliance for Retired Americans —were held across the country, including one in Seattle. “It’s cold and rainy, but not as cold- hearted as the politicians who support this trade deal,” said Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain. “TPP is not a job creator; it is a wealth creator.” Chamberlain said lawmakers can talk all they want about “stronger enforce- ment rules” in the proposed TPP. “But if it isn’t funded, enforcement rules aren’t worth the paper they’re written on,” he said. Scott Blau (pictured right with bull- horn), president of the Oregon chapter of the ARA, said the TPP “will be bad for jobs and bad for consumers who rely on prescription drugs.” He said Ameri- cans already pay the highest prescription drug prices in the industrialized world, and that last year prescription drug prices went up by 13 percent — more than eight times the rate of inflation. “TPP is very likely to add a whole other level to that, because of the way the drug companies will be able to hold onto their patents and not allow generic Ritchey retires as business manager of Laborers #335 was making twice VANCOUVER—Dave as much money, Ritchey has retired as busi- with a pension and ness manager of Vancouver other benefits,” he Laborers Local 335. He has said. served in that post since During his career 2001. His last day was Dec. Ritchey worked on 31. several large proj- Shannon Stull, the lo- ects, including the cal’s president, was ap- second power house pointed to fill out the re- Dave Ritchey at Bonneville Dam, mainder of Ritchey’s term at Crown Zellerbach Camas Pa- that expires in May 2017. Local 335 has 500 active and per Mill’s modernization proj- retired members who work in ect, and on the Spirit Lake Tun- private-sector construction, at nel. The tunnel project involved the public-sector Clark County work under ground shoveling Health Department, and as fed- rock and dirt onto a conveyor eral employees at Bonneville called “ The Mole.” Power Administration. “We would hit underground Ritchey joined the union in springs where water would run 1979 at the encouragement of down the back of your neck, “ his father, Bill, who is a retired he recalled. “We got so far back member of Local 335. After underground that you could graduating from Washougal hardly see the entrance of the High School in 1978, Ritchey tunnel.” Ritchey later returned to Bon- was working at a minimum wage job pulling green chain at neville Dam to work on the ju- venile fish bypass. There, he got a nearby plywood mill. “After joining the union, I to work on the same crew as his father. Ritchey spent 12 years working as a hod carrier for Bal- lard International. In that job he traveled to paper mills up and down the West Coast working 12-hour shifts during mill shut- downs building high density tanks and chests for pulp stor- age. His last job before becoming business manager was as a fore- man for Howard S. Wright. Always active in his union, Ritchey was recruited for the job of business manager. During his tenure he signed 58 new con- tractors and 76 project labor agreements. Twice he was named “Labor Leader of the Year” by the Southwest Wash- ington Labor Roundtable. Today, Ritchey is co-chair of the Labor Roundtable. He’s not sure if he’ll continue in that role. Ritchey plans to do more hunt- ing, fishing and snowmobiling, and is planning a trip across the United States with his wife, Vanessa. Two from labor tapped for workers’ comp committee SALEM — Kevin Billman of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, and Diana Winther, staff attorney for IBEW Local 48, have been nominated to the Workers’ Compensation Management- Labor Advisory Committee (MLAC) by Gov. Kate Brown. Brown submitted a list of state board and commission ap- pointments to the Oregon Sen- ate last month. The Senate will consider the nominations Feb. 9. If confirmed, Billman will re- place John Mohlis, executive secretary of the Oregon State Building Trades Council. Mohlis is retiring later this year. Winther will fill the seat once held by Elana Pirtle-Guiney of the Oregon AFL-CIO. Pirtle- Guiney stepped down last year to accept a job as labor and workforce policy adviser for then-governor John Kitzhaber. She now works for Gov. Brown. The eight-member MLAC advises the governor and Legis- lature on workers’ compensa- tion-related issues. (ABOvE) Scott Blau, president of the Ore- gon Alliance for Retired Americans, speaks out against the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement during a rally Jan. 12 outside the Portland office of Oregon U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden. drugs to be made, which lowers the cost of drugs,” he said. “We are calling on Congress to oppose this agreement that will lock in high drug costs and line the pockets of the pharmaceutical industry.” In Oregon, U.S Sen. Jeff Merkley and U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, both Democ- rats, say they will oppose the TPP. PEOPLE Eugene City Council votes to oppose Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal EUGENE — The Eugene City Council voted Jan. 11 to oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement. The resolution against the trade deal was presented by City Councilor Claire Syrett. It passed unanimously. Syrett cited the impact of pre- vious trade agreements on Ore- gon’s manufacturing economy, workers’ rights, and the environ- ment as she presented the reso- lution. “Those of us who were pay- ing attention to these things dur- ing President Clinton’s Admin- istration saw the terrible impacts of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) on our manufacturing industry as just one example, and negative im- pacts on communities in other counties that were party to that treaty.” Syrett also explained why it’s important for local governments to pass resolutions like Eu- gene’s. “While adding our voice in opposition may not prevent this from going forward, it will put this city on record as opposing a treaty that has real potential to harm our local and state econ- omy.” Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain responded to the vote by calling for more cities to pass similar legislation: “Since the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, over 50,000 Oregon workers have been cer- tified by the Department of La- bor as having lost their jobs due to trade,” he said. “It’s time for localities, like the City of Eu- gene did, to say no to policies that ship their citizens’ jobs overseas, threaten the rights of workers, and lower the standard of living for all of us. I hope that more local governments see Eu- gene’s example and follow it.” The resolution is a result of local labor and community- based organizations working to- gether as Oregon Strong Voice Lane County, which held a se- ries of actions in the area to call attention to the TPP, including a rally with Congressman Peter DeFazio last spring.
