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.