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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2016)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | May 6, 2016 | PAGE 7 The union choice for Oregon Secretary of State is … All three Democrats running for Oregon Secretary of State — Brad Avakian, Richard Devlin, and Val Hoyle — have long and close relationships with organ- ized labor. The Oregon AFL- CIO stayed neutral in the pri- mary; Oregon Building Trades Council endorsed all three. Ore- gon’s secretary of state oversees elections, corporate records, and audits of state agencies, and be- comes governor in the event of a vacancy. The Northwest Labor Press interviewed all three. Avakian has been courting la- bor support for eight years as Oregon’s labor commissioner, a job in which he’s responsible for overseeing apprenticeship pro- grams and enforcing wage and hour, civil rights, and prevailing wage laws. He’s run a very ag- gressive campaign and is en- dorsed by as many as 20 labor organizations. A civil rights lawyer by profession, he ran for Secretary of State once before, in 2008, but accepted the labor commissioner position when then-governor Ted Kulongoski appointed him to replace Dan Gardner, who resigned. Two Brad Avakian, Richard Devlin, and Val Hoyle get ready for an October debate at the Oregon AFL-CIO convention in Seaside. years later, he ran for Congress and lost to Suzanne Bonamici. Avakian is proposing a number of things that have not been part of the secretary of state’s job, like getting more civics educa- tion in schools, partnering with green energy providers, and au- diting private companies that have business with the state, to make sure they obey labor laws. Hoyle, former House Major- ity Leader, is backed by the Fire Fighters and Painters unions and by IBEW Local 48. The daugh- ter of a union firefighter, she was once a member of HERE Local 26 in Boston, and in col- lege she worked as a lobbyist for Massachusetts building trades unions. She moved to Oregon to work for the Burley bike trailer company, a worker- owned coop. In her campaign for Secretary of State, Hoyle says she wants same-day voter registration and to make ballots available in other languages. Devlin, endorsed by the Ore- gon Nurses Association, has a Union and Independently-owned locations throughout Washington and Oregon Oregon & SW Washington Beaverton - 503.914.4003 Chehalis - 360.639.3377 Eugene/Springfield - 541.622.0602 Gresham- 503.914.4005 Longview - 360.639.3388 Salem - 503.914.4007 Salmon Creek - 360.639.3399 on! Southern Oregon - 541.227.6966 Coming so t. get on the lis Call now to Western Washington Arlington - 360.282.0803 Auburn - 253.220.4104 Bellevue - 425.201.0600 Bellingham - 360.282.0804 Bonney Lake - 253.220.4105 Bothell - 425.201.1703 Carnation - 425.201.1934 Everett - 425.201.4343 Federal Way - 253.220.4106 Issaquah - 425.201.4411 Kent - 253.220.4107 Lakewood - 253.220.4108 Lynnwood - 425.201.4422 Maple Valley - 425.201.4433 Marysville - 360.488.4400 Monroe - 360.639.3300 Mount Vernon - 360.639.3311 Olympia - 360.639.3322 Poulsbo - 360.639.3344 Puyallup - 253.220.4109 Redmond - 425.249.3415 Renton - 425.249.3416 SeaTac - 206.432.4706 Seattle - 206.432.4707 Sequim - 360.639.3355 Shoreline - 206.432.4708 Silverdale - 360.639.3366 Snohomish - 425.577.6755 Tacoma - 253.220.4110 Tukwila - 425.577.6775 Eastern Washington Ellensburg - 509.361.5500 Kennewick - 509.361.5511 Moses Lake - 509.361.5522 Pasco - 509.361.5533 Spokane - 509.361.5544 Spokane (North) - 509.361.5566 Spokane Valley - 509.361.5577 Wenatchee - 509.361.5588 Yakima - 509.361.5599 31-year record of public service, first at Tualatin City Council and Metro, then as a state legis- lator. He’s co-chair of Ways and Means, and a former Senate Majority Leader. He’s most en- thusiastic about the job’s auditor role, making sure state agencies are efficient and effective. Avakian and Hoyle say they’re strongly against NAFTA-style trade agreements like the Trans- Pacific Partnership; Devlin’s po- sition wasn’t as clear. Avakian says he supports a union-backed ballot measure to raise taxes on big corporations; Hoyle and De- vlin said it wouldn’t be appropri- ate for someone seeking to be the state’s top elections officer to take sides. Avakian and Devlin would- n’t say who they prefer for presi- dent; Hoyle backs Hillary Clin- ton. Avakian and Hoyle have each raised about $580,000 in the last year and a half; Devlin raised $287,000. Avakian and Hoyle say they’d like to see a publicly financed elections. All three say they want campaign finance limits and greater transparency. — Don McIntosh What would you say to our readers? Brad Avakian “Pick the progressive Democrat. Pick the labor Democrat. There’s a reason that nearly all the unions in this race have endorsed me and not my opponents. And that’s because I will always stand up for a collective bargaining agreement. I will always respect the picket line.” Val Hoyle “I grew up in a union household. I consider myself a labor Democrat. I come from a more blue collar background. My father was a union member. My grandfather helped start the New York Laborers union. My son is member of UFCW. My politics are based on the values that I learned growing up in union halls.” Richard Devlin “I believe union members really have a stake in good government, and the secretary of state is at the core of good government, the primary responsibilities being the chief elections officer and the chief auditor of public accounts. Ensuring that our elections are impartial and fair and ensuring that public dollars are spent wisely effectively and efficiently should be a concern to union members and all Oregonians.” Brighten Your Summer! For all patients that keep 6 month checkup appointments (ask for details) REGISTER TODAY! Saturday, Aug. 27 Salem Trap & Skeet Club For information, contact Shannon Walker at 360-761-8922 or shannon@sunrisedental.com A fundraising event to benefit:
