SERVING ORGANIZED LABOR IN OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON SINCE 1900
NORTHWEST
LABOR
PRESS
VOLUME 117, NUMBER 16
IN THIS ISSUE
WAKING UP TO BIAS At a seminar. | Page 26
LOCAL LABOR MOVEMENT AT A GLANCE See how
union locals stack up by the numbers . | Page 23
Washington Primary Results p.3 Meeting Notices p.15
PORTLAND, OREGON
AUGUST 19, 2016
A DAY FOR PICNICS
Every year on Labor Day, union members
come together to celebrate family and
community. Here are this year’s events.
PORTLAND — The region’s largest Labor Day picnic
takes place at Oaks Amusement Park in Southeast
Portland, sponsored by the Northwest Oregon Labor
Council, AFL-CIO.
FOOD-DRINK-FUN
Members and their
families from dozens Deluxe ride bracelets $10
Food/drink scrip
50¢
of unions – up to
Burger
+
chips
3
scrip
20,000 people – turn
Hot dog + chips 2 scrip
out for barbecue,
Chili
1 scrip
games, carnival rides, Beer
4 scrip
raffle drawings,
Pop
2 scrip
music, and a chance Water
1 scrip
to hear from local
politicians. The picnic runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Politicians take the stage at 1 p.m. See Page 5 for
details of the blood drive challenge, kids scavenger
hunt, and free scrip for out-of-work union members.
For more information, call the Northwest Oregon
Labor Council at 503-235-9444.
Best way to get there: Parking can be scarce in and
around Oaks Park on Labor Day, the park’s busiest day
of the year. But there’s plenty of parking five miles
LABOR
DAY
Monday, September 5
north at OMSI, the McLoughlin Overpass, McCoy
Millwork, and the Portland Opera. The Oregon Pacific
Railroad shuttles between OMSI and Oaks Park from
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. — $5 round trip for adults, free
for kids 12 and under. The train boards at Southeast
4th and Caruthers.
ASHLAND — 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Emigrant Lake, Picnic
Shelter D, 5505 Highway 66, Ashland. Lunch will be
served at noon. Sponsored by the Southern Oregon
Central Labor Chapter.
BEND — 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., Pioneer Park, NW Wall St.,
Bend. There will be food, drinks, and music. Please
Union-busting bakery accused of
wage theft in class-action lawsuit
Portland Specialty Bakery, which
bakes for Starbucks and Franz, is
accused of wage and hour and
sick leave violations.
By Don McIntosh
Six months after the lopsided de-
feat of a union campaign at Port-
land Specialty Baking, a group
of workers there have filed a
lawsuit accusing the company of
violating Oregon wage and hour
and sick leave laws.
Working with the non-profit
Northwest Workers’ Justice
Project, attorneys Corinna
Spencer-Scheurich, Michael
Dale, and Phil Goldsmith filed
the suit Aug. 8 in Multnomah
County Circuit Court on behalf
of seven workers at Portland
Specialty Baking. The company
operates an industrial bakery in
Gresham, where about 175
workers — overwhelmingly im-
migrants and refugees — make
bring dessert; everything else is provided. Bring your
family! Invite your friends! Sponsored by the Central
Oregon Central Labor Chapter.
COWLITZ-WAHKIAKUM COUNTIES — Toutle River
RV Resort, 150 Happy Trails, Castle Rock, Washington,
Exit 52 off I-5. Grilling hamburgers and hot dogs from
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bring your favorite side dish to
share. There will be music, swimming, kids’ games, a
bouncy house, a giant croquet tournament, and
more. Please bring a school supply or two to donate
to the local school district.
EUGENE/SPRINGFIELD — Willamalane Park Shelters,
6100 Thurston Road, Springfield (behind splash
pool). Starts at noon. Please bring a side dish to
share. Sponsored by the Lane County Central Labor
Chapter.
NORTH BEND/COOS BAY — 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Ferry
Road Park, North Bend. Music, games and fun for the
whole family. Please bring a donation of non-
perishable food items. Sponsored by the
Southwestern Oregon Central Labor Chapter.
SALEM — 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Waterfront Park. A
barbecue, side dishes and soft drinks will be provided
from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Cost: two non-
perishable food items per person, or $2 per person for
the Marion/Polk Food Bank. Sponsored by Marion-
Polk-Yamhill Central Labor Chapter.
Upcoming ballot measures
In the last month, the signatures were counted and the ballot initiatives certified. Here’s
what Oregon and Washington voters get to decide in the Nov. 8 general election.
OREGON
Measure 97 - Solve Oregon’s revenue problem by raising taxes on the
biggest corporations Establishes a 2.5 percent tax on the Oregon sales of C-
corporations that exceed $25 million.The projected $3 billion a year raised would
fund education, healthcare, and senior services.
Measure 98 - Expand career and technical education Requires state funding for
dropout prevention and career and college readiness programs in high schools.
Measure 99 - Outdoor School for All Creates “Outdoor School Education Fund,”
continuously funded through Lottery, to provide outdoor school programs statewide.
Measure 100 - Save endangered animals Prohibits purchase or sale of parts or
products from 12 endangered wildlife species.
WASHINGTON
Current and former workers at Portland Specialty Baking — with attorneys
and supporters — announce a class action wage theft lawsuit Aug. 8
pretzels, cakes, donuts, bagels,
and muffins for Starbucks,
Jamba Juice, Walmart, Costco
and Winco for wages of around
$10 an hour.
According to the lawsuit, the
company has systematically
failed to pay workers the proper
overtime wages. The suit says
Portland Specialty Baking is vi-
olating an Oregon law which
says that workers in manufactur-
ing establishments must be paid
overtime for hours worked more
than 10 in a day, and that they
may not work more than 13
hours a day.
In part, the case hinges on a
Turn to Page 11
Initiative 732 - Carbon emission tax Imposes a tax on fossil fuels of $25 per metric
ton of carbon dioxide – and reduces state sales tax by 1 percentage point, eliminates
taxes on manufacturers, and provides a $1,500 a year tax credit for working families.
Initiative 735 - Restoring “We the People” Calls for a federal constitutional
amendment that limits constitutional rights to people, not corporations.
Initiative 1433 - Raise Up Washington Increases the state minimum wage to
$13.50 by 2020, and provides up to seven days of paid sick and safe leave per year.
Initiative 1491 - Gun responsibility Allows court orders to temporarily remove
access to firearms for dangerous and mentally ill individuals.
Initiative 1501 - Protect the Vulnerable Increases penalties for identity-theft and
senior fraud, exempts info about in-home caregivers from public disclosure.
Initiative 1464 - Public campaign finance Lets residents direct state funds to candidates,
restricts former public employee lobbying, ends non-resident sales-tax exemption.