PAGE 30 | August 19, 2016 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
Who’s on our side?
By Tom Chamberlain Oregon AFL-CIO President
‘All politics is local’
Lineman Rodeo
(ABOVE): The PGE team of
Jeromy Adamson, Craig Randall
and Terry Randall — all mem-
bers of IBEW Local 125 — cap-
tured first place in the Three-
Phase Tie Wire Change Out at the
Pacific Northwest Lineman
Rodeo held July 23 in Gresham.
In the photo right, second year
Local 125 apprentice Justin
Robeas finished first in the Ap-
prentice Hurt Man Rescue. His
time was 55.55 seconds. The an-
nual rodeo consists of events de-
signed to simulate the work that
linemen do on a daily basis, in-
cluding pole climbing, trans-
former swaps and more. The fo-
cus is on skills and safety. All
proceeds from the rodeo go to
the Legacy Oregon Burn Center.
Have a Safe Labor Day
The recognition of Labor Day as a holiday
did not happen overnight. It took work which
started at the local level. Beginning in 1885,
municipal ordinances and individual states’
recognition of Labor Day built the momen-
tum to push Congress to act and to establish
the first Monday in September as a national
holiday to recognize the achievements of la-
bor and working people. On June 28, 1894,
it finally happened.
It’s remarkable to me that it took 11 years
of work, piece by piece, state by state, just to
have a day dedicated to the labor movement
and to honor the dignity of what we do day
in and day out: work.
The campaign to create a national Labor
Day validates an often used quote from for-
mer Speaker of the House of Representatives
Tip O’Neill: “All politics is local.” That point
is as true today as it was when O’Neill held
the gavel, and decades before when unionists
worked toward recognition of Labor Day.
These days, “all politics is local” applies to
campaigns for policies designed to give
working people a fair shot at prosperity, such
as a higher minimum wage, affordable hous-
ing, fair scheduling, or paid family leave. We
know our organizing must start locally and
grow from there.
The idea of local action spurring statewide
and eventually national change is what the
labor movement is all about. It’s in our blood.
It’s what brought representatives from local
unions and community-based organizations
together in Eugene this summer for the 2016
Oregon Strong Voice Summit, and why Ore-
gon Strong Voice coalitions in Lane County,
Southern and Central Oregon meet each
month and continue to work together. It’s
what brings delegates to Central Labor Chap-
ter and Council meetings each month; what
keeps union meetings full of members eager
to have their voices heard; and what inspires
working people from Portland to Medford to
volunteer and take action. Local change is the
promise of something bigger.
That’s why we support candidates across
the state who champion policies that help
working people. In the past two years we
have passed laws to raise the minimum wage,
expand paid sick days, tackle the practice of
profiling, ‘ban the box’ to remove barriers to
employment, and provide a secure retirement
for Oregonians. We know if Oregon contin-
ues to raise the bar, other states will follow.
It’s for that same reason that we cannot yield
the progress we have made.
These days, Labor Day is many different
things to many different people. For some,
it’s a day of reflection at the end of the sum-
mer. For many, it’s another day on the job.
For me, and for the Oregon AFL-CIO, it’s a
starter pistol firing to signify the beginning
of election season. It’s our chance to start
working hard to defend the progress we’ve
made and create the potential for further
progress in Oregon. We do that by defending
the legislators who have our back, and help-
ing elect new candidates with the right prior-
ities.
As you prepare for Labor Day, give your-
self a moment to reflect on what you can do
in your community to make life better for
working people. My suggestion: Get in-
volved with the Oregon AFL-CIO’s Labor
2016 program. Call fellow union members,
knock on their doors, and explain to them
why we have to keep raising the bar for
working people. And remember: The big
changes we all need start with local actions
each of us can take.
The Oregon AFL-CIO is a 130,000-member-strong federa-
tion of labor unions.