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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 2016)
PAGE 2 | November 18 , 2016 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS ...Ballot measures around the nation From Page 1 (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) Established in 1900 in Portland, Oregon as a voice of the la- bor movement. Published on a semi-monthly basis on the first and third Fridays of each month by the Oregon Labor Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non-profit mutual benefit corpo- ration owned by 20 unions and councils including the Ore- gon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 120 union organizations in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Office location: 4275 NE Halsey St., Portland, Oregon Mailing address: P.O. Box 13150, Portland, OR 97213 Phone: (503) 288-3311 Web address: http://nwlaborpress.org Editor & Manager: Michael Gutwig Associate editor: Don McIntosh Office manager: Cheri Rice Printed on recycled paper, using soy-based inks, by members of Teamsters Local 747-M. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Individual subscriptions are $14 a year for union members, $22 a year for all others. Pay by credit card online at nwlaborpress.org/subscribe, or send a check to our mailing address (above) along with your name, address and union affiliation, if any. Group rates of $10.08 a year per person are available for 25 or more subscriptions; call 503-288-3311 for details. CORRECTIONS: See an error? Please let us know at editor@nwlaborpress.org or by phone at 503-288-3311. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT PORTLAND, OREGON. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: If you move, let us know at nwlaborpress.org/subscriber-services or by mail at our mailing address (above). Be sure to provide your old and new addresses and the name/number of your local union. Please allow three weeks for the change to take effect. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS P.O. BOX 13150 PORTLAND, OR 97213-0150 South Dakota, unions backed an initiative that would have created an end-run around the state’s “right-to-work” law, by allowing unions to charge non-members for services, but it was defeated by nearly 4-1. Taxing the rich and corporations Oregon’s Measure 97 — a 2.5 percent gross receipts tax on corporate sales over $25 million — went down to defeat. But Californians voted to increase the personal income tax on in- comes over $250,000, and Mainers approved a 3 percent tax on household income over $200,000 to fund K-12 schools. Drug prices and single payer After drug companies spent $109 million to oppose it, a Cal- ifornia measure requiring state agencies to pay the same as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for drugs was de- feated 54-46. And in Colorado, a ballot measure to set up a sin- gle payer health care system went down spectacularly, 79-21. But in Ashland, Oregon, voters approved a measure encourag- ing the 2017 Legislature to move forward with a system of comprehensive health care for all Oregon residents. Money out of politics In its 2010 Citizens United de- cision, the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated limits on independ- ent expenditures for political candidates. This year, voters in Washington and California passed measures calling for a federal constitutional amend- ment to overturn that ruling. The Washington measure declares that constitutional rights belong only to individuals, not corpora- tions. Marijuana legalization It was a breakthrough year for marijuana legalization. Voters in California, Maine, Massachu- setts and Nevada legalized recreational marijuana, and vot- ers in Arkansas, Florida, Mon- tana, and North Dakota ap- proved measures allowing medical marijuana. The only marijuana measure to fail this year was in Arizona. Unions have mostly been neutral on the measures, except United Food and Commercial Workers, which supports legalization and represents some workers in the cannabis industry. Electricity deregulation Remember Enron? Apparently voters in Nevada don’t. Ignor- ing appeals from the Nevada AFL-CIO, IBEW Local 1245, and Culinary Local 226, Nevadans approved a constitu- tional change that removes all limits on what electricity providers can charge. Leave homecare workers alone Washingtonians approved a measure sponsored by SEIU 775, the union that represents state-paid homecare workers, to exempt from public disclosure the names, addresses, and tele- phone numbers of in-home caregivers and the clients they serve. Canvassers working for the anti-union Freedom Founda- tion were knocking on their doors to talk them into dropping the union. The measure also in- creases civil penalties on those who defraud senior citizens and other vulnerable people. Carbon tax Washingtonians rejected a measure for a carbon emission tax. The measure was opposed by labor because rather than use the funds to build clean energy infrastructure and increase con- servation, it would have low- ered business taxes and resulted in a $100 million a year cut to the state budget. Oregon’s 2 million voter turnout breaks record Oregon voters returned a record number of ballots in the Nov. 8 general election, breaking 2 million votes, the Oregon Secretary of State reported. The 2.02 million ballots returned in the recent elec- tion beats the previous record, which was 1.84 million ballots returned for the 2008 general election. The ballot return figure accounts for 78.9 percent of all ballots mailed to vot- ers who were eligible to vote in this election. Of the 2 million-plus ballots cast statewide, 28,322 ballots are being challenged and reviewed for issues like a missing signature or a signature that doesn’t match the registra- tion record. Oregon’s new Motor Voter program registered 230,000 voters for the gen- eral election, Secretary of State Jeanne P. Atkins said. POSITION OPEN Executive Director LABOR’S COMMUNITY SERVICE AGENCY seeks an experienced, vision- ary individual to manage personnel, fi- nancial resources, and community-based programs. Candidate will possess expe- rience with non-profit fiscal, program and grants management. Preference will be given to those with a background in organized labor, work- force development systems, and with experience in fundraising, program plan- ning, strategic planning, and personnel management. This position is permanent, full time (40+ hours per week), and offers com- prehensive benefits, including: Health & Welfare, Dental, Optical and Prescription Drug Insurance; Retirement Plans; Paid Holidays; Accrued vacation and sick leave hours. Starting salary: $54,000-62,000 DOE. Please submit résumé, cover letter, and separate page listing three references to: Bob Tackett 9955 SE Washington St. #305 Portland, OR. 97216 Application must be received by Monday, Dec. 5, 2016 at 5 p.m. No phone inquiries, please,
