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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 2016)
PAGE 10 | December 16, 2016 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS ...Standing Rock From Page 5 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year OREGON STATE B UILDING & C ONSTRUCTION T RADES C OUNCIL Executive Secretary Tim Frew Portland, Oregon, 503-788-7153 www.oregonbuildingtrades.com Like us on facebook http://www.facebook.com/oregonbuildingtrad es jobs to tens of thousands of skilled workers,” Trumka said. Community involvement is im- portant, Trumka said, particu- larly in situations involving places of significance to Native Americans, but, he added, “once these processes have been com- pleted, it is fundamentally unfair to hold union members’ liveli- hoods and their families’ finan- cial security hostage to endless delay.… Furthermore, trying to make climate policy by attack- ing individual construction proj- ects is neither effective nor fair to the workers involved.” Reacting to Trumka’s state- ment, White, the former Painters Local 10 president, picketed with half a dozen other local unionists outside the Sept. 23 annual awards banquet of the AFL-CIO’s Southwest Wash- ington Labor Roundtable. “I’m all labor. I live and breathe it,” White said. “I’m not questioning the fact that they want those jobs. I made my liv- ing in the building trades too. But there is a point that we need to take responsibility. … How ‘bout fixing the pipelines that are busting all over the place? How ‘bout changing the infra- structure so we don’t have to use so much oil and gas?” For the Standing Rock tribe, protest banners say, “water is life.” But for many union con- struction workers, pipelines are how they earn their living. After the federal agencies requested a halt to construction, five national union presidents wrote to Presi- dent Obama. “The [Dakota Ac- cess pipeline] project is being built with an all-union workforce and workers are earning family- sustaining wages, with family health care and retirement con- tributions,” wrote the presidents of Operating Engineers, Electri- cal Workers, Teamsters, United Association and Laborers. “However, the project delays are already putting members out of work and causing hardships for thousands of families.” The pipeline is providing work for an estimated 4,500 members of building trades unions. But a number of labor organ- izations not directly involved with the project issued state- ments supportive of the protests, including Amalgamated Transit Union, American Postal Work- ers Union, Communications Workers of America, National Nurses United, and Service Em- ployees International Union (SEIU). Calling them out by name, Laborers union President Terry O’Sullivan said in a letter to his members that those statements would be remembered: “Some of our so-called brothers and sis- ters in the trade union move- ment have abandoned solidarity with the working class and are instead throwing in with envi- ronmentalists who have co- opted the tribes in their effort to fight pipelines,” O’Sullivan wrote. In Oregon, the board of SEIU Local 503 approved a Standing Rock support resolution Sept. 12 and contributed $1,503, after member Laura John spent time at the protest camp. And in October, White drove 1,300 miles to Standing Rock with his friend Carolee Morris, a Cowlitz Tribal Council mem- Turn to Page 18 Trust and experience make a strong union Administering labor management funds is a complex process. At Union Bank, ® we’ve made it more eff icient for Taft-Hartley clients for over 60 years. Labor Industry Division Manager Kimberly Siebler, Managing Director 480-207-5921 We off er specialized collection and disbursement services that are tailored to serve the needs of benefit administrators—from a customized lockbox that improves the employer remittance process to state-of-the-art electronic receivables. Our experienced deposit specialists will help you identify your specific commercial banking needs and design a plan to streamline your banking experience, increase eff iciency, and reduce costs. Union Bank is proud to provide commercial banking services to nearly 250 labor management clients of every size, representing over $525 million in deposits. Southern California, Southwest, Midwest Armand Antonian, Sr. Relationship Manager 213-236-5046 Please contact us today for more information. unionbank.com/labor ©2016 MUFG Union Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC. Union Bank is a registered trademark and brand name of MUFG Union Bank, N.A. Northern California, Pacific Northwest, East Coast John Mendoza, Sr. Relationship Manager 415-705-7112
