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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (June 2, 2017)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | June 2, 2017 | PAGE 9 Good news for building trades unions in May 16 election Two labor-backed school bond measures approved by voters in the May 16 Special District elections will add nearly $1 bil- lion in construction work to the area over the next few years. That’s music to the ears of con- struction unions. The biggie is a $790 million school bond at Portland Public Schools. Voters papproved Measure 26-193 by a margin of 61 to 39 percent. The money raised will pay to rebuild Lin- coln High School and Kellogg Middle School; to retrofit Ben- son and Madison high schools; to repair or replace deteriorating school roofs; replace old water pipes and fixtures; to remove or encapsulate exposed lead paint and asbestos; improve building foundations and ventilation to decrease radon exposure; up- grade fire alarm and sprinkler systems; and improve accessibil- ity for people with disabilities at every school in the district. In Lake Oswego, voters nar- rowly passed Measure 3-515. The meaure will raise $187 mil- lion to rebuild Lakeridge Junior High, perform maintenance re- pairs, and implement safety and security upgrades on existing schools. It passed 50.72 to 49.28 percent. The construction work will fall under the “little” Davis-Ba- con Act, which means contrac- tors will pay prevailing wages and benefits. That’s a plus for union-signatory contractors, who will be more likely to out- compete nonunion contractors and secure much of the work, since they already pay at or above the prevailing wage rates set by the state. The projects are broad in scope, too, touching nearly every union craft, said Willy Myers, executive secretary-trea- surer of the Columbia Pacific Building and Construction Trades Council (CPBCTC). A third bond measure backed by the building trades and other labor groups wasn’t as fortunate. A $75 million Mt. Hood Com- munity College (MHCC) bond was defeated 55 to 45 percent. MHCC hasn’t been able to pass a bond since 1974. In other election results: Two candidates for Portland School Board endorsed by the Northwest Oregon Labor Coun- cil were victorious. Rita Moore won in Zone 4, and Scott Bailey won in Zone 5. Both candidates also had support of the Portland Association of Teachers and the Portland Federation of School Professionals Local 111. Another Portland School Board candidate — Julia Brim Edwards — also was elected. She was endorsed by the CP- BCTC. Rob Wagner ran unopposed for Lake Oswego School Board Position 2. Wagner, a former employee of the Ameri- can Federation of Teachers (AFT), is associate vice presi- dent of college advancement at Portland Community College. He was endorsed by NOLC, Portland Community College Local 2277-AFT, and PCC Lo- cal 3922-AFT. Ana Del Rocio won a three- way race for David Douglas School Board, Position 1. She captured nearly 42 percent of the vote against incumbent Cheryl Scarcelli Ancheta, who finished with 27 percent. Del Rocio was endorsed by NOLC, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555, and the Oregon School Employ- ees Association. Retired Oregon AFSCME Council 75 lobbyist Mary Botkin was re-elected to the Multnomah Education Spe- cial District, with strong sup- port from organized labor. She captured nearly 90 percent of the vote against her opponent. Annette Mattson was elected to the MHCC Board of Directors, Zone 4, with broad support from organized labor. She captured nearly 80 percent of the vote. Moses Ross finished third in a three-way race for Portland Community College Board of Directors, Zone 5. He was sup- ported by NOLC and CPBCTC. The winner, Valdez Bravo, a Democratic Party activist, had endorsements from PCC Local 2277-AFT and PCC Local 3922-AFT. Bravo won with nearly 62 percent of the vote. Ballot Measure 26-189, re- ferred by Portland City Council to amend the City Charter to in- crease the independence of the Auditors Department, won handily. There was no opposi- tion to the measure. In the Gresham-Barlow School District, labor-endorsed Jason Dugan, a member of IBEW Local 48, was unsuc- cessful in a three-way race for School Board, Position 4, at- large. Blake Petersen won with 50.5 percent of the vote. In Parkrose School District, NOLC-endorsed Kori Basquez lost her bid for School Board, Position 4. Overall, voter turnout was low. In Multnomah County, only 31.34 percent of 503,345 eligible voters cast ballots. In Clackamas County, 19.55 per- cent of 271,779 registered vot- ers voted. And in Washington County, 21 percent of 342,046 eligible voters turned in ballots. LERA to discuss ‘Grand Bargain’ The Oregon state budget is fac- ing a $1.6 billion shortfall. Without new revenue, core state services like health care and ed- ucation are facing steep cuts. A “Grand Bargain” compromise is coming together in Salem that could create new revenue while trimming PERS benefits. The Oregon chapter of the Labor and Employment Relations Associ- ation (LERA) will take a peek behind the curtain of the “Grand Bargain” Thursday, June 8, at the Two World Trade Center, 121 SW Salmon St., Portland. Speakers will include Joe Baessler, political director of Oregon AFSCME, and Trent Lutz, assistant executive direc- tor for the Center for Public Af- fairs, Oregon Education Associ- ation. The discussion is part of the Low Prices! Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9:30-5:30, Sun 12-6 Oregon LERA Breakfast series. Cost is $25 for LERA members and $40 for non-members, but includes a one-year LERA membership. Breakfast starts at 7:30 a.m. The progam will be from 8 to 9:30 a.m. For more information, or to register, go to www.ore- gonlera.com. Unionist to head House Progressive Caucus WASHINGTON, D.C. (PAI)— Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus in the Re- publican-controlled U.S. House have elected union member Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.) as their new co-chair. Pocan owns a print shop in Madison that is sig- natory with Painters Local 770. “With the Trump Administra- tion attacking both the values we hold dear and the programs which provide vital services to people across the country, it is my goal to help make the Con- gressional Progressive Caucus the voice of the resistance,” Pocan said. Pocan said he will continue to fight for “kitchen table issues” and put forward pragmatic, pro- gressive policies to combat Don- ald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan’s “radical agenda.”
