PAGE 2 | July 21, 2017 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
NORTHWEST
...Unions oppose City of Portland’s revamped equity policy
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“No one disputes that there is
an under-utilization of minority
and female businesses on large-
scale City projects,” she said.
“Where I think there is also an
under-utilization is with the mi-
nority and female workforce. I
think having a trigger point to a
CBA helps to accomplish in-
creasing a minority and female
workforce.”
Willy Myers, executive secre-
tary-treasurer of the Columbia
Pacific Building Trades Council,
said he can’t support the resolu-
tion in its current form.
“There needs to be a trigger.
The threshold of $25 million has
to be the trigger that says ‘we
will be doing the Community
Benefits Agreement,’” Myers
testified.
At the end of public testimony,
Commissioner Dan Saltzman of-
fered two amendments — one to
trigger the CBA on any project of
$25 million or more; the second
to raise the threshold for work-
force participation requirements
from the current $100,000 per
project to $500,000.
Mayor Ted Wheeler tabled the
amendments, stating that more
information was needed. Com-
missioners agreed. Wheeler said
the resolutions will be voted on
in August. A date had not been
set at press time. [Two separate
resolutions related to the CEIP
had first readings at the July12
council meeting. They ask City
bureaus to develop and imple-
ment a contract delivery method
selection process, and to develop
a Community Opportunities and
Enhancements Program and
funding plan.]
Myers told the Labor Press af-
ter the meeting that the building
trades supports Saltzman’s first
amendment, but not the second.
Overall, Myers said the CEIP is
“moving in the right direction,”
noting specifically the addition
of a partnership agreement sig-
natory page, and oversight
through a Community Equity
and Inclusion Committee.
...Painter files harassment lawsuit against Abhe & Svoboda
From Page 1
ten statement to management
about the incident, but the wit-
nesses she named were never in-
terviewed by the company.
The lawsuit further states that
on Dec. 7, 2016, Brown injured
her hand and arm on the job, and
promptly reported it to manage-
ment. The project manager
drove her to a company doctor,
accompanied her to the examin-
ing room, and participated in the
medical exam, interacting with
the doctor and interfering with
Brown’s account of the injury.
He or a company safety officer
also sat in on all subsequent ap-
pointments with the doctor. As a
result, the lawsuit says, Brown
felt intimidated and unable to
freely express herself to the doc-
tor about her injuries.
The doctor put her on light
duty, but the suit says Abhe &
Svoboda failed to honor the re-
strictions, ordering her to per-
form work the doctor had
warned against. Managers ques-
tioned her injury, and made light
of it.
Brown, who is African-Amer-
ican, alleges in the suit that the
company allowed co-workers to
verbally harass her, referring to
her as an “African monkey” and
using the ‘n word.’
Her complaints about it to
management were ignored. The
suit also alleges that African
American workers were the first
to have shifts cut when work
slowed, and the last to be called
back when work was available.
When Brown or another
African-American co-worker
were injured on the job, com-
pany representatives told them
not to seek medical care or file a
claim, but when Latino employ-
ees were injured, they were im-
mediately taken for medical care
and given time off, the suit al-
leges.
In January, Brown filed an
anonymous complaint with Ore-
gon OSHA about unsafe condi-
tions on the bridge painting proj-
ect. That resulted in an inspec-
tion. On Feb. 2, management
accused her of making the
OSHA complaint, and termi-
nated her. This is the same com-
pany that Oregon OSHA fined
$189,000 last month for multiple
serious and willful safety viola-
tions that contributed to a near-
fatal 37-foot fall.
The suit seeks a jury trial. The
case has been assigned to U.S.
District Court Judge Anna J.
Brown.
Abhe & Svoboda did not re-
spond to a request for comment
on the lawsuit.