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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 2017)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | September 15, 2017 | PAGE 5 HONORS Legislative honors Legislator of the Year State Rep. Dan Rayfield (D-Corvallis) Union Defender Award State Sen. Arnie Roblan (D-Coos Bay) Rookie of the Year State Sen. James Manning (D-Eugene) Labor 2016 (Oregon AFL-CIO electoral effort) Most volunteer shifts Oregon AFSCME, ATU Local 757, IATSE Local 28, IBEW Local 48, Laborers Local 737, UFCW Local 555 Leadership in the workplace flier program Shane Nehls from Iron Workers Local 29 Outstanding volunteer Zack Culver of Laborers Local 737 Outstanding participation in political program Rose Etta Venetucci of IATSE Local 28 Union organizing Largest private sector organizing victory United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, for organizing 4,500 workers at Safeway/Albertsons Largest public sector organizing victory AFT-Oregon, for organizing 800 graduate students at Portland State University Long-term efforts on behalf of Instafab workers Iron Workers District Council of the Pacific Northwest Including part-time and seasonal workers in organizing efforts at the City of Portland Laborers Local 483 FACE TIME WITH THE GOVERNOR community around the state. I position on that particular issue. Before addressing delegates, Ore- gon Gov. Kate Brown sat down with the Labor Press You’ve been governor two and a half years. Which laws have you helped pass that helped working people? The minimum wage increase. Oregon con- structed it differently than any other state. From my perspective it reflects the different economic regions of Oregon but it also moves us on the path to ensure that people who are working full time are not living in poverty. I’m also very proud of the paid sick leave bill that passed during the 2015 legislative session. If you’re elected to another term, what kinds of legislation would you help enact to help working people? My focus is around workforce training and job training. … We want to give our students in high school and middle school access to hands- on learning opportunities, whether it’s welding, manufac- turing, computer design, 3D printing, graphic design. It truly awakens them to the power of their own potential. And we end up with a really skilled and qual- ified workforce. Labor is starting to get in- volved on the issue of afford- able housing. It’s a statewide problem. What would you do to make housing more afford- able? And do you favor re- pealing the state law preempt- ing local rent control ord- inances? This is a national prob- lem. My fellow governors and I talk about this all the time. In Oregon it’s impacting every know from talking to my folks at Business Oregon [the state economic development agency] that businesses are struggling to move into smaller communities because there is no housing available for their workforce. Since I became governor we’ve invested close to $200 million in building affordable units and preventing homelessness and providing rental assistance. Is that enough? Statewide it feels like a tip of the iceberg. But it’s certainly significant to the fami- lies that have been able to get housing as a result. The other piece is making sure local juris- dictions have the tools that they need to provide more access. The third piece for me, and we’re working this right now: Our regional solutions team and our economic development team are working with the private sec- tor to come up with innovative solutions about how we build more housing. So just to give you an example, we partnered in ’15 and ’16 with a private devel- oper in Pendleton to build hous- ing for the workforce in Pendle- ton. We’re looking for creative solutions about how we can leverage state and federal dollars to build workforce housing. Be- cause that’s the key to making sure that our communities are healthy and thriving. One of the priorities for [Ore- gon House Speaker] Tina Kotek was lifting the preemp- tion on rent control. Do you have a position on that? I have fought to make sure that our lo- cal jurisdictions have the tools that they need. I haven’t taken a One of the perennial issues Oregon faces is insufficient revenue. And we’re still the state that has the lowest over- all tax burden on corpora- tions. What would be your ap- proach? My first priority is to make sure that we’re tightening our belts in state government, that we’re spending every single taxpayer dollar effectively and efficiently. We made some steps in that direction this last ses- sion.… The second piece for me is figuring out a path forward that doesn’t unduly burden working families but ensures that the business community, that corporations throughout the state pay their fair share. And that would be more than they’re paying now? Yes. This has been an ongoing struggle for Oregon for decades. … I’ve had a conversation with a number of folks in the business commu- nity: They want to do this. The question is how do we do it in a way that ensures that Oregon’s economy continues to thrive and that can create good-paying jobs in every corner of the state. What did you think of the idea of Measure 97, the gross re- ceipts tax like Washington has, as the way to do it? I certainly supported it. The voters dis- agreed. We used that as the frame for the conversation this last session. I think it’s definitely the beginning point of a conver- sation about how we ensure that large corporations pay their fair share in Oregon. — Don McIntosh Legislative scorecard Every year, the Oregon AFL-CIO advocates in the state legislature on behalf of workers — and finds out which lawmakers are friends where it counts. After the legislative session ends, the la- bor federation produces a scorecard that rates lawmakers, taking into account not just actual votes on bills, but actions that helped or hindered bills, and even examples where legislators helped workers outside the Capitol to form a union or bargain a fair con- tract. The scorecard puts lawmakers into four categories: Plat- inum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze, plus an Honorable Mention cate- gory for those who may not have voted consistently with labor but helped deliver on at least one top priority. OREGON SENATE Platinum Michael Dembrow Arnie Roblan Gold Ginny Burdick Kathleen Taylor Richard Devlin Lew Frederick Sara Gelser James Manning Laurie Monnes-Anderson Elizabeth Steiner-Hayward Honorable Mention Silver Brian Boquist Alan DeBoer Bill Hansell Mark Hass Betsy Johnson Jackie Winters Peter Courtney Lee Beyer Bronze Rod Monroe Floyd Prozanski Chuck Riley OREGON HOUSE Platinum Tina Kotek Jennifer Williamson Margaret Doherty Chris Gorsek Paul Holvey Nancy Nathanson Rob Nosse Dan Rayfield Barbara Smith Warner Gold Teresa Alonso Leon Jeff Barker Phil Barnhart Ken Helm Diego Hernandez Ann Lininger Sheri Malstrom Susan McLain Mark Meek Carla Piluso Karin Power Tawna Sanchez Janeen Sollman Silver Janelle Bynum Paul Evans Julie Fahey David Gomberg Mitch Greenlick Alissa Keny-Guyer John Lively Pam Marsh Jeff Reardon Bronze Brian Clem Brad Witt Honorable Mention John Huffman Bill Kennemer Caddy McKeown Andy Olson Greg Smith
