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October 6, 2017 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
WORKERS RIGHTS
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Trump cabinet nominee Andy Puzder headlines
Portland fundraiser for union-busting group
Freedom Foundation is attacking
Laborers Local 483 and others
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140
Andy Puzder was the CEO of
the company that owns Hardee’s
and Carl’s Jr. He almost became
President Trump’s Secretary of
Labor. How far he’s fallen —
since revelations of spousal
abuse cost him both positions.
On Sept. 28, Puzder was the fea-
tured speaker at a fundraiser for
the Freedom Foundation, a
group whose sole mission is to
harass and drain the financial
lifeblood out of unions.
But to get to the fundraiser at
the Portland Airport Sheraton,
attendees had to pass by two
large inflatable rats, one large
inflatable “fat cat” and a crowd
of noisy protesters from a dozen
or more unions.
If most of the protesters
looked like they worked for a
living, it’s because they do. Led
by Laborers Northwest Re-
gional Manager Bob Abbott,
construction laborers turned out
in force in defense of public sec-
tor Laborers Local 483, which
has come under direct attack
from the Freedom Foundation.
coworkers to pick up the tab for
union representation.
To help, they called the Free-
dom Foundation, which wants
more than anything for union
members to stop paying dues. In
Oregon, the group has paid for
ads and sent staff to union work-
places and residences to talk
homecare workers and others
into quitting their union. Last
month, Freedom Foundation
lawyers asked the City of Port-
land for the names of every Lo-
cal 483 member in the unit. [Lo-
cal 483 is fighting the request.]
Paid staff from the Freedom
UNION MEMBERS UNDER ATTACK: WHAT DO WE DO? STAND UP, FIGHT
BACK! Union members picket a fundraiser for antiunion Freedom Foundation. Foundation also showed up out-
side Portland Bureau of Trans-
In August, Local 483 mem- ing union dues. It turns out
portation’s Kerby maintenance
bers who maintain sewers and there’s a process under Oregon’s
yard with the deauthorization
roads ratified a new contract public employee collective bar-
petitions. There they were con-
with the City of Portland — one gaining law to do that: Gather
fronted by union loyalists, and
of the best they’ve negotiated in signatures from 30 percent of
reportedly given an angry send-
years, with raises of up to 10 represented workers, and you
off.
percent on top of cost-of-living can trigger a special “deautho-
It’s a shame that any union
increases and a 2 percent rization of a union security
member would call an anti-
longevity bump for senior em- agreement” election. In plain
union group for help, PBOT jet
ployees. But a handful of Local English, it means you can vote
truck operator Amil Zell told the
483 members at the city waste- on whether to turn financial sup-
Labor Press.
water treatment plant, led by a port for the union into an indi-
“The way our union is organ-
one-time union bargaining team vidual choice instead of a group
ized, anybody that gets involved
member, are unhappy with the commitment. If they prevail,
has influence in the decision
contract, and want to stop pay- the objectors could leave their
making,” Zell said.