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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 2017)
SERVING ORGANIZED LABOR IN OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON SINCE 1900 NORTHWEST in tHiS iSSuE LABOR PRESS VOLUME 118, NUMBER 24 uniOn-MaDE GiFt GuiDE: Yes, you can still fill a stocking and put some solidarity under the tree | Page 4 uniOn VictOry FOr OFnHP #5017 With workers at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart in Eugene/Springfield. | Page 7 Meeting notices p.14 Daimler leaves iaM pension p.25 PORTLAND, OREGON DECEMBER 15, 2017 'tis the Season to be Jolly SALEM, Oregon — For 77 years, unions affiliated with the Marion-Polk-Yamhill Counties Labor Chapter have hosted a free holiday party for children and their parents and grandparents (some of whom attended when they were kids). The party is held the first weekend in December at the historic Elsinore Theatre in downtown Salem. This Dec. 3, children sang holiday songs with Norman Sylvester and Friends (above), watched a movie, met Santa and Mrs. Claus, (left), then headed out with a goodie bag filled with union-made prod- ucts purchased at the local unionized Fred Meyer store. Sylvester is a member of Musicians Local 99, and Santa is played by Jack Rusen of Al- bany Steelworkers Local 6163 (Mrs. Claus is his wife). The emcee is Jeff Anderson, secre- tary-treasurer of United Food and Commercial Workers Lo- cal 555. Anderson has played the part of “Elfie” for nearly 30 years. The event is funded by local unions and unionized busi- nesses in the tri-county area. uniOn OrGanizinG natiOnal new Seasons deploys same union-busters used by trump las Vegas hotel Furor over GOP tax bills After a second pro-union worker is fired, union supporters ques- tion the grocer’s ‘B Corp’ status By Don Mcintosh New Seasons Markets, after spending decades cultivating a feel-good image as a progres- sive employer, is now engaged in a full-fledged anti-union campaign led by a well-known union-busting firm. The cam- paign follows classic union- busting template: holding anti- After 11 years working at New Seasons, grocery clerk Terra Bosart was ter- union meetings in the work- minated Nov. 28. She’s the second open union supporter to be fired there. place, enlisting managers as anti-union ground troops, and, Relations Board. In the agers are interrogating and co- according to charges filed by charges, Local 555 alleges that ercing workers, and telling United Food and Commercial New Seasons violated the Na- them not to talk about the Workers (UFCW) Local 555, tional Labor Relations Act union organizing campaign. A 2009 Oregon law says violations of federal labor law. when it fired union supporters Three charges against New Adrian Mendoza on Oct. 4 and employers can’t require work- Seasons are now being investi- Terra Bosart on Nov. 28. A ers to attend anti-union meet- gated by the National Labor third charge alleges that man- Turn to Page 25 In the dead of night, Senate Re- publicans passed a sweeping package of tax changes Dec. 1. The bill reduces taxes dramati- cally on corporations and high- income taxpayers, while raising them slightly on many working people. It was rushed to a vote without a hearing, and passed 51-49 with no support from De- mocrats. The U.S. House passed a separate version of the bill in a 227-205 vote Nov. 16. At press time Republican leaders in the two chambers were trying to modify and reconcile the two versions and bring a harmonized bill back for final approval. No Oregon or Washington senators voted for it, and Ore- gon’s Ron Wyden called it a “scam,” in a press conference call: “They started out promis- ing a substantial tax cut to the middle class,” Wyden said, “but they produced a multi-trillion handout to the wealthy that will raise taxes on hardworking Americans.” Signs are the public is not pleased: Polls show just 31 per- cent of Americans support the tax changes, and 64 percent said the wealthy will reap the most benefits from the overhaul. “The GOP tax bill that passed the Senate by one vote is noth- ing but an attack on America’s workers,” said national AFL- CIO President Richard Trumka. “We will pay more, corporations and billionaires will pay less.” Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation estimates the Senate version of the plan to cut taxes on the rich would add $1 trillion to the federal debt. That’s if Re- publican leaders don’t then cut spending. But House Speaker Paul Ryan already is talking about cutting Medicare, Medi- caid and welfare when Congress returns to work in 2018 — to try to lower the deficit.
