Northwest labor press., May 04, 2018, Page 5, Image 5

NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS |
NON-PARTISAN PRIMARY
For non-partisan offices like county commission and city council, any registered voter
can cast a ballot in the primary. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent, the top
two vote-getters face off in the November general election.
OREGON LABOR COMMISSIONER
METRO REGIONAL GOVERNMENT
Val Hoyle is a former Oregon House Majority Leader
and Democratic state rep from Eugene. She gave up
her seat in 2016 to run for secretary of state. Getting
her elected as labor commissioner is a top priority for
organized labor, because the Bureau of Labor and In-
dustries (BOLI) enforces wage and hour and civil
rights laws, sets the prevailing wage on public con-
struction projects, and oversees apprenticeship train-
ing standards. Union County Commissioner Jack
Howard is also on the ballot but didn’t even submit a
Voters’ Pamphlet statement. So her chief opponent is
Tualatin mayor and insurance agent Lou Ogden — a
Republican who thinks the Bureau of Labor and In-
dustries has leaned too much toward labor and not
enough toward industry. On April 23, four deep-
pocketed Republican funders dumped $100,000 into
his campaign, which began airing television attack
ads against Hoyle a week later. AFL-CIO, OBTC, AFT,
CWA, BAC, IAFF, IAM, IBEW 48, ILWU, IUOE 701, IUPAT,
IW, LiUNA, OEA, ONA, OPCMIA 82, OSEA, SEIU 503, SEIU
49, SMART, UA 290, UBC, UFCW 555, valhoyle.com
President
OREGON SUPREME COURT
Judge, Position 3
Meagan Flynn is a former appeals court judge and
public defender who represented workers in workers
comp cases. Appointed in 2017 by Governor Brown to
fill a vacancy, she’s being challenged by state securi-
ties attorney Van Pounds, who’s running to protest
the practice of judges resigning mid-term so gover-
nors can appoint their replacement, who then runs
usually unopposed as incumbent. IAM, OEA
judgemeaganflynn.com
OREGON COURT OF APPEALS
Judge, Position 10
Rex Armstrong, the incumbent, was once a choker-
setter and warehouse worker. OEA
Lynn Peterson, a former Clackamas County com-
missioner and Washington transportation executive,
is running to succeed Tom Hughes with the backing
of virtually every union NOLC, CPBTC, AFSCME, AFSCME
3580, ATU, IAFF 43, IAFF 1660, IBEW 48, IBT, IBU, ILWU,
IUOE 701, IUPAT, IW, LiUNA, PAT, PTE, UA 290, UBC, UFCW
555, WFP electlynnpeterson.com
Councilor Position 2 (S/SE)
Christine Lewis is legislative director at the Oregon
Bureau of Labor and Industries, and formerly worked
for House Speaker Tina Kotek and Multnomah County
Commissioner Jules Bailey. NOLC, CPBTC, IBEW 48, PAT,
UFCW 555, WFP christinelewisformetro.com
Joe Buck is a Lake Oswego City Council member,
owner of the Babica Hen Cafe in Lake Oswego and
Dundee, and former board member of the local
chamber of commerce. IBT, IAFF 1159, IAFF 1660
JoeBuckforMetro.com
Betty Dominguez is a housing advocate at Home
Forward, past president of Greater Portland Habitat
for Humanity, and is the incumbent, having won ap-
pointment to fill the unexpired term of Metro Coun-
cilor Carlotta Collette in a 4-2 vote of Metro Council.
AFSCME, AFSCME 3580 bettyformetro.com
Councilor District 4 (W, Hillsboro)
Dana Carstensen is a shop steward with Laborers
Local 483 at the Oregon Zoo, and also works as a haz-
ardous waste technician represented by AFSCME Lo-
cal 3580. He’s a graduate of Oregon Labor Candidate
School. CPBTC, LiUNA, LiUNA 483, LiUNA 737, PCCFFAP,
PCCFCE danacarstensen.com
Juan Gonzalez is a manager at Centro Cultural de
Washington County. AFSCME, AFSCME 3580, IAFF 1660,
IBEW 48, IBT, UFCW 555, WFP gonzalez4oregon.com
Turn to Page 6
May 4, 2018 | PAGE 5
QUESTIONS FOR VAL HOYLE
Former Democratic House Majority
Leader Val Hoyle is running hard to
be the next labor commissioner
Why do you want to be labor com-
missioner? Because the job encom-
passes all the things that I not only
am passionate about, but that I’ve
done over the past three decades. It’s
standing up for workers’ rights, civil
rights. In addition to being a former
union member, I’ve also been in the
private sector for 25 years, so I’d make sure the Bureau of Labor and Industries
(BOLI) reaches out and gives businesses the information they need to be able
to follow the rules. And I’d make sure the career and technical education pipeline
fits into the apprenticeship and job training programs for the jobs that are needed.
I think a lot of people don’t know what labor commissioner does. What do
you see the job as doing specifically? You investigate and enforce labor laws
and civil rights in the workplace, and certify the apprenticeship programs in the
state. The Legislature passes labor laws, and BOLI works on the rulemaking.
So it’s a critical job. You don’t want to have someone that’s anti-worker over-
seeing it. It’s also important to have someone that has a good working relation-
ship with business. I am a strong supporter of labor. I consider myself a labor
Democrat. And businesses trust me to be fair.
What would you do differently, if anything, from Brad Avakian? I just think
I have a different style of leadership, a collaborative style. I have no problem
standing up for what’s right, but I tend to do it working with other people. With
my private sector background I could work with business in bringing them to
the table. I think we can do a better job of making sure all workers, regardless
of what language they speak, feel like they can contact BOLI, and making sure
that we’re out where workers are, and that workers feel like this is an agency
that is focused on customer service. The other thing is making sure we have the
resources in that department in BOLI that does investigation and enforcement
of the labor rules. Because right now it’s not good for business or workers when
they have to wait 18 months for an investigation and a fine to be levied.
ONLINE EXTRA: See the full interview at nwlaborpress.org/2018/05/val-hoyle