NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS |
WASHINGTON
BUILDING COMMUNITY
WSLC backs Carolyn Long in
race against Herrera Beutler
Local 16 apprentices Jose Honesto and Paul Stirneman (right) were first-time SMART Army volunteers.
Local 16’s SMART Army helps clean up Vietnam Memorial
A week before Memorial Day, members of Sheet
Metal Workers Local 16’s “SMART Army” volun-
teered to spruce up the grounds at the Oregon
Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Portland’s Washing-
ton Park. Fourteen journeymen and apprentices
spent the morning of May 19 weeding, bark dust-
ing, and doing general cleanup on the grounds.
Dozens of other volunteers from various organiza-
tion also took part. The memorial consists of a
1,200-foot spiral path within a landscaped bowl
containing lawns, flowers, and low hedges, sur-
rounded by a mixture of tall trees. Along the path
are monuments which list Oregon soldiers killed or
missing in the conflict. Each monument is year-
specific and contains short expositions on the his-
tory of the war.
Local 16 volunteers (from left) Paul Stirneman, Logan Doke, Dan Wilbert, Joseph Harris, Dante Gardner, Casey
O’Bryan, Fred Sharrill, Bob Riehl, Michael Avery, Stephen Serniotti, Steve McClatchey, Chandler Lael, Darrell
Doke, and Jose Honesto.
Raymond Thomas
Cynthia Newton
Melissa Haggerty
James Coon
Chris Frost
Sydney Montanaro
If you are hurt on a
construction site and
another contractor
had control over the
work that injured
you, you may be able
to sue that company
for your injuries in
addition to making
your workers’ com-
pensation claim.
820 SW Second Ave., Suite 200,
Portland, OR 97204
Scott Sell
Chris Thomas
June 1, 2018 | PAGE 3
www.tcnf.legal
Beutler, a Republi-
can. Delegates
voted to actively
oppose Beutler.
Delegates rep-
resenting
unions from
across Wash-
ington that are
affiliated with
the Washing-
ton State Labor
Council, AFL-CIO voted May
19 on early election endorse-
ments at the state labor federa-
tion’s 2018 COPE (Committee
on Political Education) Con-
vention at the Machinists 751
Hall in Seattle.
Washington uses a top-two
primary in which all candi-
dates face off, and all voters
may vote for any candidate.
The two candidates receiving
the most votes, regardless of
party affiliation, move on to
the general election. The pri-
mary election is Aug. 7.
Maria Cantwell was endorsed
for re-election to the U.S. Sen-
ate. The Democrat from Ed-
monds, Wash., is seeking a
fourth term.
WSLC also endorsed new-
comer Carolyn Long to the 3rd
Congressional District, which
includes Clark, Skamania, and
Klickitat counties in South-
west Washington. Long is run-
ning against Jaime Herrera
Additional endorsement ac-
tion will be taken at the
WSLC’s 2018 Constitutional
Convention July 17-19 in We-
natchee.
Supreme Court sides with
corporations on arbitration
5-4 majority, all of whom were
Republican appointees.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled
May 21 that companies can re-
quire workers to individually
arbitrate their wage disputes
— and prevent them from tak-
ing part in class action law-
suits. The case stems from
agreements many workers are
required to sign, as a condition
of employment, that they’ll ar-
bitrate any disputes. Justice
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in a dis-
senting opinion, called them
“arm-twisted, take-it-or-leave-
it contracts.” The National La-
bor Relations Board, siding
with workers, had ruled that
such company-imposed terms
forbidding collective legal ac-
tion over unpaid wages run
afoul of the National Labor
Relations Act, which protects
employees’ right to engage in
“concerted activities” for the
purpose of “mutual aid and
protection.” The Supreme
Court’s ruling overturns that.
Trump appointee Neil Gor-
such wrote the opinion for the
Other statewide
election endorse-
ments:
STATE SUPREME COURT
Position 2 Susan Owens
Position 8 Steve Gonzalez
Position 9 Sheryl Gordon McCloud
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
LD 17 Position 1 Tanisha Harris
LD 17 Position 2 Damion Jiles
LD 18 Position 2 Kathy Gillepie
LD 49 Position 1 Sharon Wiley
LD 49 Position 2 Monica Stonier
BALLOT MEASURES
Initiative 1608
OPPOSE Makes collective bargaining
negotiations public meetings.
Initiatives 1644 and 981
SUPPORT Repeals I-200, which prohib-
ited affirmative action policies with
regards to race and gender by state
and local government.
A union ironworker falls
eight stories – and lives
On April 30, union ironworker
Jesse Ely fell eight stories from
a high rise under construction
for Amazon in downtown
Seattle. Thanks to a safety net
set up to catch tools, he sur-
vived the fall. But the net was
rated for 300 pounds of debris,
not a human; Ely was badly in-
jured, dislocating an arm and a
leg and severing arteries in
both. A successful surgery re-
paired both arteries. He also
faces knee surgery and has a
broken jaw. Ely is a journey-
man ironworker with more
than 10 years’ experience at
Iron Workers Local 86, and
has a wife and two children.
He and his family are facing
extraordinary medical bills.
Local 86 is raising funds to
help through its credit union.
Donations can be made at
ironworkersfcu.org/memorial.