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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2018)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | June 15, 2018 | PAGE 7 ...Machinists win toehold at Boeing South Carolina Guest Opinion By Ed Barnes, Retired IBEW Local 48 Washington I-5 Bridge Group focuses on only one item — replace the I-5 Bridge The I-5 Bridge Group was es- tablished in Washington to try to expedite the replacement of the I-5 Bridge. We agreed at the time we formed this group that the only issue we were go- ing to take up would be the re- placement of the I-5 Bridge. Our group believes that the I-5 Bridge is a project that not only has statewide signifi- cance, but also national signif- icance in that three presidents — Eisenhower, Bush, and Obama — have designated this project as one that has na- tional priority. The Washington Legisla- ture during the last session de- veloped legislation that they hoped would encourage the state of Oregon to work with the state of Washington in de- veloping a project that could expedite bridge replacement. This legislation provided that the state of Washington and Oregon Department of Trans- portation would prepare and submit to a group made up of legislators from the two states the plans and reports that have been prepared in the past con- cerning the replacement of the I -5 Bridge. It was hoped that the leg- islative group, with the help of the two state’s governors, would be able to come up with a plan that might be consid- ered by the legislature during the coming session. We need to have a project ready to go that might be considered by the federal government if an infrastructure bill is to be passed and funded this year. Our community is feeling the impact that doing nothing to solve the I-5 Bridge prob- lem is having. Currently it is having a real adverse impact on the economy of both states and on our Interstate Defense Highway. We need the governors of Oregon and Washington to agree on a plan and take the lead with their legislative lead- ers on establishing a project that is ready to go and that both states are willing to fund. We have talked about a third bridge and other cross- ings, but none of these propos- als will have the impact and solve the problems that exist on the Interstate system. We do need to study in the future other accesses across the Co- lumbia River after we solve our top priority of the I-5 Bridge replacement. We all know the I-5 project will have a huge impact on our econ- omy and the Interstate High- way System of our two states. Tolls will be required in the future, and most everyone rec- ognizes this. We can not let the issue of tolls affect the re- placement of the I-5 Bridge. The Departments of Trans- portation of both states of Ore- gon and Washington will be the one’s that resolve the toll issue. We all need to be working together to develop a project that has statewide and national significance, which the origi- nal proposal of the CRC had, and which both states had come to an agreement upon. It is important that we review the agreement we had with the state of Oregon and see what parts of that agreement can be used in expediting replace- ment of the I-5 Bridge. Ed Barnes is a retired business manager of IBEW Local 48 and a former Wash- ington Transportation commissioner. He serves as second vice president of the NW Oregon Labor Council. Unionization is sweeping the media On June 6, The New Yorker magazine voluntarily recognized NewsGuild-CWA, a sector of Communications Workers of America — after nearly 90 per- cent of its 115 workers signed cards seeking to join. That came one day after workers at the business magazine Fast Com- pany announced they were join- ing Writers Guild of America (WGA). The two unions are wit- nessing a wave of worker organ- izing in both print and online media, demanding greater job security, fair and transparent pay, editorial autonomy, and news- room diversity: ■ The Chicago Tribune newspaper voluntarily recognized NewsGuild-CWA in May, after more than 85 percent of its 280+ journalists signed cards. It’ s the first union in the paper’s 171-year history. ■ Mic in March voluntarily recognized ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ NewsGuild as representative of its 50 employees. Los Angeles Times workers voted 248- 44 to join NewsGuild-CWA in January. It’s the first union in its 137-year history. Slate employees voted 45-7 in January to join Writers Guild of America. Vox Media in November 2017 agreed to recognize WGA as the representative of 400 employees at its online media outlets: Curbed, Eater, Recode, SB Nation, Racked, Polygon, The Verge and Vox. Vice Media in September 2017 voluntarily recognized the decision by 430 ■ ■ ■ ■ employees to join WGA and the Motion Picture Editors Guild (IATSE Local 700), and is now in bargaining. The Intercept online investigative site recognized WGA in April 2017 as the representative of its 32-member staff. Thrillist workers voted 56-3 to join WGA in March 2017. Huffington Post ratified its first union contract in January 2017 covering 200+ workers, after having voluntarily recognized WGA the year before. ThinkProgress news site ratified its first WGA contract in July 2016, covering 30 employees. Gawker ratified its first WGA contract in 2016 after a 80-27 union vote in 2015. Salon.com workers voted to join WGA in 2015. The Guardian US edition ratified its first NewsGuild-CWA contract in September 2017, two years after workers voted 45-0 to join. From Page 1 South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster wants to keep it that way. “Out-of-state union bosses have no interest in the future of South Carolina or this remark- able company,” McMaster tweeted 10 days before the Boeing union vote. “We aren’t going to let out-of-state labor unions ruin the wonderful working environment in our state.” Boeing brought in anti- union consultants to talk to the workers in mandatory meet- ings. It didn’t work. Flight-line technicians at the South Car- olina plant earn about 30 per- cent less than their union coun- terparts in Washington state. The result isn’t a vote against Boeing, said Machin- ists International President Bob Martinez in a press statement: “It was a vote for the return of American prosperity. Unions are the best mechanism for pro- tecting the interest of working men and women.” The IAM represents more than 35,000 Boeing employees at 24 locations nationwide. Boeing said it will appeal the vote result, saying the workers aren’t distinct enough to be allowed to have their own union, but should be part of a larger plant-wide group. That larger group rejected Machinist representation by 2,097 to 731 in a Feb. 15, 2017 union vote.
