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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 4, 2019)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | BUILDING COMMUNITY This year’s SAG awards watch party will raise money for a union actor who’s fighting for his life Every year, the union perform- ers in the Portland SAG-AF- TRA local gather at the Lake Theater in Lake Oswego to watch their union’s televised an- nual awards event. This year, the event is open to all local union members and supporters, and is doubling as a fundraiser for lo- cal SAG-AFTRA president Robert Blanche, who’s fighting for his life after a double lung transplant. Blanche, 56, has been a tele- vision actor since 1994, fre- quently playing law enforce- ment officers in TV crime dramas, like Sergeant Franco on NBC’s Grimm. In 2011, he was diagnosed with hypersensitivity pneumonitis, an inflammation in the lungs. In August, he re- ceived a double lung transplant, but he’s still struggling to over- come complications from the procedure. Blanche is a father of five, including two small chil- dren, and has been unable to work because of his medical condition. Friends and cowork- ers in SAG-AFTRA have raised Robert Blanche over $35,000 to support his fam- ily, but with Blanche having spent over four months in the hospital, the funds are spent and his family is in need of further help. Supporters hope to raise another $30,000 through this fundraising drive. They’ll raise funds with event tickets ($25 for union members, hors d’oeuvres and a drink ticket included), a silent auction, and a raffle. Prizes will include season passes to Portland Center Stage and possibly visits to film and television production sets. The fundraiser will run through Valentine’s Day. Mary McDonald-Lewis, a voice actor and member of SAG-AFTRA’s national board, described Blanche as a beloved figure within the local union: “He’s always been an ambassa- dor for SAG-AFTRA, and men- tored young actors as they be- came ready to join.” SAG-AFTRA members nominate and select the winners of the Screen Actors Guild Awards, which honor SAG-AF- TRA members for outstanding individual, cast and ensemble performances on both film and television. The award ceremony will be broadcast live on TNT and TBS at 5 p.m. Pacific Time Jan. 27. ■ Time: Sunday, Jan. 27, 5 to 8 p.m. (doors open at 4:30 p.m.) ■ Place: Lake Theater and Cafe, 106 N State St, Lake Oswego, Oregon ■ Cost: $25 for union members, $30 for all others (hors d’oeuvres and a drink ticket included) ■ RSVP: shellea.allen@sagaftra.org January 4, 2019 | PAGE 3 Charter bus firm would rather give up contract than operate union When drivers voted to unionize, MTR Western terminated its con- tract to run Columbia County’s CC Rider transit service A unit of 22 bus drivers for Co- lumbia County’s “CC Rider” transit service joined Amalga- mated Transit Union Local 757 in a Sept. 27 vote, but just days later, their bus contractor em- ployer — MTR Western — gave notice it would end its con- tract with Columbia County ef- fective April 2019. Coincidence, or a violation of federal labor law? Seattle-based MTR, a non- union charter bus operator, out- bid an incumbent union contrac- tor last July to win a bus contract with the City of Corval- lis. It then slashed driver wages $1.50 and illegally refused to recognize their union, at least initially. CC Rider provides bus serv- ice between the communities of Clatskanie, Rainier, St. Helens, Scappoose, and Vernonia, as well as trips from Columbia County to downtown Portland, PCC Rock Creek, and Kelso/Longview, Washington. With drivers facing layoff and the riding public facing a loss of service, Local 757 is calling on the county to take on operation of the service directly; it already owns the vehicles and the bus yard. Alternately, some or all of the service could be picked up by the adjacent Sunset Empire Transportation District in Clat- sop County, where workers unionized last August.
