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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2019)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | February 1, 2019 | PAGE 7 IWW union hall vandalized THIS NEWSPAPER BROUGHT TO YOU BY AMERICA’S LABOR MOVEMENT … AND BY OUR ADVERTISERS. LET THEM KNOW YOU APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT! When members of the Portland chapter of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) showed up at the union’s rented office build- ing Jan. 24, they found it had been vandalized sometime the night before. A window that dis- played a Black Lives Matter sign was broken, and the front walls were spray-painted “Antifa House” and “Smash Commu- nism.” Portland IWW is the labor or- ganization behind union cam- paigns at Burgerville and non- profit Janus Youth Programs. The attack on its hall at 2249 E. Burn- side Street came four days after leaders of the Vancouver-based group Patriot Prayer showed up there and confronted passersby and customers of the nearby Screen Door restaurant, shouting anti-Muslim taunts through a bullhorn. On Patriot Prayer’s Facebook page, the group said the visit was in response to sev- eral of its members having been physically assaulted after they were turned away from a meeting of the Democratic Socialists of America that was held there. The term Antifa describes or- ganized groups of “anti-fascists” such as the Portland group Rose City Antifa. In the public mind Antifa is best known for showing up in masks and tactical gear to confront white nationalists. Rose City Antifa and Patriot Prayer have clashed repeatedly in the streets of Portland since April 2017. Effie Baum, a member of the general defense committee of Portland IWW, said IWW mem- bers won’t be deterred by the tar- geting of their office. If anything, it provoked a wave of public sympathy. In the days after, neighbors and supporters dropped by with pastries, flowers, and donations. Officers of Painters Local 10 and Glazers Local 740 offered volunteer union labor to repair the damage. The Northwest Oregon Labor Council, AFL-CIO, passed a res- olution Jan. 28 calling it an attack on all unions. And a GoFundMe page that organizers hoped would raise $2,000, had $5,566 as of Jan. 28. Baum said once the graffiti and window are repaired, IWW plans to use those funds to up- grade the building with security features and improve a wheel- chair ramp to make the building more accessible. “Whatever their goal was in spray-painting the house,” Baum said, “it actually had the opposite effect.” Police union raids AFSCME at 911 Raymond Thomas Cynthia Newton Melissa Haggerty James Coon Chris Frost Sydney Montanaro Even if an employer fails to buy workers’ comp coverage, an injured worker has the right to obtain benefits. Learn about your rights before you give up on obtaining help when you are hurt on the job. 820 SW Second Ave., Suite 200, Portland, OR 97204 Scott Sell Chris Thomas www.tcnf.legal On Jan. 8, members of the Port- land Police Association (PPA) hand-delivered letters to emer- gency communications dis- patchers inviting them to leave their union, AFSCME, and in- stead join the police union. That’s known as a “raid” in union parlance. For decades, AFSCME has represented workers at Port- land’s Bureau of Emergency Communications (BOEC), as the 911 call center is formally known. The roughly 110 work- ers at BOEC make up AFSCME Local 189-2, a sublocal of the union’s City of Portland Local 189. AFSCME Local 189 repre- sents 1,000 workers in multiple city bureaus, including support staff at the Portland Police Bu- reau. It’s part of 26,000-member Oregon AFSCME, which is the largest union of county and mu- nicipal workers in Oregon. And it’s part of a multi-union coali- tion at the City known as the District Council of Trade Unions (DCTU). PPA, with 900 members, is an independent po- lice union. PPA members will vote on a constitutional change Feb. 12 that would allow dispatchers to join. If the change is approved, and if over 30 percent of the BOEC members sign cards after April 1 saying they want jump ship, the Oregon Employment Relations Board would hold an election to see which union dis- patchers favor. Oregon AFSCME spokesper- son Ross Grami said it was dis- appointing to see PPA engage in a raid, but AFSCME plans to continue doing the work of rep- resentation for dispatchers. “We’re focused on getting into bargaining and winning a good contract,” Grami said. The current union contract covering workers at BOEC ex- pires June 30, and the two sides began contract negotiations Jan. 18. Under Oregon law, emer- gency dispatchers aren’t al- lowed to strike. Instead, if bar- gaining breaks down without an agreement, the two sides present their final offers to an arbitrator.
