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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (May 17, 2019)
PAGE 2 | May 17, 2019 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) Established in 1900 in Portland, Oregon as a voice of the la- bor movement. Published on a semi-monthly basis on the first and third Fridays of each month by the Oregon Labor Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non-profit mutual benefit corpo- ration owned by 20 unions and councils including the Ore- gon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 120 union organizations in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Office location: 4275 NE Halsey St., Portland, Oregon Mailing address: P.O. Box 13150, Portland, OR 97213 Phone: (503) 288-3311 Web address: http://nwlaborpress.org Editor & Manager: Michael Gutwig Senior staff reporter: Don McIntosh Office manager: Jill Lukens Printed on recycled paper, using soy-based inks, by members of Teamsters Local 747-M. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Individual subscriptions are $15 a year for union members, $23 a year for all others. Pay by credit card online at nwlaborpress.org/subscribe, or send a check to our mailing address (above) along with your name, address and union affiliation, if any. Group rates of 47 cents an issue per member — $11.28 a year are available for 25 or more subscriptions; call 503-288-3311 for details. CORRECTIONS: See an error? Please let us know at editor@nwlaborpress.org or by phone at 503-288-3311. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT PORTLAND, OREGON. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: If you move, let us know at nwlaborpress.org/subscriber-services or by mail at our mailing address (above). Be sure to provide your old and new addresses and the name/number of your local union. Please allow three weeks for the change to take effect. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS P.O. BOX 13150 PORTLAND, OR 97213-0150 JOBS Laborers Local 483 fights to stop cuts to Portland Parks and Rec Laborers Local 483 is in an all- out fight against proposed serv- ice level cuts that would result in layoffs and closures of commu- nity recreation centers in Port- land. Local 483 represents about 1,000 City of Portland workers in bureaus that maintain roads, sewer, and parks. Under Mayor Ted Wheeler’s current proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, the Parks and Recreation Depart- ment would get $3.8 million less than it needs to maintain current staff levels. The mayor proposes to shut down the Sellwood Com- munity Center and Columbia Pool, outsource the management and staffing of the Community Music Center, Laurelhurst Dance Center, Multnomah Arts Center and the Fulton and Hill- side community centers; and lay off about 50 front line recreation center staff, including lifeguards and swimming instructors. An earlier version of the pro- posed budget had a $6.3 million shortfall, but the mayor moved funds around after fierce push- back by community members who use the recreation centers. Local 483 hired economist Peter Donohue to look at the city’s finances. A longtime skep- tic of the city’s budget process, Donohue concluded that the city has the money if it repurposes unspent funds and dips into re- serve funds slated for internal services like fleet and facility maintenance. Local 483 members and staff also spent three days phone banking members of the public who use the community centers to let them know about the cuts, encouraging them to turn out for a May 9 public budget hearing. Portland City Commissioner Joanne Hardesty is pushing a set of budget amendments to pre- vent the layoffs and closures, but at press time, no other commis- sioners had come out in support of her amendments. Hardesty proposes to repurpose $1.5 mil- lion in funds that the current budget allocates to police posi- tions that have been vacant for some time. She also proposes to put some new spending on hold, including funds for a police body camera pilot project, his- toric preservation at Mt. Tabor, a water taxi feasibility study, and planning for a proposed James Beard public market. In dollar terms, the Parks budget is actually rising: The mayor’s proposal raises bureau Recreation center users of all ages turned up at a May 9 budget hearing at the World Forestry Center to oppose service cuts. budgets for inflation and then asks them to make a 1 percent cut. But that formula has a big- ger impact at Parks, because the city agreed two years ago to rec- ognize a union for seasonal and casual workers, and transition for them to regular, fully bene- fited positions at wages of $15 an hour. Given that context, the budget proposal amounts to cut- ting staff in order to pay for those raises. Portland City Council will vote May 22 on the final budget. STOP THE CUTS Local 483 is asking supporters to appeal to Nick Fish, the commis- sioner in charge of Parks and Rec, to halt the cuts: 503-823-4682 or nick@portlandoregon.gov THIS NEWSPAPER IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY AMERICA’S LABOR MOVEMENT … AND BY OUR ADVERTISERS. LET THEM KNOW THEIR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED! Low Prices! Coats, etc. Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9:30-5:30, Sun 12-6
