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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 16, 2019)
PAGE 30 | August 16, 2019 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS UNION DEMOCRACY Who’s on our side? By Tom Chamberlain Oregon AFL-CIO President Thank you! This will be my last Northwest Labor Press column as president of the Oregon AFL-CIO. As many of you are aware, after 14 years, I have chosen not to seek re-election. Graham Trainor, our current chief of staff, has my support and confidence for the next presidency of the Oregon AFL-CIO. Gra- ham has the skills, dedication, relationships, and institutional knowl- edge to move our federation to the next level. Christy O’Neil of AF- SCME has my support for secretary-treasurer. Christy has leadership experience, and as a Medford resident, she will bring a unique per- spective on issues and programs for our federation. The staff of the Oregon AFL-CIO is without a doubt the best in the country. They are truly amazing at developing cutting-edge pro- grams, with the ability to activate statewide mobilization. Thanks for always being there for me. Oregon AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Byrd has pro- vided guidance and leadership that has made our state better. Thank you. I want to thank Northwest Labor Press editor Mike Gutwig for providing space in this publication for my monthly column. My first column was printed on September 22, 2010. That column was a contrast between gubernatorial candidates John Kitzhaber and Chris Dudley. Over the past nine years, we have addressed issues that impact the lives of working people, from fair trade to the housing crisis, criminal justice reform, the gig economy and, of course, elections, legislation and collective bargaining. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing about all these topics. I have always believed that we need to hold elected representatives responsible for their actions, as my June 2019 article described the legislature’s PERS betrayal. I have written columns holding our federal delegation accountable for trade agreements that did not include strong labor and environmental stan- dards as well as funding for enforcement. I have called out Con- gressman Kurt Schrader for his continuing record of voting against the needs of workers. On July 15, 2019, Schrader once again showed his corporate colors and voted against raising the federal minimum wage. I am always hopeful that a strong pro-worker can- didate will emerge from Oregon’s 5th Congressional District so we can show Schrader the door to retirement. The mission of our union movement is to advance a pro-worker agenda; to expand and strengthen the middle class; and to create greater opportunity for the next generation of workers. We under- stand that workers come in all shapes and sizes. They have different backgrounds and colors. We have workers that are straight and LBGTQ+. We must ensure they have the power to identify them- selves as they choose. We also know that a workers’ movement must include union and non-union workers. Our movement must develop and advocate on every and all issues that workers face. These issues include immigration reform, housing, criminal justice, harassment- free workplaces and freedom to form and participate in unions. It is impossible to achieve these goals without a strong and vibrant work- ers movement. The only means to counter a corporate capitalist agenda is through a strong and vibrant union movement. We need to reform current labor law to expand our membership and to address automa- tion and the runaway “gig” economy. I predict that there will be such reform in my lifetime. I base this prediction on what I am seeing and experiencing today. Workers are in the streets fighting for a better life. They see the corporate elite nose-deep in a profit and tax-cut feeding frenzy that picks the pock- ets of every single wage-earning worker. At the same time, we see that workers’ lives are getting harder and harder. Workers no longer are willing to sit back and watch. All too often, political parties, corporations, lobbyists, and elected representatives will try to play one union off another union. Do not buy into traps that will only weaken us. Stand strong — stand for and with one another. Remember, our movement is the only hope for the American worker. Thank you for a great 14 years. The Oregon AFL-CIO is a 138,000-member-strong federation of labor unions. Operating Engineers Local 701 Business Manager James Anderson wins second term Members of Operat- cused much of his ef- ing Engineers Local fort during his first 701 have returned term on revamping the James Anderson a sec- local’s organizing pro- ond three-year term as gram and building up business manager. In the local’s training officer elections program. scheduled for July, Local 701 had Anderson and all other 3,562 members as of Local 701 officers ran the end of 2018, up James Anderson unopposed and were from 3,362 three years elected by acclamation. earlier. The union is working Headquartered in Gladstone, hard to recruit new members to Oregon, Local 701 represents replace those who retire. Cur- about 2,200 heavy equipment rently about 125 apprentices are operators in building and road working their way through Lo- construction as well as 840 sta- cal 701’s four-year training pro- tionary engineers who operate gram. and maintain building equip- Anderson said he’ll now turn ment such as boilers. Its juris- attention to renegotiating the diction covers Oregon and master labor agreement which Southwest Washington. covers most members; it comes Anderson, 57, says he fo- up for renewal late this year. He’ll also work to make sure the union-sponsored health and welfare and pension plans re- main in good shape. Besides Anderson, the re- elected Local 701 officers in- clude: ■ President Darren Glebe ■ Vice President Darrel Hickman ■ Treasurer Kim Johansen ■ Recording Secretary Lonnie Land ■ Conductor Nolan Carter ■ Guard Kenneth Clair ■ District 1 Representative Clark Mattox ■ District 2 Representative Chris Perry ■ District 3 Representative Ronald Preston ■ District 4 RepresentativeTerry Casey ■ District 5 Representative Richard Lauderback ■ District 5 at-large Representative Dylan McComiskey
