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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 6, 2019)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | December 6, 2019 | PAGE 3 BUY UNION UNION-MADE GIFT IDEAS Buying any gifts this holiday sea- son? If you buy union, you help keep good jobs in the commu- nity, and vote with your dollars for enterprises that pay your fel- low workers a living wage with benefits. Union-made can be hard to find. Here are some ideas. BOOTS Danner got its start in 1936 making boots for loggers. Eighty years later, their boots are still built to last, whether for work, hunting, hiking, or around town. Danner makes about half its products at its Northeast Portland factory, where workers are represented by UFCW Local 555. Check the label: If the boots are U.S.- made, they were made here with union labor. SMART PHONE The smart phone itself is most likely assembled in China, but the workers who maintain the cellular network will be members of Communications Workers of America (CWA) if you choose AT&T or Cricket. When you visit a company-owned AT&T store in Oregon and Southwest Washington, you’re talking with a member of CWA Local 7901. And union members can get a 15% discount on some cell plans. To download a discount coupon, visit unionplus.org/benefits/home/att-discounts. WINE BLANKETS KITCHENWARE Store shelves may be crowded with foreign-made goods, but you can still find gifts for the home cook that are union-made in America. All Pyrex products are made in Charleroi, Pennsylvania by 310 members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 53G. Other USW members in Pennsylvania and New York make All-Clad Stainless Steel Cookware and Cutco cutlery. And U.S.-made Fiesta brand dinnerware is made by over 500 members of Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastic and Allied Workers Local 419M at the Homer Laughlin China Co. in Newell, West Virginia. Nothing says Pacific Northwest pride like a Pendleton Woolen Mills blanket. Warm and durable, Pendleton blankets (but not apparel) are made in Washougal, Washington, and Pendleton, Oregon, by 210 members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 49. Their union contract means wages of $16.43 to $19.70 an hour, plus overtime after eight hours, and health and pension benefits. You can see how the blankets are made with free tours at both locations. MOVIES Portland’s last unionized movie projectionist was laid off by Cinema 21 in 1997. But most Hollywood films themselves are still overwhelmingly union productions, from the stars in SAG-AFTRA to the gaffers in IATSE. Who wouldn’t love to get a gift card to Regal Cinemas, or nonprofit Hollywood Theater, or even Living Room Theaters across from the unionized downtown Powell’s Books? MUSIC Oregon Ballet Theater, the Portland Opera, the Oregon Symphony: All of them employ members of American Federation of Musicians Local 99, IATSE Local 28 crews, and IATSE Local B-20 members, who work as ushers, ticket takers and elevator operators. The biggest employer of union musicians is the Oregon Symphony, with 76 full-timers. Session players earn $200 per two-hour appearance, plus pension and healthcare contributions. Unions are rare in the wine industry, but Washington’s award-winning Chateau Ste. Michelle is an exception. It employs members of United Farm Workers in its vineyards, and members of Teamsters Local 117 in the barrel room, warehouse, production, shipping and maintenance departments at its Woodinville facility. Company labels include Columbia Crest, Chateau Ste. Michelle wines, Domaine Ste. Michelle, and Snoqualmie, and others. December dinner gift cards offered to those in need Raymond Thomas Labor’s Community Service Agency has announced a December Dinner Gift Card Program for unemployed union members and those facing dif- ficult times. Referral forms are available for local union staff to fill out and send in. The agency will send those union members a grocery store food card (from a union grocer) that can be used to buy a holiday meal for the family. The deadline to send a referral is 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16. Members should contact their union for a referral to the program. James Coon Cynthia Newton Chris Frost Sydney Montanaro Scott Sell When your Workers’ Comp Benefits end, it may be time for Social Security Disability benefits. 820 SW Second Ave., Suite 200, Portland, OR 97204 Chris Thomas www.tcnf.legal
