PAGE 2 |
March 6, 2020 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
NORTHWEST
LABOR
PRESS
JOBS
(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
Low Prices!
Coats, etc.
Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9:30-5:30, Sun 12-6
CORRECTION
NAGE backs Biden
In a Feb. 21 list of union presidential en-
dorsements, we incorrectly listed the
American Federation of Government Em-
ployees (AFGE) as endorsing Joe Biden. In
fact it was the National Association of Gov-
ernment Employees (NAGE), not AFGE
that endorsed Biden.
An artists rendering shows how the project would work: Water that’s pumped to an upper basin when solar and wind are generating more power than is
needed would be released to power a turbine when solar and wind are generating less.
Swan Lake Energy Storage signs project labor agreement
Rye Development has come to
terms on a project labor agree-
ment (PLA) with the Southern
Oregon Building and Construc-
tion Trades Council covering the
proposed $800 million Swan
Lake Energy Storage Project 11
miles northeast of Klamath
Falls, Oregon.
A memorandum of under-
standing signed Feb. 6 stipulates
that the project will be built un-
der a PLA, and that contractors
and subcontractors will recog-
nize the Southern Oregon Build-
ing and Construction Trades
Council as the sole and exclusive
bargaining representative of the
employees who perform the
work.
In exchange, the Building and
Trades Council and its member
unions agree to prioritize and
support the Swan Lake project
as an opportunity to provide jobs
to union members.
The project is expected to
create an estimated 1,440 full-
year equivalent construction jobs
and almost 2,000 induced jobs in
supporting industries during its
four-year construction period.
“This represents a tremen-
dous number of well-paying lo-
cal construction jobs in southern
Oregon, as well as valuable ap-
prenticeship opportunities for
the next generation of skilled
tradespeople,” said Drew Waits,
secretary-treasurer of the South-
ern Oregon Building and Con-
struction Trades Council.
“We’re extremely pleased to
have this commitment from Rye
Development,” said Robert Ca-
marillo, executive secretary of
the Oregon State Building
Trades Council. “Oregon needs
more clean energy infrastruc-
ture, and our highly skilled
members are ready, willing and
able to build the Swan Lake En-
ergy Storage project.”
The plan is to build a new
reservoir system to store electric-
ity from the grid. When electric-
ity is plentiful and inexpensive,
pumps will push water to a 60-
acre reservoir high on a hill.
Then when demand rises, the fa-
cility will release that water over
Turn to Page 5