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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2020)
PAGE 8 | April 17,2020 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PEOPLE New hands at helm of nurses union The board of 15,000-member izing will be a top priority, and Oregon Nurses Association thanks to a recent member-ap- (ONA) has selected a proved bylaws change, new executive director. ONA will be open to Sarah Laslett comes to health care workers the union after 17 years more broadly, not just as a labor educator, the registered nurses. She last four at the Univer- also wants to develop sity of Oregon’s Labor the confidence and skills Education and Research of shop stewards, em- Center, where she did a powering member lead- lot of work with ONA ers to resolve problems Sarah Laslett training members and at the lowest level. And staff and developing leadership. she wants to experiment with a She even helped the union look concept known as “bargaining for for a replacement for outgoing the common good,” in which executive director Martin Taylor ONA would ally with commu- before she was tapped for the job. nity groups and use its power at Laslett, 55, is the daughter of the bargaining table to win im- a labor historian, and as a child provements for the wider public. handed out fliers to support the Her first day on the job was United Farm Workers. At Univer- March 6, the week before the sity of Minnesota, she helped coronavirus was declared a pan- unionize her fellow graduate stu- demic. Since then, she and staff dents, and went on to work for have scrambled to get informa- American Federation of Teachers tion to members, and wrangle (AFT), Communications Work- commitments from hospitals to ers of America, and Service Em- protect nurses. “Our members are ployees International Union. on the front lines,” Laslett says. Now she’ll oversee about 50 “It’s amazing to me how commit- staff at ONA, an AFT affiliate, ted they are, going to work every and lead campaigns to build day knowing they are putting union power. Laslett says organ- themselves at risk.” Relationships. Trust. Unwavering Commitment. These are unprecedented times, and at Cutler Investment Group, we wish you safety and good health. We also know that this will eventually pass. Today’s uncertainties mean having a trusted Consultant has never been more important. At Cutler, we have decades of experience guiding our clients through tumultuous times. Give us a call and let’s talk about how we can help you. Cutler Investment Group 10900 NE 4th St, Suite 1910, Bellevue, WA 98004 Tel. 206.624.5863 | Cell. 206.457.6822 | Fax. 541.779.0006 | http://www.cutler.com
