PAGE 26 | August 21, 2020 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
Who’s on our side?
By Graham Trainor Oregon AFL-CIO President
A threat to democracy
On Aug. 13, Donald Trump said he opposes much-needed
funding for the United States Postal Service because he
doesn’t want to see it used for mail-in voting this November.
This was within a few days of Trump himself requesting his
own mail-in absentee ballot from Florida. Along with system-
atic action by this administration to undermine and erode the
critical functions of the Postal Service, the brazenness of the
comment should alarm each and every one of us.
As Oregonians, we have enjoyed over 20 years of success-
ful elections using a vote-by-mail system. It’s something many
voters today, especially younger voters, take for granted as it’s
the only way they have ever cast a ballot. In the midst of a
global pandemic, voting from the safety of your own home
must be accessible to everyone, in every state. Period.
To say that the Postal Service is truly a bedrock of our
democracy is no exaggeration. In fact, our founders saw a ro-
bust mail system so critical to the fledgling nation’s welfare
and political cohesion that they included the Postal Clause in
the U.S. Constitution, creating a public postal service and
showcasing its critical role in achieving their vision of democ-
racy. Affordable, accessible, and universal are just a few ways
to describe our public Postal Service today, and those descrip-
tions have not changed throughout its nearly 250-year history.
As trade unionists, we know that our institutions, busi-
nesses, and employers are nothing without our people. The
people of the Postal Service have made it the valued institution
that it is, the institution that year in and year out is ranked as
Americans’ most beloved government agency. Whether it’s
your friendly neighborhood letter carrier, the clerk at your lo-
cal Post Office that sells you stamps or helps you send gifts to
family across the country, or the sorters, processors, and ma-
chine operators that make sure your package arrives on time,
the people make it all possible. The Postal Service is also the
second largest employer of veterans in America. Only the De-
partment of Defense employs more.
So, I’ve got to wonder, why would a beloved government
agency with widespread public support and a business model
that allows it to remain competitive against other private de-
livery services be the target of attacks by the Trump adminis-
tration? Why would the President appoint a Postmaster Gen-
eral in the middle of a presidential election who has unleashed
a flurry of “reforms” that have dramatically slowed down de-
livery times, physically removed accessible mailboxes from
Oregon communities, and warned Oregon’s Secretary of State,
as well as elections officials nationwide, that the Postal Service
may not be able to deliver last-minute ballots on time in the
upcoming election?
America’s Labor Movement has been beating the drum,
mobilizing in every corner of the nation, and urgently calling
for the necessary relief and stimulus from Congress since day
one of the pandemic, and in earnest since May 15 when the
U.S. House passed the HEROES Act. This comprehensive bill,
that includes vital and life-line funding for the Postal Service,
has been sitting on Mitch McConnell’s desk for nearly 100
days and while Senate Republicans have gone on vacation.
Postal Service workers in Oregon are fortunate to have real
champions in Congress who aren’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with
the Trump Administration or their Republican colleagues in
defense of this vital public institution. And Oregon’s Labor
Movement will never stop fighting back against Corporate
Raiders disguised as Postmaster Generals, anti-worker agency
administrators, or obscene, authoritarian attempts to rig an
election. Democracy is truly on the ballot in November. Which
side are YOU on?
The Oregon AFL-CIO is a 138,000-member-strong federation of labor unions.
In 1992, presidential candidate Bill
Clinton attended the AFL-CIO’s
Union Industry Show, held in Port-
land. The show was previously held
in Portland in 1962.
Longview area strike lasts 115 days. Big Arco
module project at Swan Island awarded to
Seattle union contractor. 1989: Lockout bill
passes Oregon Legislature; so does meas-
ure with nation’s highest minimum wage.
Boeing strike by Machinists idles 57,000,
most in Seattle area, for 48 days. 120 mem-
bers of UFCW Local 555 get part of $7.1 mil-
lion nationwide settlement from ConAgra un-
fair labor practices. Caterpillar closes former
Gerlinger and Towmotor plant in Dallas, dis-
placing members of Machinists Local 1506,
moves operation to Mexico. Mine Workers
join AFL-CIO. Office and Professional Em-
ployees Local 11 signs “Joint Accord” with
15,000 public employees—members of the Oregon Public Employees
Union—struck for one week in 1995. It was the largest public workers’ strike
in state history.
Northwest Natural Gas that draws national
attention. Machinists strike Eastern Airlines.
1990: Representatives of labor and business
meet weekly at Mahonia Hall in Salem to dis-
cuss Oregon’s workers’ compensation sys-
tem, resulting in the Legislature passing
sweeping changes—not all to labor’s liking.
Fullman Company of Portland signs agree-
ment with Plumbers and Fitters Local 290 af-
ter two-and-a-half years of picketing — the
longest labor dispute in Oregon mechanical
contracting history. Greyhound bus drivers
and mechanics strike because the company
won’t bargain in good faith with Amalgamated
Transit Union. Providence Hospital placed on
the Unfair List for use of nonunion contractors
who failed to meet area wage standards.
IBEW members strike GTE in Oregon, Wash-
ington and Northern California for 19 days.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declares the
northern spotted owl a threatened species.
UFCW Local 555 strikes Portland-area su-
permarkets for 24 days before approving a 4-
year contract. Union-built Oregon Convention
Center opened. Oregon’s Ballot Measure 5
passes, placing severe limitations on prop-