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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 2020)
PAGE 2 | October 2, 2020 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS (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 Associate editor: 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 $11.52 a year per person 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 Register to Vote! In Oregon, the deadline to regis- ter to vote is Tuesday, Oct. 13. You can register online, by mail, or in person. If registering by mail, it must be postmarked by Oct. 13. In Washington, the deadline to register online is Monday, Oct. 26. The deadline for registering by mail is (received by) Monday, Oct. 26. The deadline to register in person is Tuesday, Nov. 3. The deadline to update an existing voter registra- tion with a new name or address is Monday, Oct. 26. You can also register and vote on Election Day. Election day is Tuesday, November 3. New Temporary Hours: Mon-Sat 12-6 pm NOVEMBER 2020 GENERAL ELECTION Joe Biden’s promises to labor On Labor Day, about 3,400 people watched a live conversa- tion hosted on Facebook by the national AFL-CIO in which Biden responded to videotaped questions from union members. A Trump campaign Twitter ac- count pointed out afterward that it seemed like Biden was read- ing the responses from a teleprompter. But scripted or not, the promises were real, and they track the pledges outlined at JoeBiden.com. Altogether, they’re the most pro-labor cam- paign planks of any Democratic presidential nominee in genera- tions. Biden is endorsed by every major national union, in- cluding the national AFL-CIO and all its affiliates. If he wins, they’ll work to hold him to the following promises: ■ Support the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. Passed by the House this year, but killed in the Senate, it’s the biggest pro-worker labor law reform in over 80 years. It provides tougher penalties when employers fire union supporters, ends employers’ ability to delay union elections, bars employers from holding “captive audience” anti- union meetings, requires greater disclosure when employers hire union- busting consultants, implements binding Former vice president Joe Biden met with AFL-CIO president Rich Trumka Labor Day for a live online discussion. arbitration for first contracts when union and employers can’t reach agreement, bans permanent replacement of strikers, allows unions to wage secondary boycotts, and eliminates so-called “right- to-work” laws that prohibit union contracts that require workers to share a union’s costs. ■ Support the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act. It would guarantee a minimum level of union rights for public employees at the state and local levels. ■ Promote union organizing. He proposes to create a cabinet-level working group, with representatives from labor, to focus on promoting union organizing and collective bargaining. ■ Support the Butch Lewis Act to rescue failing union pensions. About a million workers are in union pensions that are failing through no fault of their own. A bill to loan them money passed the House last year but died in the Senate. ■ Increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. ■ Bar companies from bidding on federal contracts if they break the law to fight unions. ■ Support legislation to extend union rights to farmworkers, domestic workers, and independent contractors. ■ Restore federal worker union rights that Trump eliminated by executive order. WATCH THE BIDEN AFL-CIO LIVESTREAM https://bit.ly/36e2swB
