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January 1, 2021 | 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.
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4275 NE Halsey St., Portland, Oregon
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 13150, Portland, OR 97213
Phone: (503) 288-3311
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http://nwlaborpress.org
Editor & Manager: Michael Gutwig
Senior staff reporter: Don McIntosh
Office manager: Jill Lukens
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CLARIFICATION:
The Northwest Labor Press inad-
vertently omitted an advertisement
for IBEW Local 48 in the Dec. 18
holiday edition. The ad appears on
Page 11 of this issue. The NW Labor
Press apologizes for the oversight.
New Temporary Hours: Mon-Sat 12-6 pm
Members of IATSE Local 28 are
holding solidarity actions at Port-
land Trailblazer home games at the
Moda Center because union crews
that typically work those games
have been replaced with non-
union workers. The Moda Center
is part of The Rose Quarter, which
is owned by an affiliate of the Port-
land Trail Blazers and managed by
Rip City Management. It also in-
cludes Veterans Memorial Coli-
seum.
IATSE Local 28 members have
worked Blazer games since the
Rose Quarter opened in 1995, and
even before that when they played
at Memorial Coliseum. They run
sound boards, lighting, score
boards, time clocks, and other
technical equipment. [Other game
day employees—including food
service workers, ticket takers, and
parking attendants—belong to dif-
ferent unions.]
Because of coronavirus restric-
tions no fans are allowed at NBA
games right now, so it’s not surpris-
ing that many employees weren’t
called back to work. But many of
the IATSE jobs are necessary
whether fans are there or not.
IATSE Local 28 has been one
of the hardest hit unions in the state
since the COVID-19 pandemic
began, with nearly 99% of their
members still unemployed.
“Imagine how you would feel
if you’ve been out of work for
nine months and you see the NBA
Blazers’ workers left out in the cold
announcement that live games are
going to happen in your city and
there’s work before Christmas—
and you don’t get called in to
work!” said Local 28 Business
Representative Rose Etta Vene-
tucci. “It’s devastating for our
members.”
Venetucci said Rip City Man-
agement told her IATSE members
wouldn’t be needed this season.
“We found out that our jobs
were being reassigned to Rip City
staff, which are salaried positions
and not represented by a union,”
she said.
Members of several other
unions turned out on opening
night Dec. 23 in a show of soli-
darity with IATSE.
IATSE 28 Relief/Hardship Fund
https://unionly.io/o/iatse28/iatse-28-
disaster-relief-and-hardship-donations