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ACA charges PDC - threatens shutdown
Eugene Jackson» Business
Manager for the Albina Con
traclo ra Association, de
inanded and received assur
ance from John Kenward
Executive Director of th«*
Portland Development Com
miaaion that PDC will more
closely police the work done
on ita home rehabilitation
projects in the Albina area.
The agreement was reached
after Jackson and several
members of the ACA en
tered the PDC Neighborhood
Development office on Union
Avenue, turned off the lights
and the switchlxturd, and
demanded that Kenward and
other PDC a dm in istrato rs
come to the office and meet
with him.
In a meeting at the ACA
office two weeks earlier,
Jackson had been assured
that the PDC staff would
attempt to assure good qual
ity work and that home
owner's complaints would be
investigated by PDC staff.
Jackson maintained that
citizens complaints are con
tinuing and that they are not
receiving consideration by
PDC as had been promised.
Mrs. Annie Whitlow, whose
home had been 'rehabilitated'
through a PDC grant, said
she was unable to obtain
assistance from the PDC
staff when the construction
work was unsatisfactory. She
claims she was told by Ray
Wilson, Rehabilitation Super
visor, that the complaints
stop with him and the u lti
mate derision is his.
She
m aintains that she was
threatened by the contractor
that if she did not sign his
check for payment he would
put a lien on her property.
This complaint was an exam
pie of the many that the
PORTLAND AS OBSERVER
Volume 3, No. tÿ
Portland, Oregon
THE O N1Y
NEWSPAPER
IN
AN
(O U A l
OPPORTUNITY IM PtO YER
THI
W HOP
W IO t
WORLD
Haas
THAT
R IA t lY
CARES
ABOUT
PEO Ptt
Ihursday, August 30, 1973
Black Attorney
(OMMISSIONER MILDRED SCHWAB
LEE MATTHEWS
Haas is extremely pleased
with the quality of the new
deputy D.A.'s and is already
using several who have had
extensive trial experience to
handle District Court cases.
Justice Department sues unions
The Department of Justice
filed a civil suit against three
Chicago area building trades
union and their joint ap
prenticeship committees for
discriminating against Blacks
and Spanish surnamed per
sons.
IRA BLALOCK
The Employment Working Committee of Model Cities will
sponsor a "Town Hall-' style meeting featuring City Com
missioner Mildred Schwab and Ira Blalock on September 5th
at 7:30 p.m. at 5329 N.E. Union Avenue. Room 226. Blalock
is the newly appointed Director of the Human Resource
Bureau, which includes the Model Cities Agency and other
social programs. Members of all working committees and all
interested persons are invited to attend.
Attorney General Elliot L.
Richardson said the com
plaint, one of the largest
employment discrim ination
suits ever brought against a
building trades union by the
Department, was filed in U.S.
District Court in Chicago.
Named as defendants were
Asbestos Workers Loral 17
and the Asbestos Workers
Joint Apprenticeship Com
m ilte e; Ornam ental Iron
Workers laical 63 and the
O rn a m e n ta l Ir o n w o rk e rs
Joint Apprenticeship Com
mittee, and Pipefitters laical
597 and the Pipefitters Joint
Apprenticeship Committee,
all of Chicago.
The contractor associations,
which have collective bar
gaining agreements with the
unions, were named as neces
sary and appropriate parties
for th«* purpose of affording
complete relief.
The complaint charged that
the Pipefitters Local has some
5,056 journeyman members,
of whom approximately 40 are
Black or Spanish surnamed.
Its joint apprenticeship com
mittee has 690 apprentices, of
whom 26 are Black and four
are Spanish surnamed.
Ornam ental Ironw orkers
laical 63 has approximately
1,125 journeyman members,
of whom seven are Black and
10 are Spanish surnamed. Its
jo in t apprenticeship com
Law opens meetings, records to public
The 1973 legislature passed
the Public Meetings law
and the Public Records laiw
to provide for expanded pub
lie participation in and aware
ness of the public business.
In his interpretation of the
laws released last week, At
torney General Lee Johnson
gave a broad definition of the
laws.
He instructed that
they apply to "everybody,
practically everything, any
time."
lie told the public
agencies that any doubts in
interpreting the legislation
Something
at the
can count on
Franklin
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Fits in pocket or purse
-fo r home, office,
school or shopping.
Adds, subtracts, multi
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$29.95 with $5,000 deposit
$34.95 with $2,500 deposit
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Benj. © Franklin
■A.IN»« a HIN
Roberl M Ha/en. Pres • 22 Ottica» • Phone 248 1234
Home Ottica Franklin Bldg , Portland. Oregon 97204
should 1 m - resolved in favor
of providing the public with
notice, access and informa
lion. He advised that claims
of confidentiality and denials
of access to records should
I k * the exception and must
come clearly within the law.
He advised the agencies to
maintain a spirit of openness
and accessibility.
PUBLIC MEETING I.AW
The Public Meeting laiw
applies to any meeting of a
state or local body. The law
also applies to any formal or
informal advisory group ap
pointed by a governmental
agency which also acts as a
deliberative body. The test
is whether the committee
takes votes.
The Public Meeting Law
requires that public notice be
given the time and place of
meetings. This notice must
I k * designed to give actual
notice to interested persons
to enable them to attend the
meeting.
Special meetings
must have 24 hours reason
able notice to the public and
to members, and in addition
(subject to reasonable re
quirements), interested per
sons should I k * notified by
mail or by telephone. Emer
genry meetings may only be
railed for an actual emer
gency.
Telephone calls to
the press and to interested
persons must be made.
No closed executive ses
sion can be called for making
a final derision, and must
only I k * railed for reasons
exempted in the law: con
sidération of employment,
dismissal or discipline of eni
ployees, labor negotiations,
consideration of exempt rec
ords, negotiation for real
property, or preliminary ne
gotiations on trade or com
merce that is in competition
with other states or foreign
countries.
The law requires that
minutes I k * kept of all meet
ings, including executive ses
sions.
PUBLIC RECORDS
This law requires that
every public body allow any
citizen access to all records.
“ Public record" includes any
writing containing informa
tion relating to the conduct
of the public's business, pre
pared, owned, used or re
tained by a public body re
gardless of physical form or
characteristics. If a person
requests access to a record
containing exempt and non
exempt material, the non
exempt m aterial w ill be
separated and made avail
able.
Proper and reasonable op
portunity must be provided
(Please turn to pg. 4. col. 7)
mittee has about 107 appren
tices, of whom 14 are Black
and three are Spanish sur
named.
Asbestos Workers Loral 17
has approximately 700 jour
neymen, of whom three are
Black and none are Spanish
surnamed. Its joint appren
ticeship committee has about
196 apprentices, of whom 16
are Black and four are Span
ish-sur named.
The Chicago metropolitan
area has a Black and Spanish
surnamed jsipulation of ap
proximately 24 per rent.
At the same time the com
plaint was filed, a consent
decree was approved by the
court regarding Pipefitters
laical 597, its apprenticeship
committee and the Mechanical
Contractors Chicago Associa
tion.
The decree establishes a
first year goal of 150 new
Blacks and Spanish surnamed
journeymen and a goal of 180
a year for each of the suc
ceeding five years, with the
contractors agreeing to a
proportionate increase* in em
ployment of Black and Span
ish surnamed persons in their
workforce.
The p a rtie s also have
agreed to modify the jour
neyman membership and ap
prenticeship standards.
The Justice Department
suit »aid that the unions and
apprenticeship committees
have followed a pattern of
failing ami refusing to recruit
Black and Spanish surnamed
persons to membership on
the same basis as whites.
The complaint also charged
the unions used work re
ferral and apprentice selec
tion policies which perpetuate
th«* present discriminatory-
policies and have failed to
take steps to overcome the
present effects of past dis
crimination.
The complaint asked for
injunctive relief against the
discriminatory practices.
from PDC to ACA.
Al
though the decision was 1«
have been made the previous
week, no decision had lw*«*n
presented to ACA. Jackson
interpreted this delay and
lack of contact as an act ol
bad faith.
He told PDC that if the
harassment and thr«*ats to
homeowners did not stop he
will ''close down PDC". 1 can
stop this federal monev. If
you don't think so, you have
another thing coming."
I Oc per copy
The appointment of John
H. Powell to the Chairman
ship of the Equal Employ
ment Opportunity Commis
sion ended a bitter lH-hind
the scenes battle to replace
W illiam H. Brown, III.
Brow n. a former Philadelphia
lawyer, won more EEOC
cases than any previous
chairman.
Brown was appointed to
th«- Commission in 1966 by
President Lyndon B. John
son. He was appointed chair
man bv President Nixon in
1969. replacing Clifford L.
Alexander, Jr., a stormy
figure who was chairman
from 1967 to 1969. It was
widely reported that Alex
andcr's hard nosed prodding
of some reluctant industries'-
job bias infuriated conserva
lives and resulted in his
dismissal.
Brown wished to remain as
head of EEOC. He said, "I*
think this is critical to the
life of the Commission at this
point, because I think we are
right at the point where we
are b«*ginning to do some
very significant things as far
as Title V II is concerned. If
lh«*re is a change in the
chairmanship now, no matt«*r
who that person is or how-
good he is. there w ill be an
inevitable slow down, a
slacking off."
EEOC administers Title
V II of the Civil Rights Act of
1964 which bans employment
discrimination.
Most em
plovers with 15 or more em
ployees who deal in inter
state employment are under
the act. "W'e have jurisdic
tion over state and l<x-al
governments, over educa
tio n a l in s titu tio n s , o ve r
unions and joint apprentice
ship training programs, over
state employment services or
private services, and over
any employer with 15 or
more employees." Brown
points out.
In January of 1973, EEOC
won a landmark case against
AT&T. Th«* world's largest
corporation agreed to pay
$15 million back pay to
minorities and women and
$36 million each year for five
years. More important, the
recruiting and promotion sys
tem has b«*en chang«*d.
Within the past year 140
suits have been filed through
out the country. 116 of them
against employers and unions.
.Although Brown wished to
serve another term as chair
man to continue the work he
has started, he was not re
a p p o in te d by P re s id e n t
Nixon.
The new appoint«*!* is John
H. Powell, Jr., who has
served as General Counsel to
the U.S. Commission on Civil
Rights since 1970.
Before
joining the Civil Rights Com
mission, he was an attorney
in New York City and Long
Island for 11 years.
After
serving as an assistant U.S.
Attorney and associate coun
sel to then Speaker of the
New York State Assembly
Joseph Carlino, he was in
private practice from 1961-
1966 and on the legal staffs
of the Celanese Corporation
and the Inmont Corporation
from 1966 1970.
Powell. 42, is a graduate of
Howard University, received
his JD degree from the
H arvard U n iv e rs ity Law
School, and received a Mas
ter of Law degree from New-
York University Graduate
School of Law.
City explains funds
The regulations of the
Treasury Department require
that an annual report of
actual use of revenue sharing
funds be filed with the Office
of Revenue Sharing.
The
first report from the City of
Portland, which is now being
filed, lists expenditures of
$340.512 for the year ended
June 30. 1973.
For this
period the City of Portland
has received a to ta l of
$10.488,152 in revenue shar
ing funds beginning with the
first payment of $4.169.841
received on Ifecember 11,
1972.
During this same
period the City of Portland
has received interest earn
ings on these fu nd s o f
$95,867.
The policy of the City of
Portland to spend revenue
sharing funds was deter
mined from an evaluation of
total City needs to be funded
by all City resources.
The expenditure of the
$340,512 prior to the 1973 74
budget was for purposes
w hich the Council considered
should be authorized prior to
the 1973 74 budget.
A total of $154.710 was
used for equipment acquisi
tion, and $185.802 was used
for updating of budgeting
and accounting procedures
and maintenance of existing
City-owned structures.
Soul Food Fair hit
Mrs. Clara Peoples, man
ager of the Oregon State
Pair's firs t Black-owned
b«x>th, is thrill«*d by the re
sponse the booth is receiving.
Located in restaurant row,
Mrs. Peoples and hers assis
tants are serving soul fo«xl.
Business is overw helm ing
and visitors from across the
state are numerous.
Mrs. peoples also reports
Black participation through
out the fair - in employ
ment and in exhibits. "I am
encouraged to see a truly
representative fair for the
first time," she told the Ob
server. "There are people
from all walks of life and all
ethnic groups at the fair."
The fair, held at the State
Eair Grounds in Salem, ex
tends through Monday, Sep
tember 3rd.
Sheriff issues warning
Sheriff J. Bard Purcell.
Director of the Multnomah
County Department of Public
Safety, warned holiday boat
ers concerning the low water
levels now existing in the
Columbia River and its trib
utaries, especially during low
tide.
there are a "few" problems
and that it is a standard
procedure for contractors to
put liens on homes wh«-n the
bills are not paid. He agr«*ed
to set up a unit that will
investigate every complaint
The ACA also complained
that minority contractors do
not receive an equitable share
of PDC’s federally funded
work. PDC had agreed to
the possibility of transferring
administration of the Model
Cities Home Repair Program
Brown out:
Nixon appoints Powell
Multnomah County Dis
trict Attorney Harl Haas
announced the employment
of Lee Matthews as a deputy
attorney for his office.
Matthews, who is 24 years
old, is a graduate of Lewis
and ('lark Iaiw School. He
attended W'East High School
and Treasure Valley Com
munity College, and grad
uated from Ia-wis and Clark
College in 1971. He was a
research consultant for the
National College of State
Trial Judges in 1971 and a
teaching assistant for the
Council on Legal Education
Opportunity in 1972. He was
a Legal Intern for the Mult
nomah County District At
torney's office in 1972 73.
Additional appointees are:
Jane Wiener, graduate of
Lewis and Clark laiw School;
Charles Wiseman, graduate
of Lewis and Clark l a *
School; Mary Martha McNa
mara. graduate of University
of Notre Dame laiw School;
anil John DeWenter, grad
uate of Georgetown Univer
sity Law Center.
The new attorneys will
replace members of the de
partment who have resigned
to enter private law practice.
ACA is receiving from dis
satisfied homeowners.
Dor Silvey. PDC rehabili
tation officers, aid the work
is guaranteed for a year.
Homeowners claim that once
the check is signed they find
it impossible to interest PDC
in the warranty agreement.
Kenward said "the job is
between the owner and the
contractor", but that com
plaints about the quality of
the work should be invest!
gated.
Kenward admitted
Low water dangers exist
at all points along the Col
umbia. except within marked
navigational channels.
A
particularly critical area is
the South Channel
that
b«>dy of water which lies
south of Lemon and Govern
ment Islands.
Sand bars which have not
been seen before are now
jutting out at various sites
normally used as small l*>at
ing areas. Special attention
should be given to "Slow
Boat" warning signs.
Community cleanup
huge success
Residents, the Portland De-' fruit punch.
Community
velopment Commission, and
Care donat«*d food and money
a number of service organiza
for food was contributed by
tions and businesses com
Commissioner's Schwab's of
bined efforts Saturday, Aug
fice, Mr. Luther Strong, and
ust 25 to clean up the Boise-
the Portland Development
Humboldt neighborh«K»ds.
Commission.
Thirty six National Guards
Cardboard boxes for the
men from Camp Withveombe,
clean up were donated by
aided by 20 members of the
White-Mann Co., Sears, and
Environmental Youth Cru Montgomery Ward. Future
saders, picked up enough
Products provided box stor
trash to fill nine ’ 20-cubic age.
yard drop boxes, rune 2'»
Baldwin Sanitary Service
ton trucks and three pickup
prov ided drop boxes at a
trucks.
reduced rate. Commissioner
Anderson’s office arranged
Twenty-six area residents dump privileges at the Solid
prepared and served lunch
Waste Disposal Area
to the clean up campaign
N«*ighborho«id Cooperation
workers at the Neighborhood was excellent as residents
Development Office. 4000 used the opportunity to clean
N. Mississippi. Continental out garages, attics and to
Bakery donated bread and gather up fail yard clippings
pastries. Model Cities Agen
during the eight hour cam
cy contributed four gallons of paign.