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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 9, 1978)
Page X Portland Observer Thursday. March ». ♦ r*. Through the eyes of Mr. W. We see the world through Black eyes opportunity enforcement. These changes, along with strengthening EEOC should make more equitable enforcement of equal opportunity laws possible. The people score again Fair Share) Fair Shore! Fair Share! Everywhere you go there'» Fair Shore! This "grassroots" organisation has proved once ogom that a united community effort con bring Uuu A m Ú m 'Jocnl results. Another success has been added to Fair Snare s accomplishments. Along with new city attention to abandoned buildings and demolition of the danger ous playground at Unthank Pork, there is now a new troffic light at Union ond Failing. This light appeared less than two weeks after Fo.r Share confronted the proper city officials although the previous word was that it would take two months or more The older civil rights organisations ond the politicians espousing "grass roots campaigns and "citizen envolvement" could learn a valuable lesson Legislators tars to people power from the Oregon Journal from this group. Changes aid enforcement President Carter has submitted a Civil Rights Enforcement Pion to Congress that should bring new life to the civil rights effort. Although the laws have been on the books for many years, equal opportunity has been impeded by lack of enforcement on the ogency level. Civil Rights enforcement is now spread out unOer the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, the Department of Labor, the Deportment of Justice, the Civil Service Commission and the Equal Employ ment Coordinating Council Eleven additional ogen- cies have responsibilities for controct compliance enforcement. This results in inconsistent standards, duplication, conflict ond overlapping among agencies, and lock of accountability. On top of that, many of those persons responsible ore hold-overs from the Nixon Administration, less than enthused over minority rights, but protected by the civil service system. Carter's plan will abolish the Equal Employment Opportunities Coordinating Council and place its duties in the EEOC; transfer the authority to enforce the Equal Pay Act and the Discrimination in Employment Act from Labor to EEOC; transfer equal employment responsibility for Federal employees from the Civil Service Commission to EEOC; end the responsibility of eleven agencies charged with controct compliance and give this authority to the Deportment of Labor. The Department of Justice would retain its responsibilities in equal employment "Dianks hi Harold C. W ilbams In Oregon, due to the initiative ond referendum, the electorate at laroe is the ultimate legislature Through the route of petition and election, the process gives the people the chance to reject anything the elected Legislature does, or to pass laws that the elected Legislature declines to. It is interesting to note, however, that members elected to the Legislature are turning more and more to the people's legislative machinery. Reps Wally Priestley, D-Portland, ond Curt WoHer, D-Silverton, successfully referred a gasoline tax measure that the voters rejected. A trio of representatives, Cecil Johnson, R-Gronts Pass, Jock Sumner. D-Heppner, and Bernard Byers D-Lebanon, are going to try to get enough signatures to put a death penalty measure on the ballot after they were unable to persuode their colleogues of the merits of their plan. A jxiir of minority senators, Robert Smith, R-Bums, and L.B. Day, R-Salem, have an ambitious program to take to the voters. They hope to gather more than 600,000 signatures on at least three seporate constitutional amendments. One would reduce legislator's salaries to $500 a month and allow that to increase thereafter only in proportion to the cost of living. Another would limit the highway fund just to construction and m ainten ance of roods, eliminating the financing of such things as parks and state police from gasoline taxes The third would require that any surplus funds collected by the state be given to schools in dollar-For-dollar property tax relief. There may be other similar efforts and there surely is nothing wrong with them. Legislators are citizens, too, and have the some opportunities as all other citizens to use the people's legislative tools. But it is interesting to note that lawmakers, unable to get their favorite legislation through the Legisles ture, are fuming increasingly to the people's legislative powers. This comes at a time when the people demonstrated a bit more confidence in their Legislature by voting to let the lawmakers coll »hemselves into session whenever they desire. I , Ao't tfafc. gates were asked to vote on it. “They f e l l they were voting on a quota system. They're really not against affirmative action; affirm ative action is making equal opportunity in access to employment for everyone." The Republicans must have felt ember rassed Iwcause on Sunday they watered down their resolution - stating in essence that they are for equal opportunity in It should be clear to Blacks and other minorities by the actions of the Republican Party at the Dorchester Conference, that they are not and will not be sensitive to the needs of minorities and disadvantaged people There's a lot of fanfare by the Republican Party that it by Bayard For the past six months. American business groups and their erstwhile allies in the resurgent conservative movement have been beating the drums on labor law reform. "Big Labor." they tell us, is using the Labor Law Reform Act of 1878 as a battering ram against the gates of cor porate America: if the gates swing open, they warn, hordes of power hungry labor bureaucrats will ravage the land, and bankrupt thousands of hapless business men. Such a scenario ia, at course, highly exaggerated, yet the opponents of the Williams Javits bill have been extraordi narily successful in causing widespread confusion about the intent of the legisla tion. For one thing, frightened business leaders have labeled the reform package a "give-a way to the Labor Bosses ~ If the bill passes, according to President Rich ard Lesber of the Chamber of Commerce, the nation's workers and consumer s "will be burdened with an unfair, unbalanced labor law designed to increase member ship and economic and political clout of the big labor unions." But the bill is not about "Union Power." I t ia. instead, a measure design ed to revitalise and reinforce America's labor relations system, a system whose success or failure has an enormous impact on the economic well-being of low and middle-income Americans. Black working people - despite what some conservatives and Black business men have argued - have an especially large stake in the outcome of this debate, it is Blacks who are disproportionately represented In those industries and geo graphic regions which have most stead lastly resisted trade union organizing drives - the textile, clothing and service J jfti/M industries of the Deep South. Workers employed in those labor intensive indus tries receive meager wages 1 almost sub sistence wages' and face the constant threat of temporary lay o ff or outright dismissal They exist on the economic fringes of society with little or no hope for advancement. union employees, interrogating workers about their union sympathies, or bargain ing in "bad faith." Similarly, anti union companies can slowly dissipate pro union sentiment by continually delaying repre aentation elections through clever - but costly legal maneuvers. Some critics of the proposed reforms, such as M r. Lesher oil the Chamber of Trade unions do. however, make a difference. Recent studies have demon strated that Blacks with trade union cards fare substantially better than their brothers and sisters working in non union enterprises. According to the most recent data. Black union workers - both men and women - earned a median weekly income of $16» in 1874. Non-union Blacks, on the other hand, earned only $124 per week: a difference of over 35 percent. Another study showed that Black union members are less likely than non union Blacks to suffer from tempo rary layoffs Commerce, complain that the hill "would transform the National la b o r Relations Act from a remedial statute to a punitive law. designed to punish employers..." To a certain extent. M r Lesher is correct But how else can one enforce a law which many employers find so tempting to violate? The penalties included in the Williams Javits bill are hardly draconian. Employ ers who repeatedly break the law and deny workers their most basic rights will be barred from receiving federal con tracts. Who could possibly complain about that? And employers who bargain in "bad faith" (as legally determined by the National Labor Relations Board* will be required to grant their employees retro active *a g e increases comparable to those won by other workers. Without such sanctions - and these are mild indeed - workers have no protection whatsoever against law breaking employ ers Business groups and Congressional conservative on both sides of the aisle have derisively called the reform package “just another piece of self interest legi slation." But when the Senate votes on the W illiams Javits bill, it will be more than 1 yes or no to what conservatives call “the l-abor Bosses " I t will be s yes or no to the thousands of workers, especially Black and low-wage workers, who want a lair chance to join the economic main stream of America. It would be naive and misleading, of course, to argue that trade union mem hership ;«er ae will magically advance the economic position of Southern Blacks and other low wage workers. But strong trade unions do. nevertheless, serve as a solid foundation for future economic gains And without them, workers cannot even bejtin to confront the other social and economic factors which perpe tuate poverty. W hy haven’t low wage workers al ready organized themselves into trade unions? The answer is relatively simple: employers, because of their overwhelm mg political and economic power, have thwarted virtually every organizing drive, frequently by using illegal and unethical tactics. Linder the present law. there are few penalties which effectively deter unscru pulous employers from dismissing pro to ikl Doors open To the Editor: To the Editor: Your March 2nd headline. "Cross Burns in Portland. Oregon." is a vivid reminder that our American dream of "equality for all" is unfortunately not shared by all. A t a time when Nazis inarch in Skokie. Illinois and a cross burns in Portland. Oregon, the vast majority of us who believe in justice and despise intolerance should do io actively. We should heed George Washington's timeless advice “to give to bigotry no sanction " I think your column “From Behind The W all" is an extremely valuable one. valuable not only to prisoners who seek recognition as individuals instead of numbers, but also to the community members that are interested in retiabili tation Instead of revenge. I don't always agree with everything that Larry Baker writes, but then differences of opinion make some people Ford owners and others Chevy owners. I do think Larry helped open an important avenue for several hundred prisoners. Well done. Sincerely. Robert F. Tropp Assistant Director Jewish Federation of Portland. Oregon Refreshing Sincerely. Donald Danford 032323 „ h ,,. m To the Editor: To the Editor: I am continually impressed with how clearly and tastefully each issue is laid out. It's difficult to find a paper that is so visually pleasing, and uncluttered. It's also refreshing to read reporting that is sensitive and non-racist. My appreciation to all of the Observer HOW TO GET AHEAD IN AFFIRM ATIVE ACTION staff. Portland O b server Published every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company. 2201 North Kitlmgsworth. Portland. Oregon 97217 Mailing address P .0 . Box 3137. Portland. Oregon «7208 Telephone: 283-2486. lot Elizabeth Groff American Friends Service Committee O N PA 1873 la i Place Beat Ad Results O N P A 1873 Subscriptions 67.50 per year in the Tri-County area. 68.00 per 5<lt I Beat Editorial year outside Portland. Second Class Postage Paid at Portland Oregon The Portland Observer • official position is expressed only in its Publisher s column (W e See The World Through Black Eyesl. Any other material throughout the paper is the/ipimon of the individual w riter or submitter and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Portland Observer A LFR E D L HENDERSON E d ite r/f National Advertising Re weeentaOve Amalgamated Publishers. Inc. New York MEtoaee Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association i MEMBER 1 MMVäfca. Association - Founded fBM N N P A 1873 Honorable Mention Herrick Editorial N N A 1873 2nd Place Editorial 3rd Place y i is open to all people and wanting to assure minorities that they are welcome into the party As soon as Blacks and other minorities begin to believe there's some truth in this open door policy by the Republican Party, the Republicans slam the door in their faces with an unwelcome sign of "no" affirmative action. I think it is important that Blacks and other minorities and all affected persons remember the actions of the Republicans at the Dorchester Conference and let their feelings he known come election time. If the Republican Party is going to have thumbs down on affirmative action, then Blacks and other minorities should have thumbs down on the Republican Party in the voting booth Labor law reform : The broader issue Fight bigotry t k a tj B o s s ... I T dltmosT For<jo4’ X uJorR -fo r p e o p le ’ M 3 m a n i 11 This past weekend at the Dorchester Conference the Republican Party unanl mousiy xayoed Affirm ative Action by a convincing vote of 365 to 138. The convention delegates said "no" on the statement w hich was brought to the floor at the Dorchester Conference: "Should the law require affirmative action as a means of correcting past or present discrimination In employment or educa tion?" Along with the overwhelming "no" vote, there were seventeen abstentions After the Republicans voted against affirmative action. Donna Zajonc. Salem, a Republican legislative candidate said the lopsided vote on the discrimination issue occurred, she thinks, because of a misunderstanding over the way the dele I am w riting as a citizen, parent of a first grader, representative of a neigh borhood association. Community Coali tion for School Integration member. Citizens For Quality Education For All Children member and graduate student in the PSU Urban Planning program. 1 attended the School Board meeting at which the City Schools Commission pro posal was presented and. then and afterwards, detailed some of the com mumty concerns with the content of this proposal and the process of its formula tion The proposal was written by city and school district staff and lobbied by S u p e rin te n d en t Blanchard w ith o u t School Board or public input. A prime concern is that the proposal allows the City Council (choosing from the Mayor's nominees I and the School Board to a.i.ieaat Commission members. This process can not allow (or the democratic representation of the community. On 2.22 I and others found out by chance that the M olt Foundation would be considered by the City Council. Arriv ing at the Council Chambers we were informed by Allan W eber of the Mayor's Office that consideration would be post poned until 2/23. L ater we found that the Council did .«ess the proposal on 2, 22. Is this citizen participation? I am disappointed that a Mayor whom I have liked and trusted could support such a plan and am disgusted by his and the District's efforts to ramrod this proposal through with as little publicity as pos sible. Politicians and planners - You work far this community, you do not ewa it! If you want community respect, support and cooperation for plans and programs, you must ears them by tre a t ing the community with respect and by insuring that programs are not your programs but the community’s programs. Citizens - The only way you will be treated with respect is to demand it! Sincerely, Claudia Fisher Deadline Rears (Continued from Page 1 Column 3) In other late developments. State Senator Vern Cook confirmed his inten tion to run for U.8. Senate. So far he has no opponents in the Democratic race, the winner of which will face Senator Mark Hatfield in November. Another race which promises to hold great interest is that for Commissioner Frank Ivancie's City Council seat, which ia sought by State Senator Stephen Kafoury and Mike Burton. Arnold Btskar u, is the lone opponent of City Commission er Mildred Schwab. The three contenders for the position of State Superintendent of Public In atruction Superintendent Verne Dun can. State Senator Fred Heard, and Ruth McFarland will speak at the Oregon Assembly for Black Affairs meeting on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at the Masonic Hall. 116 N.E. Russell $7.50 *" Tri—County Aroa $8.00 o»h«r
