Page 2 Portland Observer, January 7, 1982
WHO ARE THE UNEMPLOYED?
July 1981
Protests planned
El Salvador troops train in US
This week plans are being made to
hold a protest d em onstration in
Portland January 11th, 1982 in con
ju n ctio n w ith dem onstrations
throughout the n ation regarding
counterinsurgency training for El
S alvadorian troops in the U n ited
States.
Reported in the New York Times
on December 15th and in the C h i
cago Tribune on December 24th ,
1981, the first 1,000 El Salvadorian
troops w ill a rrive at Fo rt Bragg,
North Carolina for (raining on Jan
uary 11th. Another 600 troops will
begin training at Fort Bragg, Geor
gia.
Cost o f the training has been es
timated at $18 million but is thought
to be more politically acceptable to
the sending o f additional U .S . ad
visors to El Salvador. Over 32,000
people have been killed in the last
several years in El Salvador as fight
ing continues due to repression and
the dissatisfaction with the military
junta there.
Religious groups along the East
coast o f the United States arc travel
ing to Fort Benning to conduct dem-
onstrations o f conscience on Jan
uary 10th and I Ith and to express
support o f the El Salvadorian peo
ple.
Th ro u gh o u t the nation local
groups w ill be conducting protest
demonstrations at local recruiting
offices. For additional information
on the January I Ith demonstration
in P o rtlan d contact the P o rtlan d
C o m m ittee in S o lid a rity w ith the
People o f E l S alvador (P o rtla n d
CISPES) at 235-9388. For addition
al n atio n al in fo rm a tio n call San
Francisco at 1-415-861-0425.
Un»ni|>loym«nl Rale«
is . i%
is
ta.s%
,o- -
a.7%
a.2%
5- -
■I
■
H
- ►
tf
«
20 a
Woman,
20 a
over
Taan-
»o«r»
1S-1S
While
■lack
1 other
Source: Bureau ol Labor S o litile « .
Reagan budget brings job losses
Local Kwanza Celebration held at the Black Edu
catio n C e n te r fe a tu re d m usic and dance w ith
Bruce Sm ith and Ruby Burns. They also showed
slides of their recent trip to Africa.
(Photo: Richard J. Brown)
Street Beat
\* ihv lin ai seconds ol 1981
licked awax ihex led iheir im print
on th e people »»I P o rtla n d . As
s I iomii in (lieu answ ers to: “ How
did u n i la te in ’8 1 ? " . etnploc inent
is mi ilie minds ol mane entering the
sevond seat o l ilu s dec ade.
U nem ploym ent in O regon has
reached 11 per cent, but the cycle
has only begun.
Direct jo b losses from 1982 fed
eral budget cuts have been estimated
at well over one m illion and addi
tional job losses will occur through
the “ ripple effect” as programs are
slashed.
The I9 8 2 budget cuts to ta l $40
billion, mainly in social programs.
Then I982 budget cuts are only the
beginning. There are proposals for
unspecified reductions o f $30 billion
in fiscal 1983. $44 billion in 1984,
$39 billion in 1985 and $42 billion in
1986.
The negative aspects o f the bud
get reductions are magnified by in
flation which in the last two years
has decreased the earning power o f
the average worker’s paycheck by I0
per cent.
In the meantime the nation's real
gross national product — the total
output o f goods and services—
.i!.<Pi>cd at an annual rate o f 9.9 per
«.nt during the second quarter o f
I9 80 . the largest quarterly decline
since the end o f W orld W ar II. A l
though the economy gained in fol
lowing quarters, there was a 2.4 per
cent decline in the second quarter of
1981.
In 1980 there were 25 to 30 m il
lion persons out o f work for periods
o f time. The jobless rate is highest
fo r Blacks and other m inorities,
but also rose for white men.
The increase in unemployment re
sults from layoffs and from failure
to establish new jobs for the increas
ing p o p u latio n . Between July o f
1979 and July o f 1981 the total num
ber o f jobs increased by 1.9 million,
the smallest rate o f growth in the
last 25 years except for the 1974-
1975 recession.
Rising prices have cut deeply into
the buying power o f the U .S .
family. After inflation and taxes the
buying power o f the average pay-
check decreased by 9.7 per cent be
tween July o f 1979 and July o f 1981.
Average hourly wages increased
from $6.08 in M ay 1979 to $7.17 in
M ay 1981, but due to inflation the
real value o f those waged dropped
by 7 per cent.
Union members have fared a little
better than unrepresented workers
— with wage increases in 1980 o f
10.9 per cent as compared to 8 per
cent for the n on-union w orker.
However, gains do not meet the 12.5
per cent increase in prices.
Apply now for
financial aid
Applications for financial aid and
scholarships at Portland Communi
ty College for the 1982-83 academic-
year will be available at the school’s
financial aid offices at all campuses
beginning January 4.
Students and prospective students
wishing to apply for financial aid
are urged to do so at the earliest pos
sible date. C u t-o ff date fo r p ro
cessed applications must be received
at PC C by A p ril I and it takes
about four weeks to process applica
tions. It is recommended that appli
cations be mailed to the College
Scholarship Service in B erkeley,
C alifo rn ia, no later than March I,
1982.
''S
Jim Flynn, Carpenter— " I plan to
spend more tim e w ith my fam ily.
1981 wasn't that bad. I ’ve been busy
at work. I expect '82 to be better. It
can’t get much worse.”
Sherry James, Housewife— “ 1981
was real good to me. W e have our
health, Christmas, and all my fam
ily was together for the first time in I
life . I have a daughter and a hus-l
band. I'm not too sure about 1982. j
M y New Year’s resolution is to quit
smoking.”
Anthony McKinley, Custodian—
I will remember 1981 as a very ex
citing year. I was able to pay my
bills. 1 think 1982 w ill be scary.
They’ re cutting out everything and
times are getting tough. I would like
to see some jobs come up in 1982.
Most o f my friends are getting laid
o ff and arc out o f jobs.”
-
LET S TALK CONSERVATION
Kim Allen, Unemployed— ” 1981
»as bad. You just couldn’ t find a
job. A lot o f my friends are unem
ployed and I hope 1982 is better in
the job-finding area. This is my first
year out o f school and I want to be a
secretary but I have to find a job so
I can get into college.”
»
Jerry Sm ith, U n em p lo yed —
“ 1981 wasn't that good because I
was unemployed most o f the year
This is the longest I've been out of
work in 25 years. I wonder if Rea
gan is rig h t. I hope so to get our
country back on track.”
by Lenite Duka
and Richard Brown
U
V ,
Stephen Chiappetta, Unemployed
— ” 1 just hung in there during 1981
and for ’82 I'm just going to do the
same. W e’ re going to have to wait
and see."
Kenneth Raschal, Unemployed_
“1981 was a good year I had a little
baby and I took my G .E .D . I ’m try
ing to make something out o f myself.
A lot o f things happened in '81 and
the incident that happened in A t
lanta really hurt me because I love
all kinds o f kids. I plan to go into
the service in 1982. M y New Year’s
resolution is to do better.”
We invite your comments on proposed
long-term energy conservation contracts
between Bonneville Power Administration
and qualifying electric utilities Comment
at a public meeting or submit written
comments
The Regional Power Act gives cost effective
energy conservation top priority over all other
ways of providing needed electricity So. as
much as possible we plan to meet new needs
no* by purchasing new supplies of electricity but
by making better use of the energy we already
have
That s what the proposed contracts are all
about They will enable Northwest utilities to offer
consumers a variety of energy conservation as
sistance with regional financing from Bonneville
Five different programs are already available
under short term contracts orxJ will continue
under the long term contracts Others may be
add ed
The existing residential programs provide free
shower flow restrictors free wafer heater wraps
and either interest free loans or cash rebates for
weatherization work Also in operation ore pro
grams to improve the efficiency of street and
area lighting and to conserve energy in com
mercial lighting and water heating Because all
of the programs are conducted by local utilities
their availability may vary from area to area
Locations and dates of public meetings on
the proposed contracts are:
Seattle - 7 p m Thursday. January 7, In
Room A, Center House. Seattle Center. First
North and Republican Street Registration
begins at6:30 p m
Portland - 7 30 p m Tuesday, January 12 in
the BPA Auditorium. 1002 Nf Holladay Street
Registration begins at 7 p m
Boise - 7 30 p m Tuesday. January 12, In the
Bonneville Room. City Hall, 55 W Fort Street
Registration begins at 7 p m
.'?r'"’^ C° ' nmen,s wHI bo f»ceived until January
A19®2 bv ,ho Pub"c ,nv°*vement Coordinator
BPA PO Box 12999. Portland, Oregon 97212 All
comments received will be considered during
the final controct negotiations
For further information call our Public Involve
mentCcxMdinator. (503) 23° 4261 Persons out
side the Portland calling area may call toll free
m Oregon. 1 800 452 8429 In other Northwest
states. 1-800-547 6048
Remember What you say counts
Admtabtratton