Portland observer., March 14, 1984, Page 2, Image 2

Page 2 Portland Observer, March 14, 1964
Washington hot line
EDITORIAL/OPINION
by Congressman Hon Wyden
Supreme Court scraps workers
A severe blow was dealt to workers by the U.S.
Supreme C o u rt which ruled that it is legal to
avoid adherence to a union contract. The ruling
allows businesses filing for bankruptcy under
Chapter 11 to scrap the contract, cut wages and
benefits, without proving that wages contributed
to the bankruptcy.
The union has no right to charge unfair labor
practices before the National Labor Relations
Board. Only if a judge eventually finds that the
company really is not facing bankruptcy can he
order restoration of the labor contract and back­
pay.
Even the W all Street Journal said the ruling
“ lends com fort” to those companies that file for
bankruptcy "largely to avoid their labor con­
tracts.” Even the " n o rm a l” bankruptcies
(25,364 in 1982 and 30,794 in 1983) jeopardize
workers and their unions. Now companies can
blackmail their employees, threatening bankrupt­
cy if employees do not accept wage and benefit
cuts.
Examples already exist: Continental Airlines
cut wages in half, saying the wage scale "m a y ”
force it into bankruptcy; Braniff A ir, after two
years under bankruptcy "reorganization” is to
renew operations w ith wages imposed by the
bankruptcy court. In 1982, the M anville C o r­
poration, with more than SI billion in assets,
filed bankruptcy to avoid suits based on asbestos
health hazards.
The Supreme Court decision was based on the
case o f New Jersey’s Bildisco C o ., which filed
bankruptcy in 1980 and refused to pay wage in­
creases, health and pension benefits required
under a contract with its Teamsters Union em­
ployees.
This ruling allows any company to blame its
problems— which might come fro m com­
petition, mismanagement, technology or other
reasons— on its workers and to force them to ac­
cept sub-standard wages or become unem­
ployed. The company then reorganizes and hires
new personnel or lowers wages; an easy task
with today’s high unemployment.
Congratulations, Jesse
Jesse Jackson proved his viability on "Super
Tuesday” , winning the 20 percent in Georgia
that is necessary to receive federal matching
dollars. H e placed third in three o f the five
prim aries, bettering G lenn, M cG overn and
Askew.
Jackson admonished the Black leaders who
threw in their chips with a losing M o n d ale,
saying they missed an opportunity to dem on­
strate the power of the Black vote and to address
issues crucial to Black and poor people.
it’s a long road to the convention and there is
much to do, even here in Oregon. The next
Jackson voter registration drive is March 31st,
St. Andrews School, 10-2 and 1-5. Call 281-1364
(Terry) days or 286-2112 (Pam) nights. Stop by
the office at 3606 N. Williams and sec what you
can do to help.
ficials, has reported that $28 billion
co u ld be cut fro m the defense
budget this year w ith o u t harm in g
Il's iro n ic th at we have a
President who consistently expounds
the idea that we can't spend our way
out o f problems. Yet that is exactly
what the Administration is trying to
do with our national defense After
three years, it's evident that the
Reagan A d m in is tra tio n 's defense
policy is simply more is better.
And more is what we have been
getting. Last year's defense budget
was $249 billio n . The proposal for
next year’s budget is more than $300
b illio n . The A d m in is tra tio n m a in ­
tains that this is what is necessary to
modernize our forces and make our
nation secure. Any suggestion that
the defense budget be cut is
inevitably met with the cry that the
safety o f the n atio n w ould be Im ­
periled.
Yet a prestigious group, made up
o f fo rm e r defense dep artm en t o f ­
our security.
T h e re p o rt, issued by the C o m ­
m ittee on N a tio n a l S e c u rity ,
suggested first o f all that the defense
budget could be cut by slowing the
rate at which we buy new weapons.
T h e re p o rt’ s au th o rs p o in ted out
that we are buying them so fast we
d o n 't even have the personnel and
the equipment to use them.
O ne o f the r e p o rt’ s au th o rs ,
W illia m K aufm an n, said at a news
conference that unless we scale back
on the number o f new weapons we
are b uyin g , we w ill have a " v e r y
shiny, bright force th at’ s all tied up
at the docks and g ro u n d ed , very
m odern e q u ip m e n t th at w o n 't
w o rk ."
I think this co rrec tly points out
that new weapons don’ t necessarily
tra n s la te in to g reater n a tio n a l
se cu rity. Unless they w ork and
unless we have enough people
tra in e d in how to use them and
re p a ir them , then they are just so
much gold-plated machinery.
The report also points out that we
can save m oney in the defense
department by making sure that the
four armed services d o n 't duplicate
missions. "E ach service is trying to
p rep are fo r its ow n w a r ,” said
Kaufm ann.
W ith the country facing a string
o f $200 b illio n d eficits and social
program s being asked to shoulder
the brunt o f the cuts, we have got to
b ite the b u lle t and com e up w ith
some savings in the defense budget.
I th in k this report shows that it is
not a mission impossible.
Chicago workers win suit
C h ic a g o — A m a jo r c iv il rights
v ic to ry fo r the S ta te . C o u n ty &
M u n ic ip a l E m ployees not only
means $15 m illio n in back pay
aw ards to hundreds o f Black
w orkers in the C h icag o a re a , but
also rein fo rces the u n io n 's sex
discrimination case against the Stale
of Washington, AFSCM F. declared.
"H a vin g fought hard for the U.S.
C iv il Rights A c t. w o rk in g people
should benefit from its protection,”
A F S C M E Presid en t G e ra ld W .
M cE n tee said. “ These tw o cases,
sim ilar in fu n d a m e n ta l ways, are
part o f A F S C M E ’ s com m itm ent to
civil rights.”
The $ l5 -m illio n back pay award,
the largest such aw a rd in v o lvin g
public employees, will go to a group
o f current and former Black welfare
workers found by a federal court to
have been victims o f discriminatory
employment practices by ihe Illinois
and C o o k C o u n ty P u b lic A id
Departments. At least 1 .(XX) people
will share the award.
T h e case stems fro m a 1973
federal court suit in which A F S C ­
M E Local 2000 charged the state
and
the
co u nty
w ith
race
discrim ination in their employment
practices
In the law su it, filed under T itle
V II of the U.S. Civil Rights Act, the
union charged that the two depart­
ments shunted Blacks in to low -
paying jobs that had the same duties
as higher paying |o b s held mostly by
whites.
The union's action was brought in
b e h a lf o f w orkers in tw o jo b
classifications— case aide and case
aide tra in e e — w hich w ere held
alm ost e n tire ly by B lacks. These
positions required the same duties
and resp on sib ilities as the jo b o f
caseworker, the union held.
A t the time o f the lawsu*
"»re
than 80 percent o f the case aides and
trainees were Blacks. Starting pay
for caseworkers was $742 a month,
while case aides were paid $583 and
trainees $472.
T h ro u g h the e ffo rts o f L o c al
2000, the Illin o is D e p t. o f P u blic
A id p ro m o ted the case aides and
trainees to caseworkers in 1975, and
instituted a career ladder program
for its employees.
In 1979, Judge John P. Crow ley
of the U.S. District Court for N orth­
ern Illinois ruled the state and the
co u nty were g u ilty o f ra cial
d is c rim in a tio n in the case. T w o
years later, he ordered a form ula to
be used to calculate damages. T hat
decision was upheld last year by the
U .S . 7th C irc u it C o u rt o f Appeals
here. T h e new ly announced $15
m illio n aw ard represents the state
and county application o f that fo r­
mula.
Under the court order, the county
must pay its share o f the
a w a rd — ab o ut $4 m illio n — by
February 29th. The state w ill have
to pay the balance th ro u g h a
leg islative
su p plem en tal
ap­
p ro p ria tio n (his spring, the court
declared.
T h e back pay aw ards w ill be
collected by Black public aid e m ­
ployees who have w orked as case
aides or trainees since march 1972.
Sharing the award
" T h e ir day is at h a n d ,” L o c a l
1000 President M ax Liberies said o f
(hose standing to receive a share o f
the award, "T h e y will Finally be get­
ting these large sums o f money they
rightfully deserve."
In A F S C M E ’ s case against
W ash in g to n S tate , the u n io n
charged the state g overn m en t
v io la ted T itle V I I by u nderpaying
w orkers in fem ale-dom inated jobs
requiring the same or less skill, e f­
fo rt, and responsibility.
A F S C M E won that case and ap­
p ro x im a te ly $700 m illio n in back
pay and future salary increases last
fall. The state has said it will appeal
the decision, but no hearing date has
been set.
Diana Rock, head o f A F S C M E 's
W om en's Departm ent said, that in
both cases "w h a t appeared to be a
n o n -d is c rim in a to ry system on the
surface actually resulted in separate
tre a tm e n t, separate salaries and
separate career tracks.”
A F S C M E ’s
la w y e r,
W in n
N e w m a n , said he re ferred to the
C h icag o case m any tim es in his
p res en tatio n o f the W a sh in g to n
case.
Tri-Met plan restores O w l_______________
D o n W rig h t
The Miami New«
Tribun» Company Syndical»
Schools deny draft registration
by Chuck G ood mac her
" I f it was up to the Selective Ser­
vice, th e y 'd register you at the
hospital right after you were b o rn ,"
says Michael Stoops, director o f the
Northw est D ra ft C ounseling C en ­
ter. Stoops to ld the O bserver that
court action is being considered to
stop the Selective Service from being
allow ed to register people on high
school
campuses
th ro u g h o u t
Oregon. Every Portland high school
principal recently denied Selective
Service en try o nto th eir campuses
under a school district policy leaving
the decision to individual principals.
Any P o rtla n d school w hich did
allow Selective Service on campus
would have to allow equal access for
students to counselors fro m the
Northwest D ra ft Counseling center
under the terms o f a school board
resolution passed in June, I9R0. The
P o rtlan d School Board is also on
record as opposing reinstatement of
draft registration.
Stoops sees the push to get into
schools as evidence o f the failure of
the current selective service system.
According to the government's own
figures, he said, there is a 22 percent
non-compliance rate in the Portland
area; 180,000 people have failed to
register n atio n w id e; and o n ly 16
people have been in d icted . T h e
figures, says Stoops, show "th e an­
ti-draft movement has at least been
successful in stalling the prosecution
effo rts" and intimidation, including
high school appearances, is the
system's best hope o f increasing
compliance.
The Selective Service also asked
schools for a lot more than just a
table in cafeterias to register students.
A December letter from N a tio n a l
G u a rd C o l. W arren Blanchard
asked fo r school o ffic ia ls to
pro vide the Selective Service w ith
student lists, announce registration
p ro m o tio n s over th eir p ub lic a d ­
dress systems, allow displays about
m ilita ry service, and use a guide
designed to make young men aware
of
the
stated
purposes
of
registration.
In 1982, notes Stoops, Congress
gave Selective Service the legal right
to cross-reference th eir lists w ith
So cial Security d a ta , In te rn a l
Revenue Service files and D e p a rt-
ment o f M o to r V ehicle in fo r­
m ation. T h e school requests, con­
tinued Stoops, is clearly an e ffo rt
not just to encourage registration,
but " to identify non-registrants for
fu rth e r in tim id a tio n and possible
p rosecution by the U .S . Justice
Department.
T h e D r a ft C o u nselin g C e n te r,
said Stoops, continues to watchdog
the Selective Service and has o b ­
tained permission for equal access
to a few schools in C lackam as
County, and elsewhere, which have
allow ed Selective Service on cam ­
pus. Stoops said he " f u lly expects
the Selective Service to try to get in­
to the Portland schools "because of
the high non-com pliance rate and
the D ra ft Counseling Center needs
community support to stay vigilant
T h e C o u nselin g C e n te r can be
reached at 238-0605.
The Observer welcomes Tellers to
the Editor. Tellers should he short,
and must contain the writer's name
and address (addresses are not print
ed). The Observer reserves the right
to edit f o r length.
G en eral M an ag er James E.
Cowen announced revisions in the
June, 1984 service red u ctio n
proposals which include retention of
Owl and late evening service. Cowen
also announced his decision to stop
the Self-service Fare C o lle c tio n
Demonstration Project on June 16,
1984 and to rein state the d rive r
m o n ito rin g o f fa re co llection s
beginning A pril 8th.
"W h ile the staff used a rider per
service hour criterion for proposing
the service reduction," Cowen told
reporters, "those riders whose lives
and jobs depend on being able to
use public transit late in the evening
and even all night, came in force to
three co m m u n ity w orkshops and
other neighborhood meetings last
m onth."
" T h e s ta ff has come back with
more than two dozen changes to the
original plan responding to the more
than 1000 residents who attended
those meetings, made phone calls
and sent letters,” Cowen said
T o p p in g the list o f revisions is
re sto ra tio n o f O w l Service to the
June schedules. Also labeled " v ita l"
by those attending the meetings was
the late evening service which allows
swing shift employees to get home.
Senior citizens at K ing C ity and
Portland Observer
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Letters to the Editor
To the Editor:
O ver the past several w eeks, I
have had the great pleasure o f
working with some 400 high school
students and teachers from across
O reg o n
w ho
have
been
in
W ashington, D .C . to participate in
the Close U p F o u n d a tio n g overn ­
ment studies program.
For a fu ll week each o f the p a r­
ticip a n ts had the o p p o rtu n ity to
question members o f Congress,
re p o rte rs , lobbyists and leading
W ash ing to n experts and policy
m akers. W ith o u t e x c e p tio n , the
students were well prepared, showed
genuine enthusiasm and their co n ­
duct was flawless.
The experience for the students is
the result o f e ffo rts put fo rth by
m any people. T h e school, th e ir
teachers and parents, in fact the en­
tire community is to be commended.
F o r the teachers and m any o f the
students, th e ir p a rtic ip a tio n was
possible through fellow ships sup­
p o rted by B u rlin g to n N o rth e rn
Foundation and R .J. Reynolds In ­
dustries, Inc.
Students and teachers o f Oregon,
I for one salute you for your efforts.
Kevin Neil
Community Coordinator
CloseUp Founda'.^n
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The Portland Observer was ast at)l r^hwd in 1970
member
by-trip basis instead o f proposing to
eliminate all service on a certain line
during certain hours.
In order to move the agency back
to the tra d itio n a l fa re co lle c tio n
m e th o d , C o w en announced a
program o f driver monitoring which
will begin on A p ril 8th and is intend­
ed to im p ro ve fareb o x revenues
between now and the June ending o f
Self-service Fare.
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residents o f the N o rth e a s t n eig h ­
borhoods were also heard.
Cowen cautioned, however, that
work is already underway fo r the
reductions planned to take effect in
January, 1985.
" I n order to accomplish a 3,000
hour w eekly service cu t, it w ill be
necessary to look again at the ser­
vice we've retained,” Cowen noted.
The major difference will be that the
January cuts will be done on a trip-
283 2486
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