2 Portland Observer, March 28, 1984
Washington hot line
EDITORIAL/OPINION
by Congressman Bon Wyden
Is this really democracy?
The reality that the U .S . sponsored and
financed elections in El Salvador were merely a
propaganda ploy is becoming even more
evident as Ronald Reagan hails them as proof
that his policies are successful and that
democracy is taking root in that w ar-to m
country.
P rior to the elections, representatives o f
broad sectors o f the country, including the
Catholic Church, trade unions and other in
dependent groups, said elections held under
present conditions would offer no solution to
the country’s problems— control of the land
and resources by a few pow erful fam ilies.
The fact that the elections were really for
the benefit o f Ronald Reagan’s own electoral
plans was evident to most of the people of El
Salvador.
Head of the Joint Chiefs o f Staff, General
Edward Moyer, said. " I t will be necessary to
send troops to El Salvador if the election«
result in a state of chaos.**
As could be projected, the March 25th elec
tion did result in chaos.
The political parties of El Salvador estimate
that from 30 to 70 percent of the people were
unable to vote because of mass confusion at
the polls. In El Salvador it is against the law
not to vote and this failure can result in death.
"T h e Elections were a national scandal," a
National Republican Alliance representative
said; and the National Republican Alliance has
called for an annulment of the vote.
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A ru n -o ff election will pit Duarte, whose
earlier adm inistration allowed 65 as
sassinations per day, against Roberto d*
Aubuisson, leader o f the death squads and
personally responsible for the assassination of
Archbishop Oscar Romero.
But Ronald Reagan is happy and pro
claiming the rebirth o f Democracy! The
seven months preceding the U.S. election in
November are extremely dangerous. Whether
or not Reagan sends U .S . troops to El
Salvador depends entirely on the impact such
an invasion will have on his re-election. The
plan, as revealed by the F M L N -F D R . is for
Duarte, i f elected, to call for direct U .S .
military aid.
The military situation in El Salvador is wor
sening, with the government crumbling and
the army becoming unwilling to fight.
The question o f military intervention in El
Salvador and Nicaragua is not if, but when. I f
Reagan sees that intervention will harm his re-
election chances, he will try to wait until after
November 6th. I f he believes the Am erican
people will accept intervention, as they did in
Grenada, he will not wait.
It is imperative that the American people let
Reagan know that they do not intend to allow
thousands o f young men to die in Central
America and billions o f dollars to be wasted in
war. And they need to remove him from office
November 6th: for i f he is re-elected, this
country will find itself in a long and bloody
war that can only end in disaster for the
nation.
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In less than four months, s system
o f phone rates is scheduled to go in
to e ffe c t that could cost O regon
businesses an arm and a leg. In fact,
it could cost them their business.
It's called “ measured service." In
short, that means m akin g O regon
businesses pay for local service the
same way they now pay fo r long
distance service— based on the
number o f calls, length o f calls, time
o f day, and other related factors.
There are a number o f problems
with this proposal. N um ber one, it
represents a 180-degree turn in the
way w e've charged business fo r
local phone service fo r the past 30
years. But the w orst th in g about
measured service is that it is being
rushed into use with little or no con
s id eratio n o f w hat it w ill do to
businesses.
Representatives o f Pacific N o rth
west B ell have been q uo ted as
saying th a t 60 percent o f the
businesses— those w ho m ake a
sm aller
num ber
of
local
ca lls— w o u ld b e n e fit fro m the
proposed change.
B u t, even i f we accept th at
analysis, in my book, that still adds
up to 40 percent o f the businesses
who d o n ’t benefit— who lose under
the plan— and I have to ask if that’s
good policy
Do we really want to write o ff the
economic good health o f 40 percent
o f our small businesses?
A n d m easured service w o n ’ t be
easy on m u n ic ip alitie s e ith e r. The
C ity o f P o rtla n d estim ates that it
co u ld cost them an a d d itio n a l
$600,000 a year if the new rates go
into effect.
That is why I and representatives
o f a w id e range o f O reg o n
businesses in c lu d in g re a lto rs , in
surance companies, retail merchan
disers and the N atio n al Federation
o f Ind ep en d en t Businesses have
requested th at the state P u b lic
U t ilit y C o m m issio ner d elay im
plem enting local measured phone
service for another year.
I think this delay is necessary to
ensure th at the measured service
proposal is econ o m ically sound—
and. i f it is determined to be sound,
to allo w business tim e to plan for
it.
It would also be consistent w ith
w hat the W ashington Leg islature
has done in a s im ila r case. T h a t
body recently deferred im p lem en
tation o f a similar plan for (he same
am o u n t o f tim e . F o r the O reg o n
P U C to do likew ise w o u ld , in my
o p in io n , be in the best interest o f
Oregonians.
Longshore union challenges cuts
(Continued fro m page I, column 4)
trying to undo the protections w rit
ten into the contract.
O ne o f the P M A ’ s tools against
the contract protections have been
the use o f a Coast a rb itra to r, who
over the years has m ade decisions
a ffe c tin g every aspect o f the co n
tract provisions.
O ve r the past years the phrase
" P G P abuses" came in to use, set
ting the a rb itra to r up as the judge
and ju ry against workers accused by
the em ployers o f ch ea tin g on the
guarantee.
The arb itra to r has aided the em
ployers* d riv e to reduce the
longshore w orkforce by arb itra rily
interpreting the contract— sometimes
in favor o f the union, but usually in
favor o f the employer.
employer.
Industrywide manning scales have
been eroded. For exam ple, in San
Francisco-O akland gangs w orking
steel ships have been reduced to
fo u r, w hile in the Los A ngeles-
W ilm in gto n port the gangs remain
at the o rig in a l six. T h e em ployers
have managed to gain the right to
"fle x ib ility ** in m anning scales. In
the Northwest ports they want to cut
grain operating gangs fro m five to
one man.
T h e re is lit t le arg u m e n t am ong
longshorem en th at the em ployers
have consistently violated the contract
w h ile re je c tin g the u n io n 's co m
plaints. Even when the union takes
the violations to the a rb itra to r, at
great expense, the companies merely
have to make up lost pay i f they lose
with no penalty.
W hen the u n io n c o n fro n ts
violations— often jurisdictio nal or
manning— with jo b actions, they are
faced w ith in ju n c tio n s , fines and
forced to go to the arbitrator.
D ue to c o n ta in e riz a tio n , the
packing and unpacking o f cargo has
been moved away fro m the docks,
cutting deeper into longshorework.
O n the East C o a s t, the In t i.
L o n g sh o rem e n ’ s Assn, has won
ju r is d ic tio n a l rig h ts in a 50 m ile
radius fro m a p o rt. A s im ila r
agreem ent on the W est Coast has
been lost in the maze o f the Reagan-
controlled Labor Relations Board.
In the era o f Reagan, the question
has arisen as to w hether this co n
tract should hold the line, and main-
tain the status quo for a long term
agreement— five year contracts have
been n eg otiated in the p ast— or
whether to go for a one- or two-year
contract to see what w ill happen to
the economy and the 1984 election.
" T h e r e is no longer safety in a
long c o n t r a c t ," one lo n g tim e
longshore w orker remarked. " W ith
the history o f contract violations by
the employers, bad decisions by the
a r b itr a to r , and the c o n tin u ed
erosion o f jo b s , locking ourselves
in to a long term agreem ent could
find us coming out after four or five
years to o w eak to p ro tect o u r
selves."
T h e longshore d iv is io n o f the
IL W U has long been noted fo r its
support o f other workers— through
local union assessments and active
s trik e su p p o rt. W o rk in g peo ple,
b oth organized and u no rg an ized ,
look to the IL W U longshoremen for
their example as to what can be won
for workers everywhere.
M ore than just the shipping com
panies are w atch in g to see w hat
direction the longshoremen turn in
this c ru c ia l year o f co n tra c t
negotiations and national elections.
w
RK
S tre e t B e a t
by Lanita Duka and Richard Brown
Our question this week is, "W h at
issues would you like the 1984
presidential candidates to address?”
Letters* to the Editor*
To the editor:
I was saddened to read about the
resignation o f O lo ria Fisher, in the
last issue o f the Portland Observer
O lo ria *» style o f re p o rtin g and
The Observer welcomes Letters to
the Editor. Letters should be short,
and must contain the writer's name
and address (addresses are not p rint
ed). The Observer reserves the right
to edit f o r length.
w ritin g were both in fo rm ative and
refreshing.
I have had the pleasure o f
knowing G loria as a friend and as a
reporter for over five years. She will
be greatly missed by all who have
had the o p p o rtu n ity to know and
work with her.
I wish her well for the future and
w ith her new career, and hope she
will keep us posted on her endeavors
through the Observer.
W e w ill miss O lo ria, but we hope
th at she w ill take w ith her fond
memories o f us, as we have o f her.
Good luck to G lo ria Fishei, we will
miss you as a reporter, but most o f
all as a frie n d . W e w ill not forget
you.
Karen Masterson
President
Beaumont- Witshire
Neighborhood Association
Portland Observer
Mt Mil
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sal«««.
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