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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 5, 1984)
Page 2, Portland Observer, December 5. 1984 Family wage jobs decrease in Oregon by Hubert Lothian "O rego n's good jobs are increas ingly being replaced by low -paying, often dead end jobs." That's the con clusion o f a report released in July from the Joint Legislative Committee on trade and Economic Development The report, "Declining Number of Family Wage Jobs," documents what economic analysts have described as O reg o n ’ s trend tow ard becoming a new Appalachia. As in other parts of the country hard hit by the reces sion, many o f Oregon's good jobs of the past are gone, replaced by jobs in fast food places and gas stations. The state lost 75,000 jobs to the re cession, according to the report, along with the headquarters o f three " F o r tune 3 0 0 " corporations and 65 ,000 residents. O f the jobs lost, 60 ,000 o f them paid an average wage o f SlO.OO/hr. or more, mainly jobs in lumber, wood products, construction and manufac tu ring . They were the kind o f jobs that brought in a " fa m ily wage” — $ 2 0 ,0 0 0 /year or m ore — enough to provide a moderate standard o f living for an average fam ily. The jobs also provided a secure tax base fo r the stale’s social services. But according to the report, only about h a lf o f the 23,000 jobs p ro duced by the "re c o v e ry " have been high paying jobs in those industries. "In s te a d ," it says, "O regon’s recov ery has been p rim a rily fueled by growth in services and retailing indus tries w ith average wages between $ 5 .0 0 and $6 .5 0 per h o u r,” or be tween $ 10,000-$ IJ .0 0 0 /year. A look at the jobs available at the State Employment Division office at the A lb in a M u lti-S ervice Center shows that $ 5 .0 0 /h o u r and $ 6 .0 0 / hour jobs are few and far between. M a n y jo b seekers are faced w ith the prospect o f a minimum wage jo b , and it doesn’t take a mathematical genius to figure out how far a $ 3 .3 S /h o u r job goes in supporting a family. M an y O regon fam ilies can look forward to a lower standard o f living and a poorer quality o f life, the report says. And for communities, the situ ation means an eroded tax base and impaired ability to pay for the public services — education, police and Fire protection, road repair and parks — that have contributed to Oregon's quality o f life. According to the report, the aver age family with an income of $20,000 per year paid an Oregon income tax o f $1,000. But a typical fam ily with a $12,000 - $14,000 income paid about $500 in income taxes. Things are not likely to get better soon. O regon w ill not gain back its 1979 em ploym ent peak u ntil 1987, given the current pace o f recovery, the report says. And what is happening in Oregon is al? i nationwide trend, ac cording to th . report: traditional well- paid jobs in auto, steel, coals, glass, rubber and other basic industries are on the decline, turning once thriving communities into ghost towns. The report says that for minorities and w om en, who never made those good wages in the first place, the outlook is discouraging. Women and minorities "m a y find the good jobs disappearing at just the time they get an equal chance to compete for them . . . if the number o f good jobs contin ues to decline in the long term , w o men and minorities might find it that much more difficult to achieve equal ity in the workplace." The report also mentions that many o f the state’s good jobs were also union jobs — high wages and health and w elfare programs were won through collective bargaining and strikes. The decline means a loss o f bargaining power fo r unions, and many previously union fam ilies are now without health insurance. Candidates to debate at King C ity Council hopefuls Dick Bogle and Herb Cawthorne are scheduledj for a joint appearance Thursday eve ning, December 13, 7:30 p.m . in the King School C a fe to riu m . Issues o f concern to the community — prosti tution, jobs, etc.— are on the agenda. It is important that citizens hear the candidates. It is also im portant that the candidates hear the people. This m eeting w ill be a " H e a r and Be Heard" opportunity. Be an inform ed voter. Attend the meeting December 13 and vote your choice on December 18. The meeting is being sponsored by a number o f comm unity groups and individuals. It is for all the people of our area, including Northeast C o ali tion o f Neighborhoods, Black United Front, Oregon Rainbow Organizing C o m m itte e and N eighborhood rescue. For m ore in fo rm a tio n , call Bob Nelson, 287-4050 or 2484575. Official Notice of BIENNIAL ELECTION of Off« and National Board Members Portland Branch NAACP D K tfflb w 9.1984. 4:00 p m Hughes Memorial Church Door* Open at 3:30 p.m. to check voting eligibility. Please note: The meeting is the SECOND SUN DAY rather than the Third Sunday as is usual Randy's Restaurant Good Homecooked Food Good Prices Good Service OPEN 7:00am 12:00am Mon.-Thur 7:00am-1:00pm Fri. fr Set Fresh Catfish Every Friday Night 446 N.E. Killingsworth Joan Smith, one of the 19 candidates who ran for the City Council seat vreated by Charles Jordan, publicly endorsed Herb Cawthorne today. Cawthorne faces Dick Bogle In a runoff election for the seat on Tuesday. December 18. Smith said. "I am a former chairperson of the Portland Planning Commission, so I know, first-hand, the chal lenges of being an effective government leader. So does Herb Caw thorne. He has held public office before, having been elected and having served the past 6 'A years on the Portland School Board. He has a proven track record that shows he knows how to get things accomplished: that shows he has the skills to translate talk Into action. If I could personally talk to each end every person who voted for it e in the November 6 election. I would encourage them to vote for Herb Cawthorne for City Council on December 18." (Photo: Richard J. Brown) 281 5472 Announcing wide area paging coverage without the wide area price. Teen pregnancy on rise According to the Oregon State Health Division, one out o f 11 O re gon teens, 15-19 years old, reported a pregnancy in 1981. Teenagers face se rious health risks and medical compli cations during pregnancy and child birth. For teens there is a greater risk o f maternal or infant death, and an increased risk o f having infants with low birth weights, congenital defects and mental and physical handicaps, these poor b irth outcomes are fre quently attributed to inadequate pre natal care and poor nutrition. M ore than 90 percent o f all teens who give birth keep their babies, however, they often encounter med ical, economical and social problems. It has been estimated that three quar ters o f all mothers age 17 and under lack health insurance, making it d iffi cult for them to obtain health care, teens who become pregnant are much more likely to drop out of school and become dependent upon welfare. A # teen mother who is still in the process o f growing up herself, often needs help in learning how to cope with the demands of parenthood and in sort ing out her own needs for support and survival. The Teen Connections Program is focusing its outreach efforts in North Portland where the need is significant. However, anyone who calls the infor mation line will be assisted no matter where they live in the city. Both adult and teen volunteers are needed by the program. Anyone who wants to volunteer may apply by calling the Program Coordinator at 286-8371. The Teen Connections Program is plart o f N o rth C o m m un ity Action Council's Northcare neighborhood health program fo r the medically The paging people who haw always brought you selection and service now bring you one of the widest coverage areas In Portland Plus one big advantage: Our competitors charge you for “extended coverage." RAM Includes It as standard bill of fare. Premium coverage without a premium price. Because at RAM. we believe your pager Is only as good as the area It reaches. needy. Pregnant teens comprise a medically at-risk group since they frequently defer or neglect health care. Northcare w ill provide short term health care, health care screen ings, and help in accessing care from established health providers to meet serious or ongoing needs. Those who w ill be helped include the w orking poor and unemployed who are w ith out health insurance or the ability to pay for care, and those who are at risk o f serious health problems but who fail to seek care for one reason or another. Northcare recently received a $15,- 000 challenge grant from the M . J. M urdock C h aritab le T ru st, and a $5,000 grant from the Oregon C o m m unity Foundation. About $25,000 has been raised for Northcare, and an additional $25,000 is being sought to qualify for matching grants. A d d i tional monies have also been donated for remodeling clinic quarters 2 2 6 -1 5 0 7 *7¿e “S eelen P e a ^ U f RAM Broadcasting of Oregon Inc . 713 S W 12th Avenue Let P o rtla n d Observer Natural gas costs a lot less. This is the annual meeting as well as the Biennial Election. There will be some annual reports on Branch Activities. Dick Bogle, Can didate for City Commissioner, will speak at 4:16. (Herb Cawthorne spoke November 18at Branch Meeting.) 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