January 26, 1989 • P ortland O b s e rv e r -P a g e 5 4 Legislative Agenda For 1989 This is a very important year tor our organization, the A. Philip Ran dolph Institute. 1989 is the 1OOth Birthday Year of the Institute's nam e sake and founder, A. Philip Randolph, America's greatest Black labor leader and an outstanding civil rights leader as well. Randolph believed that Blacks and thetradeu nion movement are natural allies in the struggle for economic and social justice. To advance that struggle, he established the Institute— an organization of Black labor activists-to serve as a bridge between the Black com m unity and organized labor. This year we at the Institute feel especially called upon to pursue the Black-labor agenda for three reasons: first, because it is Randolph's centen nial: second, because we need to make up for lost time, since during the past eight years the W hite House has opposed, with all-too-much success, most aspects of the Black-labor agenda; and third, because our hopes have been raised somewhat by the incoming President, who has prom ised a “ kinder and gentler nation," has met with Black leaders, and has told his personnel recruiters that he wants to appoint significant numbers of minorities to posts in his Adm ini stration. So as George Bush enters the W hite House, we will begin our year’s work by presenting a Black-labor legislative agenda that we think de serves the support of the new Presi dent and the new, 101st Congress. W e urge the passage of four im portant health- and family-related bills that were derailed in the 100th Con gress. One requires that all em ploy ers provide minimum health care benefits to their employees. Another guarantees working parents the right to unpaid, job-protected leave to deal with personal or family medical prob lems, including the birth of a child. A third piece of legislation provides funding for the development of child care centers, subsidizes child care for low-income working families, and sets standards of quality for child care facilities and personnel. The fourth measure, known as the high-risk notification bill, establishes a program for identifying, notifying, and facilitat ing treatm ent for workers w ho have been exposed to hazardous sub stances in the workplace. In addition, we back a new bill being introduced for the first tim e in the 101st Con gress that toughens the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s workplace health and safety rules. We also support a group of bills that protect w orkers' employm ent security and standard of living. These, too, were introduced but not passed in the last Congress, in som e cases because of a Reagan veto or a filibus ter. Passage of a minim um wage increase from its current $3.35 level is an essential part of the fight to assure workers a decent wage. W e also favor legislation to prevent con struction firm s from avoiding collec tive bargaining agreements by set ting up non-union alter egos, a prac tice known as double-breasting. Fi nally, a textile and apparel trade bill would slow down the deluge of textile, apparel, and footw ear imports made with exploited, low-wage labor. Another worthy legislative meas ure left over from the 100th Congress is Hatch Act reform to restore the political rights of federal and postal employees, w ho are currently barred from engaging in political activity. Fortunately, som e of the important legislation in the civil rights area can be removed from the 1989 agenda because of the excellent work of the 100th Congress in attacking discrim i nation. The Civil Rights Restoration Act, passed over President Reagan’s veto, overrode the Suprem e C ourt’s Grove C«ty decision and strength ened the prohibition on federal fund ing of discrim ination against minori ties, women, the disabled, and the elderly. The Fair Housing Am end ments Act of 1988 strengthened the enforcem ent mechanism of the Fair Housing Act. Still on the civil rights agenda, however, is voter registra tion reform, to make the right to vote more accessible, and legislation to Lewis & Clark College Celebrates Black History Month eliminate racial discrim ination in thè application of thè death penalty. Philip Randolph, former President, Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Finally, the Institute’s agenda also includes opposition to legislation that has already been considered by Congress and which may resurface there this year. Among these unde sirable proposals are constitutional amendments requiring a balanced budget and giving the President a line item veto, a bill for widespread man datory drug testing of em ployees in the transportation industry, and a proposal that would weaken the col lective bargaining guarantees fortran- sit employees in the 1964 Urban Mass Transportation Act. W e at the Randolph Institute start the New Year with the optimistic expectation that the new Adm inistra tion will be more favorably disposed toward a program for economic and social justice than the outgoing one. But the W hite H o use-and the Con gress as w e ll-c a n be sure that we and our allies will be watching them carefully to make sure that the Black- labor agenda moves forward in 1989. It’s Tim e For the 6th Annual W orld Services Carnival Date: Friday & Saturday, Feb. 3rd & 4th. - Time: Friday, 6:00-8:30 p.m. and Saturday, 10:00 a.m .-3:00 p .m .- Place: The Salvation Army, Moore St. Com m unity Center Gym, 5335 N. W illiams Ave., Portland, OR 97217 - Cost: Tickets are 4 for $1.00 if you buy them early. The night of the car nival they w ill be 3 for $1.00 or 35 cents each. February M onday Tuesday 0 tw Ackly and Kukrudu A musical journey blend ing traditional Ghanaian and western sounds, in cluding funk, reggae, and jazz fusion 7 p .m , Agnes Flanagan Chapel Sojourner Truth Theatre Company First of three perfor mances designed to en tertain and to improve communication between races Under the direc tion of Nyewusi Askar i and Ruby Reuben, the audience gets a histori cal review of black lan guage and culture and a chance to participate in role reversals 6 15 p.m, Agnes Flana gan Chapel Friday Saturday i r t Black Future I L r Leaders Day A workshop to help high school students select appropriate colleges Find out from Lewis & Clark students what col lege is really like Co sponsored by the Ad missions Office Time and location TBA Soul Food Dinner Authentic foods of the Black culture Free to students on the meal plan $5 to others Offered by Marriott Food Service 4 45-6 p m Fields Dm mg Room Dance All-campus Black to the Future Dance features Master T as the DJ Open to the public $2 general admission $1 with L&C ID 9 p m -1 a m . Stamm Black Alumni Reunion Weekend Cosponsored by the Lewis & Clark College Alumm Association Templeton College Center Alumni Welcome, 1 p m Thayer Black Heritage Trivia, 2:30 p m Thayer Open Forum on the Hill, 3 30 p m . Council Chamber Reception, 6 30 p m Dubach Jazz Performance and Dance, 8 p m , Stamm 6 7 n W ednesday Miles of Smiles ' A multimedia presenta tion by Ellen Jacobs, Dortraying her mountain biking adventure through east-central Africa 6 30 p m Council Chamber Sojourner Truth Theatre Company Part 2 of series designed to help people commu nicate with groups from different cultures 8 p m Agnes Flanagan Chapel Black People in White Minds Film revealing how white stereotypes of blacks Originated and Showing how to a more accurate funa of knowledge 9 1 5 p m Council Chamber 8 1989 Thursday Sojourner Truth Theatre Company Finale performance, examining what's unique about Black language and culture 6 p m , Evans Auditorium Time Sound Music to celebrate by— rhythm and blues, com posed and performed by Blacks 7 30 p m Agnes Flana gan Chapel 9 Sunday 1 I Black Alumni Reunion Weekend Gosf>el Extravaganza. 1 0 a m , Chapel Luncheon, 11 30 a i Dubach For more information about weekend events phone the Alumni Of fice, 293-2768 Black to the Future is sponsored by Lewis & Clark Students United for American Cultural Awareness (SUACA). 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