P age A 2
A ug . 20, 1997 • T he P o r tlan d O bserver
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0 f)h s e r u c r
"Love's Labour Lost" (At United Parcel?)
(USPS 959-680) Established in 1970
Charles Washington
Publisher & Editor
Mark Washington
Distsribution M anager
Gary Ann Taylor
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Larry J Jackson. Sr
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1 Shakespeare where, early
on, it is demonstrated that like their
‘labors’, “the best laid plans of mice
and men often go astray.” King
Ferdinand of Navarre attempts to
Farewell To A
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Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208
When I first heard of the passing
of famed reporter and syndicated
columnist, Dennis Schatzman, I was
in a state of shock and disbelief. For
me, he had many more articles to
write, speeches to give and televi
sion appearances to make.
I saw so much more life to be
intensively lived by this gifted and
brilliant man, who through his writ
ings had deeply affected me.
I had first met Dennis as a televi
sion commentator during the O.J.
Simpson trial when he and I would be
on the same program. W hether it was
Rivera Live. AM Philadelphia or
CNN, I was always impressed by his
(Obsertter
Anti-smoking groups
take action for teens
A nti-sm oking groups said T ues
day they w ould inform retailers
about new rules against selling
c ig a re tte s to m in o rs and then
w ould report violations to health
authorities.
From Feb. 28 it will be illegal to
sell cigarettes or smokeless tobacco
to anyone under 18 and businesses
will have to check the photo I D.
o f anyone under 27. O ther new
Food and D rug A d m inistration
rules designed to curb teen smok-
ing w ill be phased in through
August 1998.
Action on Smoking and Health
(A SH ), jo in ed by health and edu
cation groups, said it w ould dis
tribute inform ation on the new
rules to businesses and then would
report violations to a toll-free FDA
telephone line.
FDA officials have said they
will not fine m erchants based on
those reports but com plaints may
trigger an official check on the
business. Violators face $250 fines.
States already have such laws
but they are not enforced consis
tently. About 3,000 teenagers start
sm oking every day.
“ Merchants have long thumbed
their noses at state laws prohibiting
the sale o f cigarettes to kids,” ASH
director John Banzhaf said. “Chil
dren buy more than 250 million
packs a year and ‘sting’ operations
prove that even the youngest kids
have no trouble buying cigarettes.”
Letters To The Editor:
was denied my right under the
All five senses (hearing, vision,
;irsl Amendment of the Consti
taste, smell and touch) are either
tution in Portland, Oregon, on O cto
partly or completely useless. Forex-
ber 31,1996, because I was not per
ample. sometimes I cannot tell where
mitted to speak in detail about my
sounds are coming from. I have total
disability at my hearing. I was in
night blindness. My sense of taste is
volved in a court dispute with my
sporadic; sometimes an apple taste
landlord concerning lack of a w ork
like an orange. Nerve damage has
ing stove in my home for three
blocked my sense of smell. I have a
months My Landlord Evicted Me
constant tingling sensation, like when
B ecause I Held Back the R ent To
one ’ s foot goes to sleep, from head to
Buy a N ew Stove So I C ould Eat. A
toe that never stops. My food must be
stove is essential at all times because
prepared under strict supervision
ofm y severe disability. I asked judge
because my disability causes me to
Overgaard to let me explain my dis
choke and throw up often.
ability in so many words. Judge
A .stove is crucial at all times in my
Overgaard refused to allow my law
home. My landlord denied me a work
yer, witnesses and care provider to
ing stove for three months Thejudge
talk about my disability in any detail.
denied my witnesses to attest to this
I
t
i
convert his little court into a univer
sity.
Last week, we presented here a
brief but well-documented recitation
of some 130 years of American labor
history which clearly indicated that
the long-term planning of both labor
and management has “gone astray.”
And this week in Mid-August, 1997,
we have on center stage a major
national confrontation between the
United Parcel Company and the
Teamsters Union. So far, no one has
been able to bring any level of under
standing to this 'c o u rt’ - and the foes
in this controversy remain impla
cable even at this writing, Friday
evening 8/15/97.
Depending on your choice of me
dia, commentator, political or eco
nomic persuasion, you may select
issues of concern or you may disre
gard the entire emotional affair — on
the premise that you are not directly
affected in any substantial manner. Is
that plausible? The media cites a 5%
“downturn in the nation’s economy
as a result of this strike, to date.
Believe me, if you are on the eco
nomic “fringe or border line” so of
ten referred to, then, indeed, you are
"directly affected.”
You don ’ t necessarily have to be a
striking employee of United Parcel
to feel an excruciating financial pain
I
fact. My disability lawyer would not
handle my case. Now I am left home
less with no sanitary means of pre
paring food. 1 have an extremely
weak immune system.
I certainly appreciate you taking
the time to read my letter.
Jeanette Spencer
Any response can be directed to:
Robert W Boyer
King Neighborhood
Facility Coordinator
Portland Public Schools
4815 NE 7th
Portland. OR 97211
(503) 916-5835
- although the job with this workforce
may have taken you off a wel fare roi I
to which you cannot return. Across
the nation the very same set of eco
nomic facts obtain for the hundreds
of thousands of workers for both
small and large firms who depend
upon a smooth flow of their products
to customers - and not just mail order
firms. The same circumstances hold
true in respect to many of the parts
and materials these firms must re
ceive in order to manufacture such
products.
Additional emotional pain will be
added to the economic hardship for
those who thought they saw a little
financial breathing room possible
with the new Income Tax Credits
approved by the 1997 Oregon Legis
lature and signed into law by Gov.
John Kitzhaber. Working mothers
for United Parcel or strike-affected
firms must quickly rethink the: bud
get adjustments and number-crunch
ing. If this strike becomes a long
term standoff, will we hear more
voices from Washington boasting of
"Shrinking W elfare R olls?” and
school clothing, for children of the
poor?
On the other side of coin we have
the working men and women of the
nation finally coming into confronta
tion with management (selected) over
rave
ability to speak the truth no matter
how uncomfortable it made the white
commentators, and some blacks feel.
To me. Dennis was the proverbial
bard who was there to tell it like it
was regardless of how it affect oth
ers. His commitment to explaining to
whites and blacks that race was an all
encompassing phenomena in this
country and that it does not go away
because you try to ignore it. As oth
ers tried to suggest that the O.J.
Simpson case was not about race,
Dennis Schatzman was there to re
mind us all that we should not ignore
the issue of race, and that this case
was not only about race, but was
bigger that O.J. himself.
And although to some he appeared
several of the most controversial
and divisive issues o f modern in
dustry and workforces; namely,
“P art-tim e W ork and Pension
Plans." Each side claims the 'high
ground’ and refuses to budge, and
each has legal and anecdotal mate
rial to support its position -espe
cially as relates to pensions.
The union claim s that the com
pany wishes to seize control of
the U.P. Pension fund so that it
may m anipulate the investm ent of
these moneys for corporate en
richment (see, “Pensions In C ri
sis: Why System Is Failing...” ,
Ferguson and Blackw ell, A rcade
Publishing, 1995).
A com pany spokesperson has
pointed to “the T eam ster’s long
history of pension fund m ism an
agement, including financing of
much o f th e 'L a s V egas S trip ’ and
leveraged-buy outs having noth
ing to do with benefits for w ork
ing men and w om en.” The T eam
sters refer to a federal clean up .
and fairelectio n s’ that have taken
place since the old d a y s’.
In any case, the pundits have it
that “the pension issue is sim ply a
bargaining chip. We w onder w hat
is on the mind of A lexis H erm an,
the comely black Secretary o f L a
bor?
lack Journalist
to be outrageous in his manner, but
beyond surface appearances, there
was a method to the madness be
cause he had the ability to focus the
issues and make people see the truth
whether they liked it or not.
D ennis Schatzm an w as a m od
ern day Paul R evere w ho w arned
us that racism was like an in sid i
ous p arasite w hich was sucking
the lifeb lo o d from the A frican
A m erican com m unity. He tried
to show us that we should bew are
of the racism that is part o f the
crim inal ju stic e system in this
country w hich is sapping us of
our young men and has resulted
in a d isp roportionate black prison
pop u latio n and great d isparity
betw een blacks and w hites in se n
tences and time actually spent in
jail.
Likewise, he understood that the
disparity in health care, education,
housing and employment was also
detrimental to the survival o f the
African American community.
So for me, D ennis S chatzm an
proved the adage that “ the pen is
m ightier than the sw o rd ” and the
legacy that he leaves to all o f us
is best sum m ed up in the w ords
o f F rederick D ouglas w hen he
said tow ard the end o f his life, as
he c o u n se le d y o ung m en and
women as to th e ir future role in
society, that they should “a g i
tate, ag itate, agitate."
A Week Of Victories
be about structural inequality, power,
or the 26th year in a row,
and privilege-in other words, not just
the Rainbow/Push family
race, but racism.
held its national convention,
The panel also decided that we do
and this year, the first held after the
need an apology, reparations, and
Rainbow/Push Coalition merger, was
remedy; and that we must be active
one of the best ever! W e’re on the
and involved right now in defining
move...
what “apology” and “repair” and
From the opening day Board Lun
“remedy” really mean. The Rain
cheon to the closing Ministers Lun
bow/Push Coalition must help lead
cheon and the next Leadership G en
this conversation.
eration networking event, this con
*Thursday morning, the large
ference was alive. The crowds were
crowd at the Labor Breakfast came
large, registrations were at record
alive with AFL-CIO President John
levels, panelists were outstanding,
Sweeney's speech, and erupted when
and the delegates were involved and
Jesse presented labor aw ards to
attentive. (Nancy, Axel, Velma &
United Farm Workers head Arturo
Company-you can be proud!)
The highlights were many:
Rodriguez. and Melody Johnson of
the mushroom workers in Florida.
*The opening press conference,
Rev. Jackson also noted that the
in front of a capacity crowd, focused
on our5-pointback-to-school pledge
Rainbow/Push Board approved a
“Slow Down the Fast Track” resolu
for students & parents. Rev. Jackson
tion at the board meeting.
noted that 50,(XX) parents were in
*Rev. Willie Barrow put together
volved in Chicago now, after 3 years
an overflow crowd of I ,(XX) people
of effort by Rainbow/Push, working
to hear Alexis Herman, our new Sec
with Chicago Public Schools CEO
retary of Labor, at the W omen’s
Paul Valias. We set a goal of 40.(XX)
Luncheon. The award given to Ms.
parents & students in each of 50
urban districts, for a total of 2 mil lion
Dorothy Height provided a particu
larly touching moment.
pledges.
* A comprehensive series of more
*The Clay Evans Gospel C on
cert brought together a beautiful
than a dozen panels and workshops
mass choir of more than 300 sing
put together by Dr. Valerie Johnson,
ers.
laid out an education agenda for the
*Friday morning, Doris Daven
coming century.
*The “Race, Reason. Remedy”
port helped bring together Jack Smith,
CEO of General Motors, with key
Town Hall meeting opening night,
featured experts and scholars such as
executives from Ford, Chrysler,
Dr. Charles Ogletree, Dr. Cornel
Nissan , and Mitsubishi, for a discus
sion of minority partnerships.
W est, Dr. Ron W alters, L aura
Later business panels analyzed
Murphy, and Lerone Bennett. This
how to open doors in the food market
panel concluded that the president’s
industry, the survival of African
national Conversation on Race" must
F
American funeral homes, and fair
ness in media and telecommunica
tions.
*Cong. Jesse Jackson, Jr., led a
crowded “How to Fight Back” work
shop that afternoon, with his own
special, focused, no-notes presenta
tion on organizing.
*Rev. Jackson’s keynote, “A Year
of Change; A Century of Victories,”
preceded t he Tra i I b I azer A ward given
to Don King, at the Business Lun
cheon.
*Lou Rawls entertained the gala
banquet that night, along w ith a
wonderful video by C hee Chee
W illiam s. The special honorees
were Rev. Joseph Low ery, recipi
ent of the Jack O ’Dell Peace &
Justice Award, and Mr. & Mrs.
Evander Holyfield, receiving the
A rthur Ashe Award.
*The last morning o f the confer
ence featured talks by N A A CP
President Kweisi M funte, LU LA C
President Belen Robles, and former
New York M ayor David D inkins.
Analysts David Bositis and Bob
Borosage then painted a precise
picture of A m erica’s political situ
ation.
Two moments in particular stand
out from Saturday m o rn in g ’s ses
sion"
-First, the wife and son o f labor
leader M uktapar Pakpahan, read
ing a letter of thanks for our aw ard,
given to him as he sat locked in an
Indonesian jail for his organizing
e ffo rts . (O u r th a n k s to B arb
Shallor, International D irector of
the AFL-CIO, for her help in m ak
ing this profound moment happen!)