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. r ir .^ S n ^ f a S O ^ ^ S æ B »
I m P ortland O bserver • O ctober 15, 1997
P age
A3
Brings Portland Into Race Talks
ope in the Cities is the
title of a conference de
scribed as “an honest
conversation on race, reconcilia
tion and responsibility,” par, of a
national dialogue.
I his conference will take place
on November 1 -2 at Portland State
University and is initiated by Moral
Re-Armament (MRA) in associa
tion with Portland State Univer
sity, the Urban League of Portland,
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon,
the Institute for Judaic Studies and
the Office of Neighborhood Asso
ciations.
MRA’s goal is global transfor
mation carried forward by people
ot different convictions and faiths
who seek G od’s inspiration for in
dividual and common action.
The purpose of the conference
is to establish an ongoing dialogue
H
among the diverse ethnic, racial
and religious communities in the
area. Participants will be invited to
come to grips with subtle racism,
latent anti-Semitism, stereotyping,
urban-rural divisions, and the col
lision of values as newcomers
move into the community
The conference will launch a
"Call to Com munity” which has
been signed by a national group of
leaders and by local officials in
cluding Governor Kitzhaber, former
Governors Atiyeh, Hatfield, and
Roberts, and Mayor Vera Katz,
Multnomah County Commission
Chair Bev Stein, and some thirty
prominent citizens from different
backgrounds.
“We must demonstrate," states
the Call, “that our diversity is our
greatest strength and that out of
this diversity is rising a new Ameri-
can community."
The conference will build on the
work of the Richmond (VA) based
Hope in the Cities, which is an i n
terracial, multi-faith coalition of in
dividuals in business, government,
education, media, religious and
community organizations.
The Richmond delegation will
be led by State Senator Henry
Marsh III, the first African-Ameri
can Mayor of Richmond, Virginia,
and his successor as Mayor, Walter
Kenney. Among speakers from
overseas will be Hari Shukla, for
nineteen years head of race rela
tio n s in the E n g lish city o f
Newcastle upon Tyne
Case studies will be presented
from other parts of the U S. and
time in small facilitated groups will
enable participants to get to know
each other.
Registration will lake place at 8
a.m. on Saturday, November I in
P o rtlan d S ta te U n iv e r s ity ’s
Harrison Hall.
The conference includes a Sat
urday evening banquet and will
conclude with a concert by African
American singer Joe Carter at 2:30
p m. on Sunday, November 2, at
Neveh S halom sy n ag o g u e on
Peaceful Lane in SW Portland.
To ensure p articipation and
meals, registrations are asked for
by October 20. Cost is $10 for any
or all sessions, Saturday Box Lunch
$6, Saturday night banquet $15,
and Joe Carter Sunday afternoon
concert $7.50, with discounted ad
mission of $5 for Seniors and stu
dents.
For further information, contact
Michael Henderson at (503) 636-
5454.
Kaiser
Service
Employees
Are Back
aiser Permanente service em
ployees are back at work after
voting to ratify a new 21-month con
tract, thus ending a 33-day strike. Most
employees reported to their jobs on
Monday, October 6.
|
The new contract meets our objec
tive of keeping health care affordable
for members while ensuring that our
total compensation package for em
ployees remains among the best in the
community,” says Jim Pruitt, Kaiser
Permanente’s director of labor rela
tions.
“Service employees are joining the
majority of other Kaiser Permanente
em ployees and contributing an
amount equal to 10 percent of their
monthly benefits package, for the
service employees about $80,” he
adds.
The new contract, which ends June
30,1999:
It immediately boosts wages 2-per-
cent and provides another 2 -percent
increase on July 1,1998.
It phases in over the next 15 to 30
years employee contributions to
ward post-retirement medical cov
erage. This is a benefit that is not
even provided to other local health
care workers. With the change, fu
ture retirees will ultimately pay 30
percent of their coverage’s cost;
current retirees will continue to re
ceive fully employer-paid cover
age.
It requires service employees to
pay $7 for medical or dental visits and
$3 for prescription.
And it raises the amount Kaiser
Permanente contributes to the union’s
education
The first day back on the job was
filled with emotions for all staff as
people began getting back to normal
routines. In many locations, employ
ees brought cookies or other baked
goods to welcome the returning em
ployees. Hundreds of staff who had
been temporarily replacing the service
employees returned to their regular
jobs. Individual and small-group meet
ings took place in all the medical and
dental facilities, offering people a
chance to talk about what happened
during the strike and to focus on meet
ing members’ needs.
Kaiser Permanente s Operational
Support Services M anager Ray
Robertson says, “Everyone worked
very hard to care for our members
during what turned out to be a long
strike. We missed our colleagues, and
it’s good to have them back as part of
our health care team.”
K
FOG
PORTLAND
DEVELOPMENT
"COMMISSION
COMMISSION MEETING
Date: October 24,1997
Place: Masonic Hall
5811 S.E. 92nd
Portland, OR
Time: 3:00 p.m.
HAVE A GAMBLING PROBLEM?
«
For most people gambling is an
occasional thing to do for fun. But
for some, gambling can become a
compulsion affecting every aspect
of their lives. Problem Gambling is
There’» HOPE.
There’» HELP.
1-800-233-81,79
Commission meetings are open to
the public. A complete agenda is
available at PDC or by calling
823-3200. Citizens w ith disabilities
may call 823-3232 or TDD 823-6868
for assistance at least 48 hours in
advance.
PDC is the C ity o f Portland's urban
renewal, housing and economic
development agency.
Joe Carter entertains at Hope in the Cities Conference
a treatable illness. To get help for
yourself or someone you know, call
the Gambling Hotline.
. .
Sponsored by the Oregon Lottery and the
Oregon Gambling Addiction Treatment Foundation.
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