Portland observer., June 05, 2002, Page 5, Image 5

Page A5
June 05, 2002
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Americas Sign Anti-Terrorism Treaty
(A P) — Foreign m inisters
from throughout the A m ericas
signed a new treaty M onday to
prevent and punish terrorism ,
saying a coordinated response
is needed to confront a com pli­
cated threat.
Thirty of the 34 OAS members
approved the Inter-A m erican
Convention Against Terrorism,
which is intended to prevent the
financing of terrorism, toughen
Astor Middle School custodian Dan Strong wears protective
clothing as he prepares to “punch" a boiler. The cleaning
process that keeps soot out o f the ventilation system is vital
to students'health.
photo by D avid P i . f . chi / T he P ortland O bserver
Janitors Plead for Jobs
continued
from Front
Strong agrees and adds, “The
district is not putting the safety
of the kids first.”
PHC admits it would need to
train its employees in the opera­
tion of the boilers.
Cropper says the low wages
offered by rehabilitation facili­
ties equals high turnover in the
work force, incompatible with
the my riad du ties o f today ’ s j ani-
tors who often act as security
guards, providing school offi­
cials with extra sets of eyes and
ears that can tell at a glance who
belongs in the school and who
doesn’t.
“I know all the kids, all the
kids know me,” Strong said, “I
know their parents. Iflsee some­
one that looks out of place, I tell
someone.”
Board m em bers will make
their final decision. M em bers
M arc A bram s and Derry Jack-
son have consistently voted
in favor o f keeping the current
w ork force.
Supporters o f the union con­
tend that at least three of the
members are still persuadable.
Lorenzo Poe, they say, is one of
those riding the fence.
Supporters of the union con­
tend the job losses would deal a
border controls and strengthen
cooperation between the region’s
law enforcement agencies.
The four nations that did not
sign — Canada, Dominica, the
Dominican Republic andTrinidad
and Tobago — need additional
time to implement changes re­
quired by the treaty, OAS officials
said.
The treaty, negotiated as a
result o f the Sept. 11 attacks in
the U nited States, requires that
each country create a financial
intelligence unit and implement
strict m easures to detect cross-
border m ovem ents o f cash that
could be used to fund terrorism .
Countries joining the pact also
agree to transfer detainees whose
testimony is needed in anti-terror-
ism investigations, and to deny
asylum or refugee status to terror­
ist suspects.
U.S. Secretary o f State Colin
Powell, right, speaks with
representatives from Peru and
Venezuela at the 32nd Regular
Session o f the Organization o f
American States General
Assembly in Barbados.
“Smoking doesn’t work
in Oregon.”
devastating blow to these fami­
lies and the communities they
live in. The PTA, Rainbow Coa­
lition, the Oregon Alliance of
Black School Educators have all
come out in support of the cus­
todians.
Cropper calls the budget of
his unionized custodians “a drop
in the bucket” in a public school’s
deficit of nearly $58 million and
a state deficit approaching $1
billion. He contends it's up to the
state legislators tocom e up with
the money necessary to keep his
people working.
At the end of the day. Strong
prepares to “punch” one o f his
two boilers. He is giving them
extra attention as the end o f the
school year approaches. The
machine-assisted process helps
remove dangerous soot that ac­
cumulates throughout the burn­
ing process. He is reflecting on
the 17 years he has spent work
ing to keep his schools safe and
clean, and looking nervously to
the board meeting that will de­
cide his fate.
“The district is looking at the
kids last in this equation,” he
says, staring hard into the black
soot on his hands, “The upkeep
of the schools and safety o f the
children should really be their
first priority.”
I rem em ber walking out of our conference
room and my eyes were literally stinging. My
boss sm oked, so everybody fe lt they had a
right to light up whenever they fe lt like it.
That was before the Oregon Smokefree
Workplace Law.
Because now smoking doesn't work in Oregon.
And I’ m breathing a lot easier.
Information About The Law
• Toll-free 1 8 6 6 -621-6107
• www.healthoregon.org/tobacco
• Your county health department
Oregon Tobacco Quitline
• 1877-27O-STOP
• 1-877-2N0-FUME (Spanish)
• TTY: 1-877-777-6534
If you have a disability and need the
material in an alternate format, cal,
503-7314273 (TTY: 503-7314031).
SMOKEFREE WORKPLACES. IT’S OREGON LAW.
O regon D epartment O f H uman S ervices
______________________
C hinooìò V ìnds
C asino
WHEEL OF FORTUNE HITS AGAIN!
WINNINGS TOTALING OVER 51.7 MILLION
%
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