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See Inside MEETINGMEETING NOTICESNOTICES Page 8 Volume 109 Number 9 May 2, 2008 Portland Workers Memorial Day service in Portland Union foe Sizemore poised for comeback Family and friends of Jeff ages to the plaintiffs — the Oregon Helgeson (foreground) raise a flag With financial backing Education Association and the Ameri- in his memory during a Workers from several conservative can Federation of Teachers-Oregon. Memorial Day ceremony April 28 In 2003, after lawyers for the union sponsored by the Northwest millionaires, Sizemore plaintiffs demonstrated that Sizemore Oregon Labor Council. Helgeson, has filed six ballot had continued the same practices the a member of Laborers Local 320, jury had condemned, Judge Jerome was killed on the job in July 2007 measures in Oregon LaBarre issued an injunction dissolv- after being struck in the head by ing his organizations and restricting a falling 8-foot jackhammer on a Longtime union foe Bill Sizemore appears poised to make a comeback how he could handle money for ballot downtown Portland construction measure campaigns for five years. project. He was one of more than this year. Sizemore — the most prolific user Those prohibitions are due to ex- 59 workers killed on the job in pire soon, and in any case, Sizemore Oregon in 2007. In the back- of Oregon’s ballot initiative process — is a perennial backer of proposals to has come up with ways to evade the ground, flags are raised in judge’s order — as well as a 2007 law remembrance of each of those limit union political influence, cut state income taxes for the wealthy, and passed by the Oregon Legislature to workers. Nationwide, 153 workers stop abuses in the initiative process. lose their lives on an average day base school teacher pay on student test scores. Voters have rejected nearly all The Oregon secretary of state may as a result of workplace injuries be on track to approve six of Size- and disease. Another 11,233 are of his ballot measures, but with the fi- nancial backing of several conserva- more’s initiatives for the November injured. Union members around 2008 ballot. They would: the world observed Workers tive millionaires, Sizemore continues to return his proposals to the ballot — • Remove limits on the state in- Memorial Day April 28 to come tax deduction for federal income remember workers and to draw proposals that cost unions money and effort to defeat. taxes paid by individuals. [This would attention to the problem of work- benefit the highest-income tax payers place hazards and the need to Sizemore was out of commission for a few years after a Multnomah and deplete state government of rev- strengthen worker safety and enues that fund education, public health laws. County circuit court jury in 2002 found his groups guilty of a pattern of safety, and other priorities. Voters have fraud and forgery. Sizemore’s groups rejected it before.] were ordered to pay $2.5 million dam- (Turn to Page 2) From Democratic Party Three solid candidates vying for secretary of state By DON McINTOSH schools. And, if the governor’s office becomes vacant, the secre- Of course, numerous labor-backed bills also died on her watch Associate Editor tary of state becomes governor until the next election. That’s one in the 2007 legislative session, including a bill that would have Three candidates are vying for the Democratic nomination for reason many have viewed the job as a stepping stone to higher of- banned use of tax dollars for union-busting. House Speaker Jeff Oregon secretary of state this year. All three are state senators, and fice. Merkley got a lot more of labor’s core agenda passed in the House, all three have a reputation among Oregon unions as friends of labor. The Northwest Labor Press spoke with the three Democratic where Democrats led by a one-vote margin, than Senate Majority But Kate Brown, Rick Metsger, and Vicki Walker differ in their ap- candidates about their legislative records and about what they Leader Brown delivered in the Senate, where Democrats led 18- proaches to a job that most Oregonians are only dimly aware of. would do if elected. [KEZI newscaster Rick Dancer of Eugene is 11. Brown focused much of her political energy on passing laws The Secretary of State’s office has kept a pretty low profile the running unopposed for the Republican nomination.] granting state recognition to domestic partnership and banning dis- last eight years under Bill Bradbury. Secretary of state is in charge State Sen. Kate Brown (D-Portland), a family and juvenile law crimination based on sexual orientation. of a bundle of state agencies unified by a kind of “good govern- attorney, leads the three in campaign contributions and organiza- If elected secretary of state, Brown said she wants to do per- ment” mission: tional endorsements, and likely in name recognition. Brown has formance audits of all state agencies, asking frontline workers what • Elections, which oversees the ballot initiative process and cam- led the Democratic caucus in the Oregon Senate since 1998, and obstacles there are to doing their jobs, and looking to see if tax dol- paign finance reporting; was Senate Majority Leader in the 2005 and 2007 sessions. lars are being well spent. • Corporations, which processes articles of incorporation; “I want to continue being a champion for working families in To the union movement, likely the most important part of the • Audits, which investigates agencies in all three branches of my role as secretary of state,” Brown told the Labor Press. secretary of state’s job is enforcement of laws governing the initia- government to ensure money is spent appropriately; and Legislative achievements she cites include two laws that passed tive process. The union movement has spent enormous money and • Archives, which stores government records and makes them last year — card-check unionization for public employees and energy over the years fighting anti-union measures put forth by Bill available to the public. restoring the right of Fire Fighters unions to negotiate over work- Sizemore, whose organizations were found by a 2002 jury to have Secretary of state also is one of three members of the State Land place safety — plus Oregon’s family medical leave bill, which she used extensive fraud and forgery to get initiatives on the ballot. Board, which manages state-owned lands to provide money for helped pass in 1991 as a lobbyist for the Women’s Rights Coalition. (Turn to Page 6) Columbia-Pacific Building & ...Sizemore back in court; Construction Trades Council Endorsements for the union lawsuit unsettled Oregon Primary Election each of these ballot measures. That May 20 (From Page 1) • Prohibit teaching public school might be enough to qualify the initia- City of Portland students in languages other than Eng- tives for the ballot, but the secretary of lish for more than two years. state hasn’t verified the signatures yet. Mayor Sizemore has been asked to provide Sam Adams • Base teacher pay raises and job security on classroom performance, as payroll records to prove the signatures measured by standardized tests. were gathered in compliance with a City Commissioner #2 ballot measure that banned paying sig- Nick Fish [Teachers unions have fought this suc- cessfully before, persuading voters nature gatherers by the signature. Size- that it’s a draconian proposal that more has challenged that in court, and City Commissioner #4 has refused to turn over the payroll Randy Leonard would force teachers to teach to the test, and drive good teachers away records. The Secretary of State’s office from low-income schools where stu- notified Sizemore that his ballot meas- Multnomah County dents don’t test as well.] ure committees are prohibited from County Commissioner #1 • Allow up to $35,000 a year in im- obtaining further signatures until the Deborah Kafoury provements to property without a records are turned in. building permit. Meanwhile, the union lawsuit County Commissioner # 3 • Prohibit public employee union against Sizemore remains unsettled. Judy Shiprack members from using paycheck deduc- Sizemore appealed the jury verdict and got damages reduced by the Oregon Union foe Bill Sizemore appears in court April 18 in Portland for the second tion to contribute to their unions’ polit- time for contempt of court proceedings. Clackamas County ical campaigns. Court of Appeals in October 2006, but • Require a legislative super-major- the case is now before the Oregon County Commissioner #1 Supreme Court. by the way he handles money as chief contempt of court case; Sizemore Lynn Peterson ity to make laws take effect immedi- petitioner for a stalled ballot measure could face fine or jail time, though the ately upon the signature of the gover- And on April 18, Sizemore was back in court for the second time for campaign last year, and by creating a latter is unlikely. County Commissioner # 3 nor. sham organization in Nevada to laun- To date, Sizemore has paid only In December 2007 and January contempt of court proceedings. Martha Schrader Lawyers for the union plaintiffs pre- der political contributions. $125,000 to OEA and AFT to reim- 2008, Sizemore turned in petitions Judge Janice Wilson set a May 27 burse them for attorney fees. with 120,000 to 130,000 signatures for sented evidence that Sizemore has County Commissioner #5 continued to violate the judge’s order date to announce her decision in the Trent Tidwell County Sheriff Craig Roberts Columbia-Pacific BCTC to celebrate Bennett Hartman Columbia County b h 100th anniversary on May 10 Morris & Kaplan, llp County Commissioner # 1 Joe Corsiglia Attorneys at Law The 100th anniversary celebration of the Columbia-Pacific Building and m k Construction Trades Council is shaping up to be a huge event.

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