NWLP-03-06-15.Pdf (10.74Mb)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SERVING ORGANIZED LABOR IN OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON SINCE 1900 NORTHWEST INSIDE PDX shipyards 2 Union meetings 4 LABOR Free classifieds 6 In Memoriam 6 VOLUME 116, NUMBER 5 PRESPOS RTLAND, OREGON MARCH 6, 2015 NAFTA ON STEROIDS Fast track fight begins By Don McIntosh world’s economy, including Associate Editor Australia, Brunei, Canada, The AFL-CIO has begun an all- Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, out campaign to defeat “fast New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, track” in Congress, and a vote the United States, and Vietnam. on it is expected within days or The Obama Administration weeks. has never publicly disclosed Fast track, also referred to as what it’s proposing to other na - trade promotion authority, is tions in the closed-door TPP ne - legislation that would make it gotiations. Even members of easier for Congress to pass more Congress were prevented from NAFTA-style trade agreements seeing it initially. After U.S. — including the Trans-Pacific Sen.Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) Partnership (TPP), a super-se - campaigned for TPP negotia - cret agreement being negotiated tions to be more transparent, the Executives from TNT Development sign an iron beam as members of Iron Workers Local 29 look on. with 11 other Pacific Rim na - Administration let members of tions. Under fast track, when the Congress see its proposals — in Portland skyline changes with president presents a trade agree - a special room, by appointment, ment, Congress must hold an with no cameras, smart phones, topping out of 30-story high-rise up-or-down vote within 90 days, or paper allowed in. Yet as many tural steel and delivered with limited debate and no as 600 corporate trade lawyers Union workers get high praise have full access to the negotiat - from contractors, developer of 23,000 pieces to the proj - amendments. ect in 400 loads. If Congress passes fast track ing texts. Park Avenue West Seventy-eight union this time, the consequences Much of what the public does ironworkers had a hand in could be enormous. TPP has know about the TPP has come By Michael Gutwig putting those pieces to - been called “NAFTA on from leaked texts made available Editor & Manager gether — using 63,000 steroids” by its critics. It would by the web site WikiLeaks. Those Members of Iron Workers Lo - bolts. They placed the last cover almost 40 percent of the Turn to Page 3 cal 29 were surrounded by beam Feb. 19 at the top - media and local dignitaries ping out ceremony. Feb. 19 for a topping out cere - “The Iron Worker Lo - mony at Park Avenue West, a cal 29 guys did a brilliant Gannett pushes an exotic The final beam at Park Avenue West is 546,000-square-foot building job on this thing,” said hoisted into place during a topping out that features 13 floors of office Kevin Patterson of REFA ceremony Feb. 19. proposal at KGW, KING-TV space, 15 floors of apartments, Erection. “Everybody and two floors of retail space. went home safe.” Three unions — IATSE, IBEW, and KGW and KING, Gannett is and an evergreen tree, before At 504 feet, the 30-story As is tradition, workers pushing an exotic proposal: Get - hoisting it to the top of the SAG/AFTRA gear up for conflict union-built tower is the tallest signed the beam, which is ting rid of the clause on union ju - structure erected in downtown adorned with an American flag risdiction. Turn to Page 6 By Don McIntosh Union negotiators are trying Portland since the 1980s, said Associate Editor Mark Parsons, superintendent to make sense of what that There’s labor trouble brewing at for general contractor Hoff - means. Exclusive jurisdiction is Portland’s KGW-TV and Seat - man Construction. “This is the a core principle in American la - tle’s KING-TV. The two NBC kind of thing that makes our bor relations. It takes the form of affiliates are among 46 local tel - country strong,” Parsons said. a clause in nearly every union evision stations owned by media The high rise will reach contract that says the union rep - company Gannett, which also peak employment of 300 con - resents all workers in a given oc - owns USA Today and the States - struction workers later this cupation or workplace, and man-Journal in Salem, Oregon. month. therefore the terms of the union In bargaining with the Interna - The project also supported contract apply to all those work - tional Alliance of Theatrical over 50,000 work-hours at ers. Without exclusive jurisdic - Stage Employees (IATSE), the Fought & Co., a steel fabrica - tion, the employer could hire International Brotherhood of tor signatory with Iron Work - people to do the same work as Electrical Workers (IBEW), and ers Shopmen’s Local 516. Ac - union members, but who aren’t the Screen Actors Guild-Ameri - cording to Larry Dykier of union members, and aren’t cov - Local 29 ironworkers James Marble and Doug Green attach the final can Federation of Television and Fought, workers fabricated ered by the contract or its terms. steel beam to a cable from a tower crane operated by Anson Barrow of Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) roughly 3,527 tons of struc - “They would be able to bring Operating Engineers Local 701. over new union contracts at Turn to Page 7 PAGE 2 | March 6, 2015 | NORTHWEST lABOR PRESS NORTHWEST cOllEcTIVE BARGAINING LABOR PRESS Swan Island shipyard workers reject contract offers (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) Established in 1900 in Portland, Oregon as a voice of the la - Shipyard workers at two Vigor Shipyard workers at Cascade (retro pay) in there,” said Bud to strike. It takes a two-thirds bor movement. Published on a semi-monthly basis on the first and third Fridays of each month by the Oregon Labor Industrial-owned facilities at General, Vigor Shipyard, and Bartunek, president of the Port - majority to strike. Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non-profit mutual benefit corpo - ration owned by 20 unions and councils including the Ore - Portland’s Swan Island have Washington Marine Repair are land Metal Trades Council and Vigor Shipyard is signatory to gon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 120 union organizations in turned down new contract pro - covered under one master labor area director of Painters and Al - the master labor agreement. Oregon and Southwest Washington. posals. agreement negotiated and ad - lied Trades District Council 5. Last September, Vigor Indus - Office location: 4275 NE Halsey St., Portland, Oregon At Cascade General, 221 ministered by the national Metal At the Feb. 9 bargaining ses - trial unilaterally implemented a Mailing address: workers narrowly rejected a ten - Trades Department, AFL-CIO. sion, Cascade General did agree “no tobacco” policy at all of its P.O. Box 13150, Portland, OR 97213 tative agreement in voting held The region’s respective metal to allow individual unions to se - facilities. In response, the Port - Phone: (503) 288-3311 Jan. 16. Workers are represented trades councils bargain local lect their medical plans. The re - land and Puget Sound metal Web address: http://nwlaborpress.org by the Portland Metal Trades terms and conditions in side jected proposal had called for an trades councils filed an unfair la - Editor & Manager: Michael Gutwig Council, a coalition of 10 craft agreements. across-the-board change from a bor practice complaint with the Associate editor: Don McIntosh unions. The contract expired The national agreement does - 90-10 medical plan to an 80-20 National Labor Relations Board Office manager: Cheri Rice Nov. 30, 2014. n’t expire until June 2017. medical plan. The premium on (NLRB). Printed on recycled paper, using soy-based inks, by members of Teamsters Local 747-M. At Vigor Fab, 231 workers at After workers at Cascade an 80-20 insurance plan is less A few weeks after the filing, SUBSCRIPTIONS: Individual subscriptions are facilities in Portland and Puget General rejected their contract expensive. Under the revised several hundred shipyard work - $13.75 per year for union members, $20 a year Sound, Wash., voted down a offer on Jan. 16, the sides re - proposal, each union will be al - ers at six Vigor Industrial facili - for all others. Send a check for that amount, “last, best and final” offer — turned to the bargaining table on lowed to vote on which medical ties in Oregon and Washington indicating mailing address and union affilia - tion, to P.O. Box 13150, Portland, OR 97213. 226 to 5. Voting was held Jan. Feb. 9. At that time, the em - plan they want. However, those conducted a one-day unfair la - For 25 or more subscriptions, group rates of 14. Workers are represented ployer rescinded a ratification unions whose members elect to bor practice strike during lunch $9.60 a year per person are available to trade union organizations. Call 503-288-3311 for de - wall-to-wall by Boilermakers bonus that was part of the first have better benefits will be re - break and at the afternoon shift tails. Local 104. The contract expired tentative agreement. sponsible for covering the addi - change. CORRECTIONS: See an error? Please let us on Feb. 28. “The company said the ratifi - tional cost through a wage de - Opland said the NLRB Re - know at [email protected] or by phone at 503-288-3311. Vigor Industrial is the parent cation bonus was a one-time of - duction. gion 19 ruled in favor of the company of Vigor Marine at fer, and will not be put back on Another bargaining session is metal trades councils and or - PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT PORTLAND, OREGON. Swan Island, plus several other the table for discussion,” said scheduled for March 19.