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NWLP-08-01-08.Pdf (7.788Mb) See Inside MEETIING NOTIICES Page 6 Volume 109 Number 15 August 1, 2008 Portland, Oregon Caregivers of migrant children join Laborers #320 Employees at the Oregon Child De - $8 an hour with no benefits. from the U.S. Department of Health velopment Coalition in Washington Guzman said he was initially con - and Human Services, U.S. Department County voted July 23 to join Laborers tacted by an employee who had been of Education, U.S. Department of Agri - Local 320. The vote, conducted by the fired without cause. culture, Oregon Department of Educa - National Labor Relations Board, was “Because I spoke Spanish, she asked tion, Oregon Child Care Division, 124-17 in a bargaining unit of 170 me to represent her,” Guzman said. Washington County Commission on mostly Hispanic women. Thirteen bal - Guzman told the Labor Press that he Children and Families, and the Hills - lots were challenged by management. and the woman met with an OCDC ad - boro and Forest Grove school districts, “For a unit of this size, it is one of ministrator, who told them he didn’t as well as from private donations. the widest margins of victory I’ve seen have to explain the firing to anyone. ERB told the union that it would in - in my 30 years doing this,” said John Three months passed before a group vestigate, but that it would take some Seaton, organizing director for the La - of employees from OCDC called Guz - time and the results probably wouldn’t borers Northwest Region. man and asked about joining the union. be in their favor. The only other option Local 320, headquartered in Port - “I laid it out to them,” he recalled. “ I was to file for an election through the land, represents 1,100 workers in heavy told them they had to unite, hold hands National Labor Relations Board. and highway construction, at industrial and work together.” “Once we found this out, we knew it plants, as well as in the public sector. A full-fledged organizing campaign would be more difficult going through OCDC is a non-profit pre-school ensued, with picnics, house visits and the NLRB,” Tischer said. childhood care and education network authorization cards signed. But pushed by employees, the cam - that works primarily with families of At first, Local 320 filed for card- paign forged ahead. the state’s migrant farm workers. check recognition with the Oregon Em - Seaton, from the international union, Statewide, it employs 1,100 workers at ployment Relations Board, but were praised Guzman and Tischer for their operations in 12 counties, serving about told OCDC was a private, non-profit or - work coordinating the campaign, but he 3,000 children and families. Employees from the Oregon Child Development Coalition in Washington ganization. was especially proud of the employees. The Washington County bargaining County celebrate after ballots were counted in favor of union representation “Because there was state and federal “This was worker-driven. I have to hand unit consists of teachers, teacher assis - by Laborers Local 320. funding, we thought we were dealing it to them, it was one of the best cam - tants, cooks, bus drivers, custodians and with public employees,” said Local 320 paigns I’ve seen,” he said. other workers at locations in Cornelius, union representation, and they knew it,” ers — some with more than 10 years of Business Manager Dave Tischer. Tischer said the goal now is to get a Forest Grove and Banks, Oregon. said Local 320 organizer Ben Guzman. service — had been fired for no appar - OCDC operates on a budget of al - first contract ratified. The wide margin “These are truly people that need As “at-will” employees, several teach - ent reason. Many employees were paid most $35 million a year. It gets funding of victory should help smooth the way. Sizemore operation faces new forgery allegations Trickey. A 2005 complaint by Our Oregon resulted in fines for sometimes that handwriting was different than that of the circula - Union-backed group finds Trickey, Sizemore, and two Democracy Direct subcontractors for tors who’d signed below swearing they’d witnessed the signa - violating the voter-approved ban on the pay-by-the-signature tures. On many sheets, it was clear that carbon paper had been evidence of fraud in campaigns bounty. Sizemore himself has a history of initiative abuses — a used to copy addresses and dates from one signature sheet to oth - for measures that are headed for jury found two of his groups had engaged in a pattern of fraud ers; the signatures were always in ink, but on some sheets, they and forgery during several 2000 ballot measure campaigns. were written on top of the carbon. Sometimes, the same individ - the ballot Democracy Direct ran the 2007-2008 paid signature-gathering ual’s name appeared on several measures, but with fundamentally operations for nine initiatives aimed at the November 2008 ballot. different signatures. By DON Mc INTOSH Five of the initiatives were sponsored by Sizemore and two by Lebwohl and Weller made copies, and used voter registration Associate Editor former state Republican Party chair Kevin Mannix. The other two databases to locate some of the people whose names appeared on Staff at a labor-supported watchdog group found what they initiatives, which didn’t make it to the ballot, were sponsored by the suspicious signature sheets. Moore said they called as many think is evidence of forgery on initiative petitions sponsored by Russ Walker, current vice chair of the Oregon Republican Party. as 200 individuals and spoke with about 70. Though most didn’t anti-union activist Bill Sizemore — after less than 40 hours of [Walker also co-sponsored three of the Sizemore measures.] remember whether they’d signed or not, and some were suspi - staff time spent combing through petition sheets. The current forgery allegations stem from a two-day visit in cious or uncooperative, seven said they were certain they hadn’t The group, Our Oregon, shared its early findings with Oregon June by two Our Oregon staff members to the Elections Division signed the petition on which their names appeared. And four of Secretary of State Bill Bradbury June 16. Then, after it appeared offices in Salem. Rachel Lebwohl and Maggie Weller looked for those agreed to go public. nothing was being done with the information, the group filed a irregularities in a small sample of the initiative petition sheets. Keizer resident Ellen Clay confirmed to the NW Labor Press formal complaint July 15 with the state Elections Division, which They tried to match up sheets for different measures that were that she was approached in Salem outside a Kohl’s store — and Bradbury oversees. circulated by the same paid petitioner on the same day. That was - signed several petitions. Clay specifically declined to sign a peti - The Elections Division is certifying eight measures for the n’t easy: A single ballot measure can easily require more than tion eliminating seniority pay for teachers — there are several November ballot, despite indications that election law was vio - 15,000 signature sheets. But Our Oregon spokesperson Scott teachers in her family. But her name appears on a sheet for that lated by paid signature gatherers who worked on seven of the Moore, formerly of Bradbury’s office, said it didn’t take long to initiative, and paid petitioner Joseph Yearby, who lists a Flint, campaigns. find rather obvious evidence to confirm their suspicions. Michigan, home address, signed below swearing he witnessed all Those signature gatherers are employees of Democracy Di - A very high proportion of pages had all the signers’ address the signatures. Clay wonders: Did Yearby trick her into signing a rect, Inc., a for-profit company owned by Sizemore associate Tim and date information filled out in the same handwriting, and (Turn to Page 8) WSLC to convene in Vancouver VANCOUVER, Wash — About ers just ratified their first union con - as will British Columbia Labour Fed - 500 delegates from unions across tract after a two-year campaign. eration President Jim Sinclair. Washington are expected in Vancouver Highlights of the convention in - Delegates will debate and pass res - Aug. 4-7 for the annual convention of clude a Monday morning address by olutions, and take part in trainings and the Washington State Labor Council, Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire policy discussions on trade, health AFL-CIO. The state labor council is and a Tuesday visit from U.S. Sen. care, immigration, global warming, considered the voice of labor in Wash - Patty Murray. Delegates will also hear and worker safety. ington, and represents 500 local from U.S. Congressman Brian Baird, The day before the convention be - unions with a combined membership Washington House Speaker Frank gins, arrivees and local volunteers will of about 400,000 workers. Chopp, and State Treasurer candidate take part in a “Labor Neighbor” walk The event will take place at the Jim McIntire. to help a union-endorsed candidate for Vancouver Hilton Hotel, where work - Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom State House in Washington’s 17th leg - Chamberlain will speak to delegates, islative district. Holliday named general vice president Lewis gets labor council of Operating Engineers Mark Holliday has been appointed a nod in Portland election general vice president of the International Union of Operating Charles Lewis has been endorsed former Carpenters Union representa - Engineers. Holliday is business by the Northwest Oregon Labor tive finished fourth. manager of Gladstone, Oregon- Council in his race for an open seat on Lewis is making his first run at po - based Operating Engineers Local the Portland City Council. litical office. He is the founder of 701.
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