See Inside MEETING NOTICES Page 6 Volume 107 Number 7 April 7, 2006 Portland Labor all over map in governor’s race ucation. The Oregon AFL-CIO’s COPE NW Oregon Labor meeting was held March 10 — prior to Council ‘recommends’ the March 27 meeting when the North- west Oregon Labor Council made its Kulongoski, plus several decision. State COPE took no action in other local candidates. the gubernatorial primary and no fur- ther COPE meetings are scheduled For the upcoming May 16 primary prior to the election. election, most Oregon unions have de- And no public employees union has cided by now whether and who to en- thus far endorsed Kulongoski, despite dorse for governor. Uncharacteristically, his having been an early union favorite a number have taken a pass on the in- in the 2002 election. As a labor attor- cumbent Democrat, and some have ney, in 1973 Kulongoski helped write even backed a challenger. the state’s public employee collective Governor Ted Kulongoski has the bargaining law. But as governor, he sup- endorsement of the Oregon State Build- ported making cuts to the Public Em- ing and Construction Trades Council, ployees Retirement System, angering Teamsters Joint Council 37 and United many public employees. Food & Commercial Workers Local Oregon Council 75 of the American, 555, plus a “recommendation for en- Federation of State, County and Munic- dorsement” from the Northwest Oregon ipal Employees declined to make a en- Postal Workers donate to Union Food Bank Labor Council. dorsement in the governor’s race. Under AFL-CIO bylaws, in state- None of the Democratic primary Marie Clark of the American Postal Workers Union Auxiliary presents a check for $365 and more than 850 wide races a central labor council can candidates could muster enough votes pounds of food to Mike Fahey of the Portland-based Union Food Bank during a banquet March 31 of the only make a “recommendation” to the for an endorsement from the Oregon APWU’s Auxiliary and Multi-State Northwest Region Convention (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska and state body for an endorsement. Recom- Education Association, though it came Montana) at the Benson Hotel. The convention was hosted by Portland Local 128. Food and personal care mendations are addressed by the labor close to backing the campaign for gov- bags were collected as part of the auxiliary’s Two-Can Do project to help those in need. The Union Food Bank federation’s Committee on Political Ed- (Turn to Page 10) distributes food boxes to 500 families monthly out of the Carpenters Union Hall in Northeast Portland. Portland on short list of massive Change to Win organizing drive LAS VEGAS — Portland is on a list United States cannot exist without a “vibrant all add up to something bigger.” of 35 cities the Change to Win labor fed- middle class,” Burger said. “This campaign “In every campaign, no matter what union, we will be telling the eration has selected to be part of a mas- ‘In every campaign, no will empower the millions of workers to world that working people are uniting to ‘make work pay,’” she sive organizing campaign it plans to help them effect real change to make work added. launch the week of April 24. matter what union, we pay.” In practical terms, that means CTW unions will field joint organ- The seven-union federation unveiled will be telling the world Gene Pronovost, president of Tigard- izing teams, just as two of the member unions — UNITE HERE and its recruiting plans at a gathering of 2,000 based United Food and Commercial Work- the Teamsters — are doing in their current drive to organize 17,000 CTW officials, organizers and members that working people are ers Local 555 and an international union workers at Cintas, the nation’s largest launderer of uniforms and here last month, adopting as its slogan, vice president, said CTW unions in the Port- other materials. “Make Work Pay.” uniting to make work pay.’ land area are meeting to finalize their organ- But Burger also said CTW seeks worldwide support for the drive, The objective, said CTW Chairwoman izing plans. On the short list, he told the because “corporations are global and so must we be.” Only with Anna Burger, secretary-treasurer of the Northwest Labor Press, are possible cam- global cooperation, she stated, can unions “make global corporations Service Employees International Union, paigns at Three Mile Canyon Dairy, Wal- raise living standards and respect workers’right everywhere — rather is a joint effort to organize workers in “transportation, distribution, re- Mart, the Benson Towers condominium, Port of Portland drivers and than dragging them down to the lowest level everywhere.” tail, construction, leisure and hospitality, health care, property serv- the Oregon Lottery Some CTW leaders are comparing their organizing campaign ices, laundries, food production and processing and other services.” One of the focuses of the CTW convention March 19-21 was the with that of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) of the Burger, speaking at the conference, estimated those sectors have creation of local cross-union campaign teams, which will work to- 1930s, when millions of workers joined unions. 50 million workers combined. CTW’s unions — SEIU, Teamsters, gether as single entities to unite workers of all the unions in their “We must remember that auto, steel and other basic manufactur- United Food and Commercial Workers, UNITE HERE, the Labor- cities. ing jobs weren’t always the good middle-class jobs they became af- ers, the Carpenters and the Farm Workers — have an estimated 6 “It’s a little different” from past union organizing drives by CTW ter World War II,” Burger said. million members. They have also pledged to devote most of their members and others,” Burger stated. “Truth is, we’ve always done When a large percentage of the workforce was unionized, labor money to organizing. campaigns — but we’ve done them individually, union by union. was able to change low-paid manufacturing jobs into jobs that were The unions will be reaching out to unorganized workers as well as And we still have these campaigns. But now, as we work on these in- the “backbone of the American middle class,” she said. members of the public and politicians to support the notion that the dividual campaigns, we will be tying our work together and make it Let me say this about that —By Gene Klare Anti-union lawyer called on to head federal OSHA WASHINGTON, D.C. — A partner company promotes itself by stating: Web site says the law firm “engages as- in one of the nation’s largest anti-union “When a business is subjected to an sisting many employers in winning law firms was confirmed by the U.S. OSHA inspection, Jackson Lewis pro- NLRB (National Labor Relations Senate March 13 to head the federal vides the necessary representation to Board) elections “or in avoiding union Occupational Safety and Health Ad- ensure the rights of the client are fully elections altogether.” ministration (OSHA). protected. In cases where an employer “The preservation of management Edwin G. Foulke Jr. of the law firm is subject to criminal or civil legal ac- rights is our goal, whether prior to a Jackson Lewis LLP was nominated by tion based on alleged violations, we union offensive, during a union-organ- President George W. Bush last Septem- provide the expertise to defend the alle- izing campaign or in collective bargain- ber and was confirmed last month on a gations. ing negotiations.” voice vote in the Senate. “We have extensive agency experi- Foulke received a strong endorse- Foulke replaces Jonathan Snare, ence at the national and regional levels ment from Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., who has served as interim administra- to enter into settlement negotiations, who is chairman of the Senate Health, tor since January 2005. OSHA has op- and the expertise to contest citations be- Education, Labor and Pensions Com- erated without a permanent administra- fore the Occupational Safety and Health mittee and a proponent of OSHA “re- tor since December 2004, when John Review Commission, all state safety form.” Enzi has a 9 percent Committee The man from Butte Henshaw resigned from the post. and health commissions, and in federal on Political Education voting record as Snare will remains as OSHA’s and state court review proceedings.” tracked on worker-related issues by the IN THE SPOTLIGHT this week are two unionists of the past who de- deputy assistant secretary. Jackson Lewis also promotes itself national AFL-CIO. serve being on the Labor Honor Roll. This column started the Labor Honor Prior to his nomination, Foulke as a leader in “union avoidance.” Its Roll to acquaint readers with unionists whose roles in the labor movement worked at Jackson Lewis’ Greenville, took place before the Labor Hall of Fame was started in 1997 by the North- South Carolina, office. west Oregon Labor Retirees Council. The Retirees Council established the Jackson Lewis represents manage- Labor Hall of Fame to honor retired labor union members while still living. ment exclusively in labor, employment HEMORRHOIDS This edition’s honorees are Jim Leary, a and immigration law. It has nearly 400 Portland-based official of the national attorneys in 21 offices nationwide. One The Non-Surgical Treatment AFL-CIO who retired in 1973 and died in of its specialities is defending busi- We specialize in the non-surgical treatment of hemorrhoids. For over 40 1985; and Celia Boggs, a life member of nesses fined by OSHA for unsafe work- years people throughout the region have turned to the Sandy Blvd. Clinic for Portland Service Employees Local 49 who places.