Longshore Workers Stand Down at Ports, Up for Americans
Hundreds of Oregon Longshore Workers, in concert with more than 25,000 workers at 29 ports along the West Coast, stood down on the job today to call for an end to the war in Iraq.
ILWU International President Bob McEllrath told reporters that longshore workers were standing down on the job to stand up for America. "Big Foreign corporations that control global shipping aren't loyal or accountable to any country," said McEllrath. "For them it's all about making money. But longshore workers are different. We're loyal to America and we won't stand by while our country, our troops and our economy are destroyed by a war that's bankrupting us to the tune of $3 trillion. It's time to stand up and we're doing our part today."
In Portland, workers gathered on the Willamette River Esplanade and threw a rose into the water for each Oregonian killed in the war.
Election "Day" Starts Friday, Continues Through May 20th
Ballots will be mailed to Oregon voters Friday in what will be one of the most critical elections for working families in decades. Oregon's vote-by-mail primary continues through May 20th at 8 p.m.
Will we nominate Oregon's most pro-labor, pro-working families candidate for U.S. Senate in decades--Jeff Merkley--in the Democratic Primary? Will we make Michael Dembrow, a 19-year union member an labor activist the candidate to beat in House District 45? These and other pressing decisions will be determined by the votes of union working men and women in Oregon.
Before you vote, go past the campaign rhetoric and know where candidates stand on the issues that are important to working Oregonians. Click here for a full list of candidates who have earned the endorsement of the Oregon AFL-CIO.
Does McCain Have the Guts to Meet With Working Oregonians on Health Care?
John McCain will meet with Oregon donors May 12th at fundraisers costing thousands of dollars, but will he have the guts to meet with regular working folks to talk about the nation's health care crisis? We'll find out.
The Oregon AFL-CIO will extend an invitation to John McCain to join working men and women any time during his visit for a health care round table discussion. McCain has proposed a "health care plan" that would tax health care benefits provided to workers by employers and leave workers to battle insurance companies on their own. McCain tells reporters this plan will help Americans, but will he have the guts to tell working Oregonians the same thing and to listen to their real-life fights for affordable, accessible, comprehensive, portable health care?
The planned health care round table is part of a nationwide campaign by the AFL-CIO to engage John McCain on issues critical to working families. So far, John McCain hasn't talked with workers, but he did tell the Mike Gallagher radio show, "Obviously, we know that the campaign against me is that this is Bush III. Every place I go, just about, there are AFL-CIO protestors saying I'm a Bush continuation...They're trying to convince the people that's the case and--well, I am."
First Ever in Nation: Oregon AFL-CIO Economy Town Hall Brings Union, Working America Members Together
Working Oregonians--both union members and Working America members--gathered together for the first time in the nation last week at an Oregon AFL-CIO town hall forum on the economy, mortgage crisis and consumer debt. Audience members asked questions of an expert panel that included Speaker of the House and U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Merkley, Oregon Economic Fairness Coalition Director Angela Martin and state community debt and mortgage resource Fernando Velez.
The discussion was both practical and poignant. One attendee, Nancy, who attended with her 11-year-old son told the audience and panel: "Like many, we lived for years paying the minimum, or near minimum due, not realizing how many years it would take to be able to pay off the entire debt as a result of living this way. Then, we were both hit with unemployment and medical bills. We went through all of our savings and retirement to keep current. Then, when that ran out, we attempted to file bankruptcy, but learned that we would have to sell our home and vehicles because we had too much equity in both. Eventually, we were faced with the choice of falling behind on our mortgage or no longer making payments on our credit card and bank loans. We chose to keep current on our mortgage and have barely been able to do that. Our credit is destroyed and we have been hounded by debt collectors for the past four years. I am certain that we will never be in a position to repay those past debts, and it is likely that this will hang over our heads for the rest of our lifetime."
Nancy was only one of many who had a similar story. After the forum, a member of the audience, with tears in her eyes, thanked Nancy for sharing her story. "It's good to know that I am not alone," the woman said.
The Oregon AFL-CIO and Working America will collaborate again to bring similar events to communities across Oregon later this year.
Don't Miss Turn Around America Video Contest Deadline May 20th
One story, like Nancy's above, can change everything. And working men and women who have struggled under the failed policies of George W. Bush have plenty of stories to tell--stories moving enough to start a national conversation about how to Turn American Around. A couple of weeks ago the AFL-CIO launched a nationwide "Turn Around America" Online Video Competition to engage and inspire people like you from across the country to tell us how they'd turn our country around. The deadline for the contest is May 20th. Winners may have their videos show on national TV or at events planned in Oregon as part of the national "Turn Around America Tour" this summer.
This Week in Labor History
April 28, 1993
First "Take Our Daughters to Work Day" promoted by the Ms. Foundation to boost self-esteem of girls through invitations to a parent's workplace.
May 1, 1886
Eight-hour day demonstration in Chicago, and other cities, begins tradition of May Day as international labor holiday.
Source: biglabor.com
"It's the Economy S%*$@*!" Pocketbook Town Hall April 23rd
You don't have to tell working folks that the economy is in trouble--and working families' pocketbooks along with it. That's why for the first time in the nation, the Oregon AFL-CIO and it's community affiliate Working America are bringing together a panel of experts and advocates for economic fairness and community members for a discussion about what we can do to turn our economy--and our own financial situations--around. Don't miss this event and the opportunity to take action to make change.
Find our more here.
This event is open to union and Working America members. Not a union member? Join Working America and become part of the nations fastest growing movement for working men and women. It's free and easy. Join here!
Four more years of "McSame?"
While Democrats continue the race for the presidential nomination, presumptive nominee John McCain has quietly continued his campaign--allowing him to avoid having to answer tough questions about his record and his positions on issues that affect working families. We know that John McCain was a war hero who proudly served his country, but when it comes to the pocket books of working families McCain has largely stayed silent--even as union members from across the country have invited him to discuss issues with working men and women at every campaign stop.
This week, the silence ended when John McCain appeared on the Mike Gallagher radio show and told listeners, "Obviously, we know that the campaign against me is that this is Bush III. Every place I go, just about, there are AFL-CIO protestors saying I?m a Bush continuation...They?re trying to convince the people that?s the case and?well, I am."
There it is in plain language from McCain himself; elect him and we get for more years of "McSame."
McCain Releases "Plan" for Economy that Falls Short for Working Families
For weeks John McCain has been saying that he wasn't concerned about the economy, despite growing unemployment, increased prices, home forclosures and problems on wall street. This week he finally offered some recognition that our economy is in trouble but instead of offering long-term solutions, he focused on shortsighted proposals that would do more to pad the profit margins of large corporations than help struggling working families.
Instead of "straight talk" John McCain displayed stunning spin on a plan that sounds pro-family and pro-worker, but in reality merely repackage the failed policies of George W. Bush including even more tax-cuts for the wealthiest Americans, privatizing social security, cutting medicare and prescription drug coverage and reducing unemployment benefits for out-of-work Americans.
As if what McCain said in his economic proposal wasn't troubling enough, what he didn't say is even more worrisome: McCain's tax breaks for the rich would cost more than $2 trillion over the next 10 years--and that is on top of the cost of his "100 year" war which is costing America?s taxpayers.
Not only did McCain not mention his plans to pay for plans most Americans oppose, he didn't mention them at all--demonstrating once again that his concerns don't match those of everyday Americans.
Turn Around America One State, One Person, One Video at a Time
One story can change everything. And working men and women who have struggled under the failed policies of George W. Bush have plenty of stories to tell--stories moving enough to start a national conversation about how to Turn American Around. That's why the AFL-CIO is launching the nationwide Turn Around America Online Video Competition to engage and inspire people like you from across the country to tell us how they'd turn our country around.
Most winners will receive cash prizes and selected videos will be featured in television ads. Our panel of celebrity judges will pick several of the winners, while visitors to the website will choose the recipient of the "Our America" award.
Plus, some of the winning videos will appear in television ads--in part to engage voters and 2008 political candidates in a national dialogue about what is necessary to get America back on track.
But the conversation won't stop there. The Turn Around America campaign will be coming to Oregon this summer and may feature videos from Oregon contributors. Stay tuned for details. And in the mean time, tell your story here.
Oregonians Weigh In On National Healthcare Survey
The AFL-CIO released this week the results of a national healthcare survey of more than 26,000 American workers. Here's just a glimpse of what Oregonians had to say:
The survey gives voice to working families' concerns about healthcare in this critical election year and exposes a healthcare system that costs too much, covers too little, leaves too many behind and is getting worse. The results deliver a mandate for healthcare reform to everyone who wants the support of working families in this year's elections.
Read more about the Oregon survey results!
John McCain's So-Called "Healthcare Plan" Won't Solve the Healthcare Crisis
Given the concerns of working families in Oregon--and across the nation--it is critical in this election year that we elect a president who will work for real reform not false solutions.
While both Democrats running for president have proposed healthcare plans that would cover every American, John McCain's plan mirrors the failed policy of George W. Bush. John McCain's "plan" would:
If you think healthcare is unaffordable now, ask yourself, "Can we really afford to leave healthcare reform to John McCain?"
Want to know more? Look at John McCain's healthcare plan Revealed.
This week, Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain makes the case in the Salem Statesman Journal that jobs and the economy must be issue number one in the upcoming elections:
"Something's got to give, and it can't be the livelihoods of the American middle class. Jobs and the economy must be THE central issues in the upcoming elections, not because they are convenient issues for meaningless political pandering but because without a thriving economy--without Americans at work in living-wage jobs that can provide for themselves and their families--the strong schools, quality affordable health care, global competitiveness and national security and more we strive for will remain indefinitely out of our grasp."
Oregon AFL-CIO Urges Support for Warm Springs Casino & Resort
Calling it a win for working families, education, environment and the economy, Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain urged support for a casino and resort project proposed at Cascade Locks by the Warm Springs Tribe. In a prepared statement released before a project-related hearing Thursday, Chamberlain said:
"Together, the components of this project represent a unique opportunity for Oregon to advance education, to increase investment in a skilled workforce, to lift working families out of poverty and give them an opportunity to fulfill their dreams and aspirations, to help jump start Oregon’s economy, to allow even greater access to the opportunity to earn a college degree and to continue to put Oregon at the forefront of a national sustainability movement.
"The opportunity—for workers, for families, for the Warm Springs Tribe and for Oregon—is too great to miss and I urge full support for the project."
An Outsourcing Outrage: Boeing Machinist Jobs Shipped Overseas
The U.S. Air Force stunned the country last week with the announcement that it awarded a $40 billion contract (that could eventually grow to $100 billion) for aerial refueling tankers to a European manufacturer over U.S. based Boeing. As if outsourcing the nation’s national security isn’t bad enough, the decision is even more appalling when you consider that it will cost an estimated 44,000 family-wage U.S. jobs with 300 U.S. companies at a time when the economic picture in this country looks more and more grim each day. In Oregon alone, the move will cost local union Machinists hundreds of new jobs and the Oregon economy at least $8 million.
Since the release of the Air Force decision, opposition and outrage is growing across the country and in our nation’s capitol, particularly when the Air Force admitted that the impact on American jobs was not one of their criteria for awarding the contract. Noticeably silent from the outrage has been presidential hopeful John McCain, who actively lobbied for AirBus to get the contract and who, in 2006, prodded the Pentagon to develop new bidding procedures that would allow AirBus to compete with Boeing. Boeing, however, has appealed the decision and an increasing number of lawmakers are speaking out and urging the Defense Department to put a “stop order” on the contract.
Action alert: You can speak out too. Tell your representatives in Washington to stop the outsourcing of American jobs and American defense and defund the Air Force’s contract with Airbus and support U.S. jobs by choosing Boeing’s U.S. made tanker. Send your message now!
Oregon AFL-CIO to Join PDX Peace Saturday to Call for End of Iraq War
Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlin will join thousands of Oregonians in Portland’s South Park Blocks Saturday for a rally cosponsored by the PDX Peace Coalition and Military Families Speak Out on what will be the 5th anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq to call for an end to the war.
“It is working men and women and their families who have paid the highest price for the war in Iraq—in lives and in treasure,” said Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain. “While multi-national corporations have cashed in on the war, working families have seen prices go up, wages go down and too many loved ones lost or injured. It’s time to end the war, bring the troops home and begin rebuilding America’s battered middle-class.”
Others scheduled speakers include:
Where: South Park Blocks (SW Park and Madison), Portland Oregon
When: Saturday, March 15, 2008
10:00-6:00 Action Camp featuring workshops, exhibits, performances, music and more!
2:00 Rally and March
For additional details, visit www.pdxpeace.org or call 503-230-9427.
Anti-Worker, Anti-Fair Trade McCain WILL BE Republican Nominee
What we’ve presumed for weeks is now official: John McCain will be the Republican Nominee for President. And we know without a doubt, that a McCain White House will be no friend to working men and women and their families. No matter what the Presidential campaign rhetoric, McCain’s record is clear:
John McCain Voted For Bills That Would Export American Jobs
John McCain Voted Against Extending Unemployment Benefits
John McCain Voted For Privatization of Federal Jobs
John McCain Voted Against Raising the Minimum Wage
John McCain Voted Against Protection of Overtime Rights
John McCain Voted Against Allowing a Vote on the Employee Free Choice Act
John McCain Voted Against the Federal Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
John McCain Voted For a national Right to Work for Less law
And in case you think McCain has had a change of heart, think again. He has made clear on the campaign trail that he plans to continue the failed economic policies of the Bush Administration—from unfair trade agreements to tax cuts for the rich, which have fattened the pockets of the wealthiest Americans while leaving working families further and further behind. That’s not the change that working families need; it’s more of the same Washington politics that are out of touch with the realities of working families. Proving that point, John McCain said in a recent GOP debate, “I don't believe we're headed into a recession. I believe the fundamentals of this economy are strong, and I believe they will remain strong.”
If John McCain believes that, then he isn’t living in the same America as most working families who know all too well that in the last seven years prices have gone up, wages have gone down and far too many families are struggling more and more to obtain basic health care and hold on to their homes. If he’s that out of touch now, how much further away from the realities of working families will he be if he reaches the White House. Let’s hope we don’t find out.
Rebuilding a Strong Middle Class Requires a Revitalized Labor Movement
More than ever, the freedom to form a union is inextricably linked to the development of an economy that works for all. Check out the following commentary from across the country about how union organizing—and specifically the Employee Free Choice Act—is the solution to a troubled economy and a struggling middle class.
Robert Reich in the San Francisco Chronicle:
Does Labor Need More Clout?
The economic problem and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange
AFL-CIO President Sweeney in the Portland Oregonian:
Fundamental Change
By John Sweeney and Thomas Chamberlain
Dean Baker on the AFL-CIO "Point of View" section of the website:
The Recession and the Freedom to Organize
By Dean Baker, Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research
Stewart Acuff and Sheldon Friedman in several lefty blogs and online magazines:
Union Choice Would Help a Faltering Economy
By Stewart Acuff and Sheldon Friedman
Posted on Campaign for America's Future
Consumer Prices On The Rise
No, you’re not crazy. The cost of everything is going up.
Last week the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced the Consumer Price Index (CPI) climbed 3.7 percent last year in the region running from Portland metro to Salem.
That’s the biggest increase in a decade — and it tops the national CPI, which was 2.8 percent.
The CPI measures a broad range of consumer expenses in dozens of categories. Prices in the region were up in nearly every category in 2007. Gasoline jumped 11 percent; the average cost for medical care increased 12.7; and food and beverages rose 3.4 percent. The only declines locally were seen in natural gas, recreation and education — and none went down by more than 1 percent.
Since 2001, the inflation rate in the area has hovered around 2.6 percent or lower. The highest jump in the past 10 years was 3.3 percent.
Another measurement BLS takes is the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). It measured 208.556 for the 2007 annual average. That means a market basket of goods and services that cost $100 in 1982-84 would have cost $208.56 in 2007.
Curb Potential Tsunami Of Home Foreclosures
A growing number of public officials and academics are lobbying the federal government to start looking at resurrecting the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC). First seen during the Depression, the program was set up to help reduce a rash of home foreclosures.
Fast-forward to 2008: The subprime mortgage debacle is spinning out of control and tens of thousands of families are losing – or about to lose — their homes.
“I like the idea. You can count me in,” says Tom Chamberlain, president of the Oregon AFL-CIO. “We’re in a crisis situation, and I think government should step in to help.”
In a Sunday article in the New York Times, business reporter Alan S. Binder wrote: “The HOLC was established in June 1933 to help distressed families avert foreclosures by replacing mortgages that were in or near default with new ones that homeowners could afford. It did so by buying old mortgages from banks — most of which were delighted to trade them in for safe government bonds — and then issuing new loans to homeowners. The HOLC financed itself by borrowing from capital markets and the Treasury.”
U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, (D-Conn.) favors HOLC. Even Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chair, has suggested that the government provide assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure.
McCain No Friend of Workers: Part II
If you work for your paycheck, John McCain probably is not the man you want running the country.
The fact is, John McCain’s “Straight Talk Express” has left the station, leaving working people behind. His record on working-family issues is close to identical to the record of George Bush. He’s voted with the President 88% of the time.
McCain has consistently voted on the side of corporations, often at working people’s expense, in Oregon and across the country.
“Working people don’t want another president who favors the status quo. We don’t need another president who is out of touch with the concerns and priorities of working families. We need a new direction. It’s time to turn around America,” said Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain.
For example: McCain repeatedly has supported free trade agreements and has said agreements like NAFTA are good for Americans. In fact, he’s called himself the most free-trade member of the U.S. Senate. He cast his vote to give the Bush tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans and has said they should be made permanent — all the while voting against a raise for minimum wage workers and against protecting overtime pay.
“John McCain isn’t listening to the voices of working families, who are being forced to work longer hours just to get by,” Chamberlain said.
Rumors abound that Oregon’s experimental legislative session may end early, even though the list of bills left to act on remains long.
Most of the health care legislation we are tracking is still in committee. There are many good reforms being considered, but the big changes likely won’t come until the 2009 session when the Oregon Health Fund Board brings its recommendations to lawmakers.
Today in Salem the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources made some minor amendments to a retrofit bill (HB 3612) before passing it unanimously. The Committee is chaired by Sen. Brad Avakian. The bill requires all new purchases or soon-to-be-renovated state government buildings to be retrofitted to be more energy efficient. HB 3612, which passed the House last week, will be carried on the Senate floor by Sen. Floyd Prozanski. If it passes there, it must return to the House to deal with the amendments.
Also passing out of committee today were HB 3619 to create a renewable energy tax credit, and HB 3624, a bill ensuring that the Department of Transportation makes annual reports to the Legislature on the effects of SB 1080. That bill passed this session and has been signed into law. SB 1080 requires Oregonians to show a birth certificate or other form of legal identification to get a driver’s license.
Lawmakers passed HB 3603, a bill limiting prepayment penalties and requiring lenders to disclose all fees up front before a borrower signs for a mortgage. The House is expected to vote on SB 1098 later this week. SB 1098 will automatically register Oregonians to vote when they sign up for a driver’s license or DMV-issued ID card, unless they opt out.
To track specific bills, click here.
LNG Terminal Will Generate Jobs
The Oregon AFL-CIO is solidly in support of a proposed liquid natural gas terminal along the Columbia River near Astoria. The facility will create 450 construction jobs over three years, plus 65 permanent living-wage jobs, and generate $7.8 million a year in taxes for Clatsop County.
“Our convention passed a resolution last year supporting this project,” says Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain. “It will bring good union jobs to the area and help secure a more stable energy future for Oregon.”
The Columbia-Pacific Building and Construction Trades Council (CPBCTC) already has an agreement with owner NorthernStar Natural Gas that it will be built by union contractors. And NorthernStar has signed neutrality agreements with the Machinists and Steelworkers so that either union can organize the full-time workforce once it is built.
“Our affiliates have worked with NorthernStar to make this a safe and secure project,” said John Mohlis, CPBCTC executive secretary.
Opponents have voiced concerns about safety and the environment. But the natural gas will be held in two-foot-thick concrete double-wall storage tanks, and tankers will operate under strict regulations of the U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security.
The project will utilize the former site of the Bradwood lumber mill, which ceased operation in 1965 after more than 100 years.
GOP Presidential Front-Runner Has Checkered Labor Record
The Oregon AFL-CIO is neutral on who should get the Democratic nomination for president. But when it comes to the presumptive Republican nominee, Arizona U.S. Sen. John McCain, federation president Tom Chamberlain comes out swinging. McCain, despite a media-cultivated reputation as a moderate, has a checkered past when it comes to helping working families, Chamberlain says.
First elected to the Senate in 1986, McCain has a lifetime AFL-CIO rating of just 17 percent through 2006. During the first session of the 110th Congress, McCain voted with the AFL-CIO only three times out of 34 votes taken.
“When it comes to the interests of America’s workers, a look at McCain’s voting record shows he’s opposed efforts to expand health care and protect workers while voting for every free trade agreement under the sun,” Chamberlain said.
Here’s an example:
Sen. McCain joined the 2007 Republican filibuster of the Employee Free Choice Act, and supported a so-called Right-to-Work law that would have made unions as weak nationally as they are in much of the South. He voted against an amendment prohibiting the overseas outsourcing of government contracts, and has done little to aid workers who have lost their jobs — even voting against the temporary extension of federal unemployment insurance benefits.
McCain’s campaign has all but ignored the issue of America's health care crisis, although you can get a peek of what he might do by his votes in Congress: slash funding for Medicare and opposing the reauthorization and new funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP.
“His plan will force working families out into the private market to fend for themselves, and will chip away at employer-based health care,” Chamberlain said.
OSEA joins 850,000-member AFT – adding 20,000 members to Oregon AFL-CIO
Oregon School Employees Association announced Feb. 5 it will join 850,000-member American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
Because AFT is an AFL-CIO union, OSEA's affiliation with AFT means 20,000 more union-represented workers will be under the umbrella of the Oregon AFL-CIO — bringing the total membership of the labor federation to about 110,000 workers (and that’s not counting the open-to-all Working America community organization, which is now 65,000-strong).
OSEA has long had a close relationship with AFT's other statewide affiliate — 12,500-member AFT-Oregon. Last year, the OSEA Board passed a resolution laying the groundwork for formal affiliation with AFT, becoming in effect a second statewide local. OSEA members voted five-to-one in favor of affiliation in mail ballots counted Feb. 5 by the League of Women Voters.
"This is going to make us stronger," said OSEA president Merlene Martin.
OSEA, founded in 1938 by a group of school janitors in Lane County, today represents 20,000 workers in 139 bargaining units. OSEA members include employees of school districts, community colleges, education service districts, Head Start agencies, libraries, and park and recreation districts. For the most part, they are so-called "classified employees" — school support staff in occupational classifications that aren't required to hold teaching certification.
OSEA will keep its name, identity and structure, including 40 staff, eight field offices and its headquarters in Salem. It will be AFT's fifth-largest local, and the largest on the West Coast.
"This is good for the movement," said Oregon AFL-CIO president Tom Chamberlain. "It helps OSEA members build strength in their political program and in their organizing program."
Oregon AFL gets behind mortgage reforms
Following the lead of the national AFL-CIO, Oregon’s state labor federation is joining consumer groups in pushing for state-level mortgage reforms to put a stop to lending practices that have put many homebuyers at risk.
At a meeting last Friday of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, Oregon AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer Barbara Byrd testified in favor of Senate Bill 1090. SB 1090 would prohibit lenders from making home loans if they don’t think borrowers will be able to make payments. It would also limit pre-payment penalties, ban loan fees of over 5 or 6 percent, and require that all fees, costs, rates, and payment amounts be clearly disclosed. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Ben Westlund (D-Tumalo), who is running for state treasurer.
But mortgage industry professionals packed the room, and protested that the reforms would put them out of business. By Tuesday, it looked like the bill was in trouble and might end up being watered down to some extent.
Nearly half of homeowners with adjustable rate mortgages are expecting to have to cut back on everyday expenses like groceries, clothing, and gasoline when their payments increase — according to an AFL-CIO-commissioned national survey by Peter D. Hart Research Associates. The United States may be in the beginnings of a full-blown recession sparked by financial crisis in the mortgage industry. And more than 12,000 Oregonians could face foreclosure in the next two-and-a-half years, according to the General Accounting Office.
“The goal should be home ownership and stability for homeowners in danger – not protecting the credit industry,” says Oregon AFL-CIO president Tom Chamberlain. “Lenders should be expected to offer consumers the loan that is best for the consumer, not the one loaded with the most fees and ‘pieces of the action’ for the lenders and paperwork processors.”
Oregon AFL-CIO Tackles Global Warming
The Oregon AFL-CIO's newly formed Blue Ribbon Committee on Climate Change held its first meeting Jan. 30, chaired by Oregon AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Byrd. The committee was established by a resolution passed at the state labor federation's October 2007 convention.
Committee members plan to produce a report on the risks and opportunities of proposed climate change policies. The report will include policy recommendations for the Oregon AFL-CIO's June Executive Board meeting. That's the meeting at which legislative priorities for the 2009 session of the Oregon Legislature will be discussed.
The Oregon AFL-CIO recognizes that dealing with global warming can create economic opportunities, but may also result in job losses. The federation will work to make sure that any climate change legislation is fair, equitable and good for Oregon working families.
Union Membership On The Rise in Oregon, Nationally
Union membership in Oregon increased by 16,000 in 2007 to an estimated 227,000 — that’s 14.3 percent of the workforce here, up from13.8 percent a year ago, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Nationally, union membership increased by 311,000 to 15.7 million members in 2007. It is the largest single-year increase in union membership since 1979.
“Corporate America has been trying to drive a stake through our heart,” said Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain said. “But folks are figuring out how to organize even in the most difficult conditions.”
Union membership among women grew again in 2007, continuing a trend in recent years. More than 201,000 women joined unions in 2007, nearly twice the number of men. Women now account for 44 percent of all union members, a new high.
Private sector union membership grew by 133,000, to 7.5 percent of the workforce, in 2007. In construction alone, more than 96,000 members were added last year.
The largest increase in union membership was in health services, where unions added 142,000 members.
Interestingly, the majority of workers who won unions last year did so outside the broken National Labor Relations Board process.
The full report is available online.
Workers Want and Need a Union More than Ever
Economic inequality is at historic proportions. In 1980, CEO pay was about 42 times that of the average blue-collar worker. By 2006, CEO pay had skyrocketed to 364 times that of the average worker — by far the largest gap in the industrialized world.
The top 1 percent of Americans now account for 21.8 percent of our nation’s income, the highest level since 1928, just prior to the Great Depression. Working people are being left behind as wages stagnate, health care costs spiral out of control and the hope of a secure retirement fades.
“Unions are the single best ticket into the middle class for today’s working families, especially in this economy,” says Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain.
According to the Department of Labor’s BLS survey released last week, full-time wage and salary workers who were union members earned a median weekly wage of $863, while those who were not represented by unions had median earnings of $663.
Among women, union members made 33 percent more than non-union members. Latino union members made 51 percent more than Latino non-union workers and African American union workers made 37 percent more than their non-union counterparts.
Union members also receive superior benefits as compared to their non-union counterparts, including better pensions and health insurance.
Happy Holidays from the Oregon AFL-CIO! This week’s Update is a recap of some of our favorite stories from 2007. Please feel free to pass the Weekly Update along to your friends and colleagues, and invite them to sign up by sending an email to afl-cio@oraflcio.org.
Each New Year’s Day brings us a reminder of one of the union movement’s proudest achievements in Oregon: a minimum wage that’s on the nation’s A-List, just behind Washingtton state, thanks to a statewide vote in 2002. In January of 2007, the Oregon’s minimum wage Minimum wage rose to $7.80, and it will rise again next week to $7.95. Raising the minimum wage help low-wage working families keep up with the cost of living without dampening job growth, according to analyses of states that have done so.
Oregon’s four Democrats in Congress -- Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, Darlene Hooley and David Wu -- helped pass the Employee Free Choice Act. The Act aims to restore America’s workers the freedom to join a union and negotiate better working conditions, pay and benefits. The Oregon AFL-CIO and our members had held several rallies and mailed thousands of post cards in support. Ultimately it died in the U.S. Senate, where workers had the support of Sen. Ron Wyden but not Sen. Gordon Smith.
The Oregon AFL-CIO tracked more than 400 bills in the State Legislature, testified on several dozen, and spearheaded three right-to-organize bills. This month, more than a dozen workers from Bend, McMinnville, Portland and other towns drove to Salem to tell their stories of the abuse they endured when they tried to join a union. One said, “They have threatened us with a possible loss of our jobs should we go union, and several people have left the company because of the stress.” The House of Representatives, led by Speaker Jeff Merkley, passed all three bills. The State Senate passed HB 2891, which grants majority sign-up rights to more than 70,000 public sector workers. Read our Board’s COPE ratings of the State Legislators here.
In a campaign that ultimately proved to be both an organizing victory and fuel for legislative wins, dosens of Bend Area Transit workers who were trying to join a union moved full speed ahead this month. They had learned first-hand the abuses employers will use against organizing efforts, and they testified before the Bend City Council and the State Legislature. AFL-CIO Organizing Director Stewart Acuff rallied with them, the Bend City Council backed them in a resolution, the State Legislature passed reforms that we had sponsored, and the bus drivers won membership in the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757.
The most pro-working families legislative session in decades continued to bear fruit this month, as Gov. Ted Kulongoski cycled through several bill-signing ceremonies, including SB 400, which gives public safety officers the right to bargain for safe staffing levels, and HB 3999, which protects Longshore and other workers with Unemployment insurance in case their employer locks them out during multi-state negotiations. Other victories and missed opportunities are outlined in the Northwest Labor Press.
When immigration officials arrested more than 150 undocumented workers in North Portland, we asked the question: Why is Fresh Del Monte importing workers through a North Carolina company, when Oregon has plenty of skilled food processing workers right here at home? In a statement, Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain said, “Ironically, many of our best food processing workers have seen their jobs outsourced in recent years. The President and Congress need to stop playing games and pass comprehensive immigration reform that values workers and families, both citizen and immigrant.” Read Chamberlain’s entire statement on the KOIN 6 web site.
Two groups of workers celebrated their hard-earned right to join a union when they signed their first contracts this month. The 300 farm workers at Three Mile Canyon farm in Boardman had fought for more than four years to unite through the United Farm Workers, and a week after they reached their first agreement, more than 300 nurses in Roseburg reached an agreement with Mercy Medical Center, 18 months after voting to join the Oregon Nurses Association.
The Oregon AFL-CIO Executive Board voted to put Circuit City on its Unfair/Do Not Patronize list after the company’s mass firing of workers simply for working their way up the wage scale. The Southwestern Oregon Central Labor Council led the charge, as the tactic only invites other employers to jump into the race to the bottom for wages. Circuit City told the Labor Council that they should encourage people to shop even more at Circuit City. The Executive Board didn’t buy it, and voted unanimously on August 10 to toss the company to the dogs.
Leaders from more than 20 Oregon unions, representing more than 65,000 union members including teachers, nurses, plumbers and more, convened in Portland in the largest Organizing Summit ever held in Oregon. The goal? To build Oregon’s union movement by strengthening one another’s organizing efforts in unprecedented ways, and building a legislative agenda to match. Several of the Team’s resolutions based on the group’s first meeting were passed at our 2007 Convention, and they will meet again in February.
More than 400 members and leaders of the Oregon AFL-CIO gathered in Seaside, to celebrate the Oregon AFL-CIO’s achievements for working families and to plot the course for victory in 2008. On hand to celebrate with us were presidential candidates Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Sen. John Edwards, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney,as well as Gov. Ted Kulongoski, most of our Congressional delegation, and a list too long to mention. Visit Tom’s blog for photos and news from the Convention for a recap of the Convention, and read the resolutions our members passed.
Thanks to their countless hours of volunteering to inform their co-workers and family members through worksite fliers, door knocks and phone calls, Oregon AFL-CIO members outvoted the general electorate by more than 13 percent -- an impressive pace that matched their performance in the November 2006 election and landed them in the AFL-CIO blog. By passing measure 49, Voters preserved much of our farmland and forests -- and the jobs that depend on these resources.
Oregon AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Byrd reported back from Bali, Indonesia, where she attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference with 85 other trade unionists from around the world, including 25 from unions in the U.S. and Canada. Byrd said that if labor does not act, business will take the lead, turning solutions for global warming into a means for increasing corporate profit at the expense of workers.
We gave you some union-made candy ideas for Halloween – now we’ll give you a no-nonsense guide to giving safe, quality, union-made gifts for the holidays.
Remember: Always look for the Made in USA label, as many of the companies below outsource some of their product lines.
Shipping holiday gifts? US Postal Service and UPS both employ well-paid, reliable union workers, and UPS was ranked Fortune 500’s most socially responsible company from 2004-2006.
What to Avoid: Think about safety and work practices before you buy! Avoid Gap, American Eagle, Dickeys, Victoria’s Secret, Guess, Hanes, Disney, Tommy Hilfiger, Speedo, and Wal-Mart
Nov. 21: A few weeks ago, we promised you a full report on the resolutions that our members passed at the 2007 Convention last month. This week we invite you to explore the dozens of resolutions they debated, amended and voted on. Check out our new section on 2007 Resolutions.
NOV. 7: The AFL-CIO blog yesterday reported on our Labor 2007 campaign, in which our members mobilized to support Measures 49 and 50.
“Our members have stepped up year after year to beat back anti-worker ballot measures, so it’s exciting for us to have something good to fight for this year,” said Tom Chamberlain, President of the Oregon AFL-CIO. “People have come to expect us to have a buzz around election time, and our members are getting used to being recognized as being a force to be reckoned with.”
As of press time, Oregon AFL-CIO’s union members and household voters had voted at a rate that was 13% higher than the general electorate.
OCT. 10: The 2007 Oregon AFL-CIO Convention, which took place the past four days in Seaside, was a big 'ole success and a great time to boot. From the members. lively debate on diverse resolutions, to the all-star line-up of speakers, we hammered out an ambitious agenda for the next two years and built on the relationships that will help us carry that agenda forward to victory in 2008.
READ ALL ABOUT IT: Oregon AFL-CIO Tom Chamberlain blogged from the Convention. You can read his blog, complete with photos, news links and audio, at:
STAY TUNED: Next Wednesday, our Weekly Update will cover the resolutions the delegates passed. Find out more about the path our members have paved to build good jobs and strong communities for all of Oregon's working families!
50th Convention Featured All-Star Line-Up -- And the 400 Members Whose Accomplishments They Celebrated
OCT. 8-10: More than 400 members and leaders of the Oregon AFL-CIO gathered in Seaside to celebrate the Oregon AFL-CIO's achievements for working families.
Tom Chamberlain, Oregon AFL-CIO President, said, "In the past two years, our members worked harder than ever to elect nearly all of our endorsed candidates in 2006, because they know that good jobs build strong communities in Oregon. Our honored speakers are a testament to their good work on family wage jobs, health care, retirement security and job safety. In short, our members are being recognized for making Oregon a better place to live and work."
Presidential Candidates:
Dennis Kucinich, Congressman
John Edwards, U.S. Senator
Congressional Leaders:
Earl Blumenauer, U.S. Representative
Darlene Hooley, U.S. Representative
David Wu, U.S. Representative
Labor Leaders:
Stewart Acuff, AFL-CIO Organizing Director
Mike Cavanaugh, AFL-CIO Director or State and Local Affiliates
David Gregory, National AFL-CIO Western Region Political Director
John Sweeney, AFL-CIO President
Statewide Elected Officials:
Bill Bradbury, Oregon Secretary of State
Dan Gardner, Labor Commissioner
Ted Kulongoski, Governor
U.S. Senate Candidates:
Jeff Merkley, Oregon House Speaker
Steve Novick, Political Strategist
Tribal Leader:
Steve Shane, Clatsop-Nehalem Federated Tribes Vice Chair
# # #
Sept. 26: Earlier this month, leaders from more than 20 Oregon unions, representing more than 65,000 union members including teachers, nurses, plumbers and more, convened in Portland in the largest Organizing Summit ever held in Oregon.
The goal? To build Oregon's union movement by strengthening the campaigns through which working men and women join unions and bargain for better pay and benefits. This strategy includes legislative goals, as well as supporting one another's organizing efforts in unprecedented ways.
"The energy in the room was awesome," said Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain. "We've been having separate conversations for years about organizing, and when top leaders of Oregon's unions got together, it all finally clicked: We spent the day brainstorming, strategizing, and figuring out ways we could help each other in ways that have not been done before. The rubber is hitting the road. We're ready to go."
Already, three organizing resolutions based on the group's first meeting have been crafted for our 2007 Convention, and union leaders have exchanged information on how they can leverage resources to assist one another's campaigns. The group voted to call itself the Unity Team and meet quarterly to develop strategy, determine priorities, check in on progress and more.
The session was largely planned by Political Coordinator Elana Guiney, and facilitated by AFL-CIO Organizing Director Stewart Acuff and Chamberlain. Leaders came away knowing what resources were available from the AFL-CIO at the state and national level as well. Affiliate union leaders who would like to partake in these discussions should contact Chamberlain at 503-585-6320.
See the AFL-CIO Endorsements for the 2008 Primary Election
See how my legislators rate on working families issues
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