Meeting Notices

General membership
General membership meets the second Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m. at the Carpenters Hall, 2215 N. Lombard, Portland. Nominations for Local 247 president will be taken at this meeting, and an election held the following meeting.

Retirees
Retirees meet for lunch the second Monday, Feb. 9, at 11 a.m. at Hometown Buffet, 10452A SE Washington St., Portland.

Executive Board
Executive Board meets the fourth Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 6:30 p.m. at the Carpenters Hall, 2215 N. Lombard, Portland.

Newsletter committee
Newsletter committee meets the second Thursday, Feb. 12, at 6:30 p.m., first floor, Small Conference Room, Carpenters Hall, 2215 N. Lombard, Portland.

Local 247 backs health care for ALL

By Gabriel Triplett
Member, Local 247

At the last Local 247 meeting a motion was passed to endorse House Resolution 676, and that we as a Union would call upon or representatives in both the Oregon Legislature and in Congress to stand with us in supporting this very important measure.

H.R. 676 is a resolution before the House of Representatives in Congress to create a single-payer not-for profit health care coverage plan that would cover every resident living within the United States. The coverage plan would include: primary care and prevention, inpatient care, outpatient care, emergency care, total cost of prescription drugs, durable medical equipment, long term care, mental health services, dental health services, substance abuse, chiropractic care and basic dental and vision care.

Here are some facts of the bill taken directly from the Library of Congress's Web page:

• Prohibits an institution from participating in the Program unless it is a public or nonprofit institution. Allows nonprofit health maintenance organizations (HMOs) that actually deliver care in their own facilities to participate in the Program.
• Gives patients the freedom to choose from participating physicians and institutions.
• Prohibits a private health insurer from selling health insurance coverage that duplicates the benefits provided under this Act. Allows such insurers to sell benefits that are not medically necessary, such as cosmetic surgery benefits.
• Sets forth methods to pay hospitals and health professionals for services. Prohibits financial incentives between HMOs and physicians based on utilization.
• Establishes the USNHI Trust Fund to finance the Program with amounts deposited: (1) from existing sources of Government revenues for health care; (2) by increasing personal income taxes on the top 5 percent income earners; (3) by instituting a progressive excise tax on payroll and self-employment income; and (4) by instituting a small tax on stock and bond transactions.
• Requires the Program to give first priority in retraining and job placement and unemployment benefits to individuals whose jobs are eliminated due to reduced administration.
• Establishes a National Board of Universal Quality and Access to provide advice on quality, access, and affordability.
• Provides for the eventual integration of the Indian Health Service into the Program.

According to Rep. Dennis Kucinich (one of 96 co-sponsors of the bill), currently there are between 45 million and 47 million Americans without health insurance. With numbers like that, it is not surprising that organized labor is making single-payer health care a priority: 483 Union bodies spread out over 48 states have endorsed this bill, including 118 central labor councils and area labor federations, and 38 state AFL-CIOs. One other perk of this bill for us as union labor will be that health and welfare will be off the bargaining table. No longer will we fight for a $2 raise only to be forced by rising insurance costs to put half our raise toward health care.

However, nothing is free in this world, so the question becomes how will we pay for this? The bill spells it out quite plainly. There will be a 7.7 percent payroll tax on employers, as well as a 5 percent income tax on all those making more than $140,000 a year. This bill is aimed at helping all Americans, but is paid for by employers and the wealthiest 5 percent of Americans, so there is no surprise in the fact that there are some who are attempting to stand in the way. That is why it is so important that each member call their Reps in Congress and let our collective voice be heard on this issue.

Representatives:
Earl Blumenauer - 503-231-2300
Peter Defazio - 541-440-3523
Kurt Schrader - 503-588-9100
Greg Walden - 503-389-4408
David Wu - 503-326-2901

Senators:
Jeff Merkley - 202-224-3753
Ron Wyden - 202-224-5244

Information for this article was gathered from the Library of Congress Web page, as well as www.unionsforsinglepayerhr676.org.

Follow up on labor struggle

By Gabe Triplett
Member, Local 247
Last month, I wrote about the Republic Windows and Doors workers occupying their doors and windows factory and demanding their severance, vacation pay and health benefits after the boss had given them only three days notice that he would be closing the doors. I am very happy to write this month that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Serious Materials, a "green" windows company based out of California, has agreed to buy out the company. Serious is a leading manufacturer of green energy building material and believes that the market for green building is beginning to take hold in the Midwest. Serious has said that after a brief ramp-up period they believe that all workers in the factory will be rehired. (Whether or not this happens will depend on the workers endurance to keep up the fight.) The Union and the company are very close to signing a deal and now only wait on the bankruptcy court to speed up the deal so that Serious can buy all of the materials previously owned buy the last employer and begin operating.

Oregon Fair Trade Campaign Monthly Report

How has "free trade" worked for you? Was your job shipped abroad to another country? Has you livelihood been affected by increased imports? Perhaps trade pacts have impacted your family or community in some other way? If you've been personally affected by "free trade," we want to hear from you at www.TradeStories.org.

For too long, debates over international trade have been dominated by corporate elites and economic ideologues, rather than rooted in the experiences of ordinary Americans. The Trade Stories Project allows people who have been negatively affected by policies and institutions like NAFTA and the WTO to share their views on a matter crucial to the global economy. This includes displaced workers, farmers, small business owners and immigrants who have typically been excluded from the trade debate.

A new year, new President and new Congress should mean a new model for trade, but that won't happen without our work. "Free traders" are already pushing the Obama administration hard to "stay the course" on failed trade policies. We need to speak out loudly and clearly in favor of change.

By sharing your story at www.TradeStories.org, you will:

• Help document the real impacts of free trade agreements in communities across America.
• Bring issues like job loss and economic insecurity into the public spotlight.
• Show policymakers that existing trade pacts are not working for ordinary people.

Dues rates for 2009

There has been an increase in dues per direction from UBCJA General Office.