NEWS
LETTER
October 2000
INDEX
| November 7, 2000
Important election
By Bruce Dennis Our opponents do not have good things planned for the working class. It is very important for us to participate in the political process as much as possible. The least we should do is register and VOTE! The deadlines for registration are Oct. 17 in Oregon and Oct. 7 in Washington. Be sure you are registered and talk to your family, friends and co-workers to make sure they are also registered. If you are willing to do some extra things politically … we are phone banking, putting out lawn signs, bumper stickers and campaigning for several candidates and measures. Oregon Measures 92 and 98 are aimed directly at choking off unions financially and effectively eliminating them. We are actively working to defeat both of these measures. You will hear a lot about these from the AFL-CIO and the Northwest Labor Press as well. We are trying to mobilize our Southwest Washington members to help BRIAN BAIRD, U.S. Representative, and several Southwest Washington state house candidates. Brian will be at our next meeting, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. Be sure you are in attendance. We also are supporting several Oregon House and Senate candidates. Laurie Monnes-Anderson, candidate for Oregon House District 22, was at our last meeting to address the members. She would be an excellent addition to the Oregon House, and her opponent is being supported by the AGC, whom we seem to be politically opposed to on many of our issues. We will be helping Laurie, also. If you have some spare time, get involved. Call us. We will find a way to use you to help strengthen our UNION. November meeting - General Convention Local 247 sent four delegates to the recent General Convention in Chicago, Illinois. Treasurer Tom Daugherty had the idea of sending delegates with Local 247 T-shirts, hats and plenty of lapel pins to trade with other delegates from around the country. We came back with T-shirts, hats, pins and jackets from all over the country. We will be giving these items away as door prizes, starting with the Nov. 14 regular union meeting. BE THERE! Last meeting – Ed Doty won a new Porter-Cable power saw. Miranda Middleton was also at our last meeting. She read her winning Labor History Essay and was presented with a scholarship check of $750. Good luck, Miranda, and CONGRATULATIONS!
Building trades ARE UNDER ATTACK, Weapon of choice? The Oregon Constitution. Amendments 92 and 98 are unnecessary and unfair, and do not belong in our Constitution
What’s at stake?
Jessica Wellner of Doernbecher Children’s Hospital was in attendance at our last meeting to accept a $2,200 check from Local 247. We put together a press release after our annual picnic and the Daily Journal of Commerce printed it in its Aug. 30 edition: Portland Carpenters Union raises $2,200 for Doernbecher
Carpenters Local 247 announced recently the successful fund raising of $2,200 for Doernbecher Children’s Hospital at its annual picnic held in August at Oaks Amusement Park in Portland. “Our local union has raised money for Doernbecher Children’s Hospital for the last seven years at our annual picnics,” said President Bruce Dennis. Many contractors and labor organizations donate prizes for a sweepstakes drawing and all the proceeds were forwarded to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. “Without the support of the contractors and labor organizations, this fund raiser would not be possible,” said Dennis. This year’s contributors include: Advanced Technology Group, Bechtel International; B.J. Cummings; Hoffman Structures, Inc.; Home Depot, IBEW United Workers Federal Credit Union, Jantzen Beach; Howard S. Wright Co.; McCormack Pacific Co.; Nite Hawk Café; OTKM Construction, Inc.; P&C Construction; Rick’s Fastener House & Supply Co., Inc.; Robertson Hay & Wallace; Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters; Northwest Oregon Labor Council; Pacific Northwest Labor History Association; Northwest Labor Press; Carpenters Local 247; Carpenters Local 1388; Bruce Dennis, president of Carpenters Local 247; Bruce Ashback, trustee of Carpenters Local 247; and Christine Kern, trustee of Carpenters Local 247. Last year, Carpenters Local 247’s contribution put them over the $10,000 mark, making them an official founder of the Children’s Hospital. This year, the union discussed donating to Doernbecher Holiday Card Project, becoming a sponsor of that program. Doernbecher Children’s Hospital is Oregon and Southwest Washington’s largest hospital, offering the most comprehensive range of pediatric services. More than 35,000 children, from every county in Oregon and five surrounding states, make over 130,000 visits to Doernbecher each year. Carpenters Local 247 is affiliated with the four-state Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters and the International United Brotherhood of Carpenters. The Carpenters advocate for the payment of fair wages, family-oriented fringe benefits, livable pension plans, quality training, workforce development and safe workplaces. There are three ways to pay dues: Monthly Reduced quarterly dues Quarterly dues payments are due by:
*payments received after 5 p.m. on the above cut-off dates will result in higher monthly dues charged. Reduced yearly dues Yearly dues must be paid by 12/31/00 Congratulations to our apprentices Carpenters Local 247 would like to congratulate our apprentice who became a journeyman. September 2000: Kyle W. Heckaman Gore weighs in against 92 and 98 AFL-CIO Secretary-treasurer Richard Trumka stirred the crowd at the Northwest Oregon Labor Council’s picnic in Portland with a scathing indictment of George W. Bush’s anti-labor record as governor of Texas and a clarion call to register our members, educate them on the issues and turn out the union vote to elect the Gore/Lieberman ticket and take back the ballot for working families. Trumka also delivered the news that Vice President Gore has declared his opposition to Oregon’s Measures 92 and 98, two constitutional amendments sponsored by Oregon Taxpayers United’s Bill Sizemore, that would unfairly restrict the right of working people to participate in the political process. “These measures unfairly target payroll deductions that working people use to make their voices heard,” said Trumka, “while leaving completely unfettered the cash, checks and jets that corporations use to influence the political process.” NOLC’s picnic, which drew 15,000 union members and their family members to Oaks Park, was one of five events sponsored by unions and central labor councils across the state - including the traditional ILWU picnic near Warrenton (co-sponsored by the Clatsop-Tillamook Central Labor Council), the Lane County CLC’s Springfield picnic , the Southwest Oregon CLC’s picnic in Coquille and, new this year, the Umatilla-Morrow CLC’s picnic in Pendleton. The deadline to register for the November General Election is OCTOBER 17, 2000 Fighting for our right to participate The campaign to defeat Measures 92 and 98, which would restrict our rights to participate collectively in the political process, was bolstered by more key endorsements in August from United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley, the Oregon School Boards Association, the Human Services Coalition of Oregon and Labor Commissioner Jack Roberts. These endorsements are important. But even more important are the voices of our own members. That’s why we need local unions to identify and recruit members to serve as spokespersons for the campaign. We’ll provide the training. Call April Rebollo at 503-585-6320. |
