August 6, 2010 Volume 111 Number 15
Oregon AFL
endorses Schrader
At the Oregon AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education (COPE)
meeting in June, delegates voted to postpone consideration of an
endorsement for Congressman Kurt Schrader and to allow the Executive
Committee to consider any action at a later date.
On July 26, the state labor federation’s Executive Committee
took up the endorsement and voted to support Schrader.
“At a time when Republican lawmakers have closed their doors
to the labor movement and middle class Americans as a whole, the
Executive Committee felt it was important to help keep an ally in
Congress,” said Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain,
pointing out that Schrader has voted with labor “the vast
majority of the time” and that he voted for the last set of
job creation and unemployment insurance extension bills that passed
through Congress. “And even when we disagree, his door is
always open,” Chamberlain said.
Schrader has an 81 percent COPE voting record as tracked by the
national AFL-CIO. The first-term congressman voted against the labor-backed
Jobs for Main Street Act, which redirected $75 billion in unused
bank bailout money — the Troubled Asset Relief Program —
to fund infrastructure and job investments and provide additional
emergency funding for families in need.
He also cast a “no” vote on a financial reform and consumer
protection bill that overhauled the country’s financial rules
and created a Consumer Financial Protection Agency.
Both bills passed the Democratic-controlled House.
Metro union
backs Hughes for Metro president
Tom Hughes,
candidate for president of the regional government, Metro, has been
endorsed by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees (AFSCME) Local 3580/3580-1. AFSCME represents over 350
employees at Metro, and another 62 workers at the Portland Expo,
Performing Arts, and Convention Centers, which Metro oversees.
“Tom
has demonstrated the ability to bring diverse groups together to
find solutions that benefit the whole community,” said union
President Matt Tracy. “He brings the leadership and experience
needed to move Metro and the region in a positive direction.”
Hughes also
has been endorsed by other labor groups, including IBEW Local 48,
the Northwest Oregon Labor Council, the Columbia Pacific Building
Trades Council, and Teamsters Joint Council 37.
Hughes
served as mayor of Hillsboro from 2000 to 2008. He taught history
and government in the Beaverton school district for 30 years.
Oregon Service
Employees locals endorse John Kitzhaber for governor
Members
of Services Employees International Union (SEIU) voted to endorse
Democrat John Kitzhaber for governor of Oregon. Along with the endorsement,
they also pledged to campaign actively on his behalf.
SEIU
represents more than 50,000 workers in state and local government,
homecare, child care, adult foster care and the state universities,
as well as thousands of workers in the private sector including
hospitals, nursing homes and property services.
The
endorsement was recommended by the union’s political action committee
and affirmed by SEIU’s Oregon State Council following a participatory
process open to all candidates who responded to a questionnaire,
appeared before members, and agreed to spend a day shadowing a member
in the workplace.
“We
were impressed by Kitz-haber’s grasp of the issues, sincerity and
candor,” said Barbara Casey, a social services worker from Portland
and chair of the SEIU Local 503 CAPE (Citizens Action for Political
Education) committee. “But more than anything else, we believe he
shares the values of our members and Oregon’s working families.”
Union
officials said Republican nominee Chris Dudley, a former officer
of the NBA players union noted for finding ways around management
efforts to cap salaries, spurned a chance to compete for SEIU’s
endorsement.
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