Northwest Labor Press: January 20, 2006

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January 20 , 2006 Volume 107 Number 2

News

Building Trades Council first labor group to back Kulongoski for re-election
The Oregon State Building and Construction Trades Council (OSBCTC), the statewide organization representing a majority of Oregon’s construction unions, has endorsed Democrat Ted Kulongoski in his bid for a second term as Oregon governor.

All Aboard the Gravy Train: The new Medicare drug benefit was designed with drug and insurance companies in mind
Seniors are the supposed beneficiaries of the new Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit, but the closer you look, the more it seems like it was set up to benefit drug and insurance companies.
Medicare drug program mindbogglingly complex
There's a new government benefit available for senior and disabled citizens who are eligible for Medicare — subsidized prescription drug coverage. That's the good news. The bad news is: The program is insanely mindbogglingly complex.
Nurses at Roseburg's Mercy Medical Center vote for ONA
Registered nurses at Mercy Medical Center voted Jan. 11 to join the Oregon Nurses Association. The vote, conducted by the National Labor Relations Board, was 178-97 in a bargaining unit of 310.
District Council of Trade Unions to start negotiations with City of Portland
The DCTU will embark on contract talks with the City of Portland beginning Jan. 31. The coalition represents 1,800 employees from seven unions.
West Virginia miners afraid to speak out about safety problem
Lawmakers say the Bush Administration has filled worker safety agencies with industry insiders and they demand an invesigation.

Analysis

Think again
A regular column by Tim Nesbitt
What my daughter and grandson can tell us about health care reform
The experience of my daughter and grandson offers a telling example of what is right and what is wrong with our health care system in this country — and a reminder of how careful we should be when it comes to overhauling a public-private system that is critical to the financial well-being of working families.