Northwest Labor Press: Feb 17, 2006

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February 17, 2006 Volume 107 Number 4

News

Portland School District continues to rankle unions
Drawn-out bargaining and disrespect take a toll on employee morale.

Left: Cafeteria workers package frozen potato sticks in a cavernous kitchen that once prepared much of the food served at Portland Public Schools.

New political party gains momentum
Representatives from a dozen unions and allied organizations have been meeting to plan the launch of the party, which would be called The Working Families Party of Oregon, after a similar party in New York. A similar effort is under way in the state of Washington.
UFCW Local 555 backs Kulongoski for re-election
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 has endorsed Oregon Democratic Governor Ted Kulongoski for re-election. Local 555 also endorsed Skip Durham for re-election to the Oregon Supreme Court, Position 1; Gene Hallman, a Pendleton trial lawyer who is seeking an open seat on the Oregon Supreme Court, Position 6; and Dan Saltzman, who is seeking re-election to the Portland City Council.
Diane Linn picks up endorsements from three labor unions
Multnomah County Chair Diane Linn has picked up endorsements from three unions in her campaign for re-election.
Training center teaches apprentices how to build bridges — literally
To train apprentices, the Willamette Carpenters Training Center has erected a section of bridge on the back lot at its new facility in Northeast Portland. The Oregon Legislature approved a transportation bill in 2003 to, in part, replace and repair some 335 bridges around the state at a cost of approximately $1.3 billion.

Analysis

Think again
A regular column by Tim Nesbitt
Portland schools: When the handbasket arrives in hell
All the stopgap funding measures that kept Portland’s schools from going under have or will soon run out. As a result, a district which cut almost 10 percent of its teaching positions last year now faces a budget hell-hole large enough to consume 30 percent of the teachers who will still be on its payroll next September.