By JEFF KLATKE
Council 75 President
I am proud to issue this report as President of Oregon AFSCME for June 2015. Please share this report with the members of your local.
The first meeting of the new Executive Board will be on Saturday, July 25 in Salem at 11 a.m. I would like to encourage all members to attend these Board meetings to observe, to participate in the conversation, and see what your elected decision-makers are up to.
One of the agenda items for the Board will be to appoint the new committee rosters. This link takes you to a Survey Monkey form for indicating interest in serving on a committee. Please share this link throughout your local so that all members can participate in our union.
A key to a high-functioning union is communication. This month I highlight our Oregon AFSCME Facebook page. Our Facebook page is updated several times each day with information about Oregon AFSCME, our Locals, partner organizations, the Oregon legislature, and more. Currently there are 1,335 “likes” of our Facebook page. If your local has exciting news to share, like the completion of contract negotiations or a community event you are sponsoring, feel free to post your own information, too. You can visit and “like” our Facebook page here.
In Oregon there are several groups who have filed ballot measures that may soon be gathering signatures to try to qualify for the November 2016 ballot. Some of them are very similar to Wisconsin’s recent union busting laws. Before you sign a petition in support of a ballot measure, make sure you know what you are signing. At the July Board meeting will be a presentation by our Political Director, Joe Baessler, about the ballot measures that are, or will soon be, circulating for signatures. Look for more information about these ballot measures throughout the summer. Also coming later this summer will be lunch time session in your workplaces about the final results of the Oregon Legislative session.
I wanted to update everyone about a bill in Congress about Fast Track. Fast Track in a nutshell is Congress giving the President the sole authority to negotiate international trade agreements, and leaving for themselves only the ability to accept or reject the negotiated agreement in its entirety with no ability to amend or revise any language; a simple “yes” or “no” vote only. Unions and our progressive allies have been fighting against Fast Track since it was used by President Bill Clinton to enact NAFTA which has had terrible long-term consequences for our economy and our work force as well as the economy and workforce of our neighbor, Mexico, which then created additional cascading consequences for our own national economy and workforce. Particularly disappointing were the votes by our own Oregon congressional delegation who voted in favor of Fast Track, narrowly passing it in both the House and the Senate. Because of these terrible votes, Oregon AFSCME sent very angry letters to Representatives Blumenauer, Bonamici and Schrader and to Senator Wyden, all of whom voted against the interests of workers in the U.S. by approving Fast Track, telling them that their vote on Fast Track was a “litmus test” and showed their “true colors”. Representatives Blumenauer, Bonamici and Schrader are all up for re-election in November 2016, so stay tuned for how this plays out in next years’ elections.
And finally, the Supreme Court today gave notice that they have agreed to hear the case Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association which is being brought by the National Right-To-Work Legal Defense Foundation in a blatant attempt to bust public sector unions. I have written about this case in previous reports, so I won’t go into detail about the case now, but there has been much anticipation about whether or not the Court would hear the case, and now it is official. The Court is now adjourned for the summer so a hearing date has not been set yet and will not be set until fall when the Court re-convenes. A ruling on the case is possible as early as this winter or as late as June 30, 2016 when the Court adjourns again for its summer break. More information about this monumental case will be shared as it becomes available. For now, know that Oregon AFSCME has an action plan to prepare for the possible consequences of an adverse ruling in this case and will present that plan to the Board at the July 25 meeting.
I plan to send a president’s report like this every month to local presidents, members of the Oregon AFSCME board, and any member who requests it and gives the Council Secretary a home email address. If you are a local president or other local officer, please share this information with the members of your local.
If you ever have any questions or wish to send me a comment, you can reach me at president@OregonAFSCME.com.
Thank you for being active in your union.
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