Oregon AFL-CIO
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| Oregon American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations | |
| Members | 125,000+ (2006)[1] |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Affiliation | AFL-CIO |
| Key people | Tom Chamberlain, President |
| Office location | 2110 State Street Salem, OR 97301 |
| Website | oraflcio.org |
| 1 Per official website above. | |
The Oregon AFL-CIO is a federation of labor unions in the U.S. state of Oregon that promotes the rights of working people in the electoral and legislative arenas on the local, state and national level. It is an affiliate of the national AFL-CIO. In the past several years, the Oregon AFL-CIO has played a leadership role in Oregon's ballot initiative process, working in coalition with other labor unions, businesses and community groups to defeat several conservative ballot measures like paycheck deception and Taxpayer Bill of Rights (Measure 48). They have also played a lead role in several ballot measure victories, including passing a minimum wage initiative (Measure 25) in 2002 by a 3-1 margin. Oregon's minimum wage increased to $7.80 an hour on January 1, 2007, due to its automatic cost of living adjustment.
Other top issues include affordable health care, Social Security and other retirement security, workforce development, right-to-organize, and more. Headquarters are in Salem, with a second office in Portland.
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[edit] Membership and affiliate unions
The Oregon AFL-CIO represents more than 135,000 working men and women in Oregon, including 90,000 members of affiliate unions (listed below) and 45,000 members of Working America, the AFL-CIO community affiliate. As an umbrella organization, the Oregon AFL-CIO represents the common interests of its members, who, by virtue of their membership in affiliate unions, are also members of the organization.
Amalgamated Transit (ATU)
Asbestos Workers (AWIU)
Auto Workers (UAW)
Bakery Workers (BC&T)
Boilermakers (IBB)
Bricklayers (BAC)
Communications Workers (CWA)
Electrical Workers (IBEW)
Elevator Constructors (IUEC)
Farm Workers (UFW))
Fire Fighters (IAFF)
Glass Molders Pottery (GMP)
Government Workers (AFGE)
Iron Workers
Laborers (LIUNA)
Letter Carriers (NALC)
Longshore & Warehouse (ILWU)
Machinists (IAM)
Musicians (AFM)
Office & Professional (OPEIU)
Operating Engineers (IUOE)
Oregon Nurses Association
Painters (IUPAT)
Plasterers
Plumbers & Pipefitters (UA)
Postal Workers (APWU)
Professional & Technical Engineers (IFPTE)
Roofers
Sheet Metal Workers (SMWIA)
Stage Employees (IATSE)
State County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
Steelworkers (USWA)
Teachers (AFT)
Transport Workers (TWU)
UNITE-HERE
Utility Workers (UWUA)
Woodworkers (IAM)
[edit] Officers, board and staff
- Tom Chamberlain, a retired Portland fire fighter, was elected President of the Oregon AFL-CIO in October, 2005.
- Barbara Byrd, PhD, a teacher and facilitator at the University of Oregon, is the Secretary-Treasurer.
The Executive Board consists of 31 members from the federation’s affiliate unions and Central Labor Councils.
There are 9 full-time staff members at the Oregon AFL-CIO. Administrative staff are represented by Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 11, and professional staff are represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 48.
[edit] Weekly Update
Every Wednesday since 1999, the Oregon AFL-CIO has published a newsletter called the Weekly Update, which includes information and commentary on labor issues on the local, state and national level.
[edit] Labor 2006 campaign
Like other state affiliates of the national AFL-CIO, the Oregon AFL-CIO ran a comprehensive voter education and mobilization campaign for the November 2006 election called Labor 2006. More than 900 member-volunteers mobilized on the campaign. The state federation executed 200,000 phone calls, distributed 65,000 worksite fliers and knocked on 7,000 doors. Voter turnout among members of the Oregon AFL-CIO’s affiliate unions was 78.2%, compared to 68% of the general electorate.
On November 17, 2006, the Northwest Labor Press[1] reported that:
- In Oregon Senate races, 92 percent of candidates endorsed by the Oregon AFL-CIO were elected.
- In Oregon House races, 82.5 percent of Oregon AFL-CIO-endorsed candidates won, including six union members. (One of these successful candidates was longtime Oregon AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Brad Witt, incumbent State Representative.)
Other priorities for the 2006 general election were re-electing Governor Ted Kulongoski, defeating Measures 41 and 48, and achieving a majority of pro-working families candidates in the State Legislature. All of these objectives were accomplished.
[edit] 2007 Legislative Session
The state federation has two full-time lobbyists who work on affordable health care, workplace safety, retirement security, fair funding for public services, workforce investment and several other issues. The group's signature accomplishment during the 2007 Session was the passage of HB 2891, which allows public sector workers to decide for themselves whether to use Majority Sign-Up process or a traditional election process when trying to form a union in their workplace. They also tracked and lobbied on more than 400 bills on the issues listed above.
[edit] References
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