MAY 25, 2012 PORTLAND, OREGON VOLUME 49, NUMBER 3 The Rebel Published by the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers New Unit Joins The AWPPW! During a two-day union representation election that took place April 23rd and 24th, the workers employed by Dyno Nobel at Deer Island (near St. Helens), Oregon, voted in favor of being represented by the AWPPW. AWPPW Organizing Coordinator Paul Cloer worked with the Dyno Nobel employees and assisted them in achieving their victory. Paul was further assisted by Area Rep Don Draeger, who attended several of the organizing meetings. The organizing meetings were held at the AWPPW Local 1 union hall in St. Helens. Local 1’s executive board was kind enough to share their union hall for the conducting of meetings with Dyno Nobel employees. A fantastic Organizing Committee stepped forward to assist with the organizing campaign. The original contact was from a lead provided by Local 580 President Mike Silvery. This was true AWPPW team work in action! The company put up fierce opposition to the organizing campaign at each and every step of the process. The company’s attorney doubled as an anti-union consultant who spoke directly with employees during several of their anti-union meetings, in an effort to scare employees and try to keep them from voting "Yes" for union representation. At the representational hearing, the com- pany’s attorney and the company’s witnesses tried to deceive the National Labor Relations Board into believing that the AWPPW had not petitioned for an appropriate group of employees, and the company sought to include a large number of anti-union employees in the election in an effort to deny these future AWPPW members representation. The company paid two of their attorneys, from Williams, Zografos & Peck, to appeal the decision and direction of election that was won at the original NLRB hearing on March 8th. The com- pany’s representatives advanced a series of aggressive and illegal statements during the organizing campaign in an effort to confuse and deceive employees. The National Labor Relations Board has investigated some unfair labor practices charges filed by the union and determined that there is enough merit to issue a complaint (Continued On Page 8) against the company for violating the legal rights of the union supporters at the plant. The NLRB is also currently investigating other charges the AWPPW has filed against this same employer. A few of the illegal statements made by management during the organizing campaign were: “You know, we don’t have to bargain with you;” “You know we can force you out on strike;” and while waving a blank piece of paper in the air telling employees, “You know, you will start from zero if you vote the union in”. Despite the company’s outrageous tactics, the employees held strong and voted decisively to be represented by the AWPPW. Included among products that Dyno Nobel employees make In Memoriam Pictured are some folks attending one of two parties held welcoming the newest AWPPW members, from the Dyno Nobel plant, and their families. Don Willner, an attorney who, since the inception of the AWPPW, went to bat for the union in many matters, right up until the present time, passed away on March 27. A full obituary and more photos appear on Page 6 of this edition of The Rebel. We hope those who knew Don well will appreciate this glance at his long as- sociation with the AWPPW, and newcomers will be treated to a glimpse into the history of this great union and the key role attorney Don Willner played.
Transcript
MAY 25, 2012 PORTLAND, OREGON VOLUME 49, NUMBER 3
The Rebel
Published by the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers
New Unit Joins The AWPPW!
During a two-day union representation election that took place April 23rd and 24th, the workers employed by Dyno Nobel at Deer Island (near St. Helens), Oregon, voted in favor of being represented by the AWPPW. AWPPW Organizing Coordinator Paul Cloer worked with the Dyno Nobel employees and assisted them in achieving their victory. Paul was further assisted by Area Rep Don Draeger, who attended several of the organizing meetings. The organizing meetings were held at the AWPPW Local 1 union hall in St. Helens. Local 1’s executive board was kind enough to share their union hall for the conducting of meetings with Dyno Nobel employees. A fantastic Organizing Committee stepped forward to assist with the organizing campaign. The original contact was from a lead provided by Local 580 President Mike Silvery. This was true AWPPW team work in action! The company put up fierce opposition to the organizingcampaign at each and every step of the process. The company’s attorney doubled as an anti-union consultant who spoke directly with employees during several of their anti-union meetings, in an effort to scare employees and try to keep them from voting "Yes" for union representation. At the representational hearing, the com-pany’s attorney and the company’s witnesses tried to deceive the National Labor Relations Board into believing that the AWPPW had not petitioned for an appropriate group of employees, and the company sought to include a large number of anti-union employees in the election in an effort to deny these future AWPPW members representation. The company paid two of their attorneys, from Williams, Zografos & Peck, to appeal the decision and direction of election that was won at the original NLRB hearing on March 8th. The com-pany’s representatives advanced a series of aggressive and illegal statements during the organizing campaign in an effort to confuse and deceive employees. The National Labor Relations Board has investigatedsomeunfairlaborpracticeschargesfiledbytheunionand determined that there is enough merit to issue a complaint
(Continued On Page 8)
against the company for violating the legal rights of the union supporters at the plant. The NLRB is also currently investigating otherchargestheAWPPWhasfiledagainstthissameemployer. A few of the illegal statements made by management during the organizing campaign were: “You know, we don’t have to bargain with you;” “You know we can force you out on strike;” and while waving a blank piece of paper in the air telling employees, “You know, you will start from zero if you vote the union in”. Despite the company’s outrageous tactics, the employees held strong and voted decisively to be represented by the AWPPW. Included among products that Dyno Nobel employees make
In Memoriam
Pictured are some folks attending one of two parties held welcoming the newest AWPPW members, from the Dyno Nobel plant, and their families.
Don Willner, an attorney who, since the inception of the AWPPW, went to bat for the union in many matters, right up until the present time, passed away on March 27. A full obituary and more photos appear on Page 6 of this edition of The Rebel. We hope those who knew Don well will appreciate this glance at his long as-sociation with the AWPPW, and newcomers will be treated to a glimpse into the history of this great union and the key role attorney Don Willner played.
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The Rebel(ISSN 0486-1140), Published bi-monthly by theAssociation of Western Pulp and Paper Workers
1430 S.W. CLAY STREET, PORTLAND, OREGON 97201-2595POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to: THE REBEL
P.O. Box 4566, PORTLAND, OR 97208-4566Periodicals Postage Paid at Portland, Oregon
ADVISORY BOARD OF THE REBEL is comprised of President John Rhodes, Vice President Greg Pallesen, Secretary-Treasurer James Hassey and Trustees Darrell Moffatt, N. Washington/Alaska; Bryan Smith, S. Washington; Jeannie Schell, Oregon/Idaho/Utah; Frank Messi-neo, California.
www.awppw.org
REBEL DEADLINES SET
The deadline for the next edition of "The Rebel" is May 16, with a publication date of May 25. Deadline and publication dates for the following "Rebel" edition are July 18 and July 27, respectively.
Pallesen Hilights Another Sorscher Article
(Continued On Page 3)
WFP Recognizes Pallesen's Efforts
A few days ago, economist Joseph Stiglitz said something quite provocative: "We've been shaping our society to create people whoaremoreselfish." The eye is drawn to the last part, "... create people who are moreselfish."Mytakeawaymessageisatthebeginning,"We'vebeen shaping our society ... ." In the same speech, he repeats a line from one of his books: "The reason the invisible hand was often invisible was that it wasn't there." He reminds us that, generally, markets do not solve our prob-lems. "Nobody ever said that they were fair, that they would lead to a distribution of income that was socially acceptable." Markets fail, more often than we suppose. Ifirstsawthisremarkablefigurein2002:
The following article is a follow-up from an article we shared in the March edition of The Rebel. These articles are written by Stan Sorscher. Stan Sorscher is Legislative Director at the Society for Pro-fessional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), a union representing over 20,000 scientists, engineers, technical and pro-fessional employees in the aerospace industry. He has been with SPEEA since 2000. Stan has a BS in Physics from the University of Michigan, and a PhD in physics from UC Berkeley. Stan serves on the Executive Board of the Washington Fair Trade Coalition, and he represents organized labor on the Puget Sound Regional Council Economic Development District Board. In 2009, Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire ap-
We All Do Better When We All Do Better In the post-war period, workers' wages increased in direct proportion to increases in productivity. Then, in the mid-'70s, wages abruptly decoupled from productivity. Themessageofthisfigureisthatwages,adjustedforinfla-tion, would be twice what they are now, if workers had continued to share improvements in productivity. The top of our society has prospered, while more than 90 percent of us have stayed even or fallen behind. This has consequences. As the economists say, "In the long run, consumption cannot increase faster than income." Income has beenflatforthelongrun. Let me give some examples of why this matters. ErikReinertwroteaterrificbook,inspiredbyaquestionthattroubled him as a Norwegian teenager on a class trip to Peru. Why does a barber in his native Norway make a comfortable middle-class living when an equally deserving barber in low-wage Peru makes so much less? The barbering profession had made only modest gains in productivity since the introduction of metal scissors in Roman times. The difference for barbers in Peru and Norway is the prosperity of their customers. My father was a dentist in Michigan. Most of his patients workedinautoplants,wheretheirunionnegotiateddentalbenefits.My father was a very adept businessman, compassionate to his patients, and he worked hard. He knew exactly what he had accom-plished through his own work, and what had been given to him by circumstance. He had no doubt for one minute that the prosperity heenjoyedwasdirectlyconnectedtothenextUAWcontractwithGeneral Motors. Nick Hanauer is a high-tech entrepreneur in the Seattle area. He says, as clearly as it can be said, that the magic of success in busi-ness is having prosperous customers who can buy your product. As anentrepreneurhedidnotcreatejobs.Inhiswords,entrepreneurswanttocreaterevenuewithasfewjobsaspossible.Customersbringdemand; demand causes businesses to hire. Prosperity comes from customers who can pay for your products. We hear the legend of Henry Ford -- that he paid $5 per day to set a high wage standard in the community. Ford did well, not becausehewasgenerousandbeneficent. Inmanyways,Henry
pointed Stan to the Washington Council on Aerospace; in 2010, to the Board of the Export Finance Assistance Center of Washington; and in 2011 to the Washington State Economic Development Com-mission. Stan represents SPEEA at the Puget Sound Health Alliance, and serves as the Legislative Coordinator of the Council of Engi-neers and Scientists Organization, a coalition of engineering and technical labor unions around the country. He serves on the Board of the Economic Opportunity Institute in Seattle. From 1980 to 2000, Stan worked as a physicist at Boeing, building optical, ultrasonic, and X-ray imaging systems, for inspec-tion of materials and assemblies — Vice President Greg Pallesen
Ford was a horrible, beastly man. He did well because customers in his community were prosperous enough to buy Ford cars. Ross Perot may be a better example than Henry Ford. As an industrialist, Ross Perot knew exactly what NAFTA and other so-called Free Trade Agreements would do. As an industrialist he would be compelled by market forces to move production to Mexico, close facilities in the U.S., and reduce the wages paid to the workers in the community where he lived. As a patriot, he wanted trade policies that raised living standards, not lower them. He ran forpresident,atleastinpart,tothwartaflawedtradepolicythatwould force him to hurt America. The common theme is: "We all do better when we all do better." Lately, the public mood has gone the opposite way. Simply put, we are told that we will all do better when most of us do worse. We demonize workers, and we imagine which of our neighbors shouldmakeadditionalsacrifice. At the same time, top 1 percent executives believe they can move work offshore, lower wages, terminate pensions, shift health care costs, lay off workers and foreclose millions of homes. They don't accept responsibility for hurting America. They believe they
can take a free shot, and the rest of society will pick up the slack.Nobody is picking up the slack. That's a straight path to a Lesser America. IrecalltheoldSovietjoke,"Myneighborhasacow.Ihavenone. I want his cow to die." Our version has become, "I have a cow. I'm okay if my neighbor never gets a cow. Nor wages to buy milk from my cow." It makes much more sense to ask, "What works?" Even for those who look only to their self-interest, the long-term solution is to shape a society with prosperous customers. This is what Alexis de Tocqueville called "self-interest, properly understood." Joseph Stiglitz warned that free trade and trickle-down policies are creating a distribution of income that is not socially acceptable. It won't work, and it has never worked, as Nick Hanauer says in his video interview. Our past success was built, in part, on economic mobility, opportunity for anyone, and a strong middle class. Take that away, andwe'rejustalargesluggishcountrywithalotofgoodmemoriesand bad karma. — Stan Sorscher Labor Representative Society for Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace
We All Do Better When We All Do Better(Continued From Page 2)
InFebruary,theOregonlegislaturemetfortheirfirstevenyear legislative session after Oregon voters approved annual ses-sions in 2010. Many issues were addressed, from school funding to health care. But, one issue that the legislature is always talking about,butrarelyaddresses,isjobs. During this session, the state legislators — despite having overwhelming support from many groups — passed up yet an-otherchancetoaddressourstate'scontinuingjobscrisisbykillinglegislationthatcouldhaveprotectedfamilywagejobs!Groupsandindividuals that supported the protection and creation of Oregon jobswerefiveof theeightmembersof theHouseBusinessandLabor Committee (including both committee co-chairs), the Co-Speakers of the House of Reprsentatives; Oregon's environmental community, the pulp and paper workers, and much of the public. HB-4142, introduced by the Oregon Working Families Party (Oregon WFP), was a bill that would have helped protect Oregon papermilljobsbycreatingapurchasingpreferenceforstateagenciesto buy recycled paper made in Oregon paper mills. The support for this bill created historic support between labor and environmental groups – namely bringing pulp and paper workers to the table with environmental advocates after decades of tension. Ontheotherside,themajoroppositiontothislegislationcamefrompaperindustrygiant,GeorgiaPacific,whichjusthappenstobe owned by none-other than the Koch brothers. Despite the deep-pocket opposition and back room dealing that sunk this legislation, the Oregon Working Families Party, was proud to have worked alongside the AWPPW and environmental groupstofightforOregonjobs. Because of these efforts, the Oregon Working Families Party awarded AWPPW Vice-President Greg Pallesen with a "2012 Working Families Champion" award at their annual fundraising gala held in early April. Pallesen was recognized for his labor leadership on behalf of Oregon working families. The paper mill bill may have died during the 2012 session, but the issue will still need addressing in the future. Already the Oregon WFP, along with the AWPPW, is in the process of requesting the U.S. Interagency Trade Enforcement Center to do a full investigation of unfair Chinese paper industry
AWPPW Vice President Greg Pallesen is seen with the award presented to him by the Working Families Party at its annual fundraising event.
subsidies. Skyrocketing demand for U.S. recovered waste paper, driven by heavily subsidized Chinese mills, has been having a dev-astating impact on the U.S. paper production industry. As a result, numbers of U.S production facilities have permanently closed, (such astheOregonBlueHeronPaperCompany)and/orhavefiledforbankruptcy (such as Oregon’s SP Newsprint company). This means that the Oregon WFP and the AWPPW will continuetoworktogethertofightforfamilywagejobsinOregon.
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Sullivan Reports On Oregon Events O'Sullivan Covers WA Political News
The 2012 legislative session ended with a intense budget battlethatfinallyendedwiththepassageoftheJobsBill. TheJobsBillcamewithanmajorpushfromthebothlaborand the construction business lobby. The bill put $1 billion into a constructionfundwhichwillcreate18,000newjobsstatewide!TheJobs Bill legislation consisted of two bills, SB-5127 and SB-6074. These bills got strong support in both houses of the legislature, and the governor signed the bills into law on April 24th. SB-6635, which improves revenue and budget sustainability, repeals,modifies,orrevisestaxpreferences,wasstronglysupportedby the AWPPW. It is a start in providing more transparency and accountability. We will continue to push for tougher laws that will bring transparency, accountability, and clawback in all the tax codes. SB-6406modifiesprogramsthatprovideforprotectionofstate's natural resources. This bill updates provisions relating to natural resource management and regulatory programs, including the Forest Practices Act, and the State Environmental Policy Act. The Jobs Bill (SB-5127 and SB-6074), and SB-6406 and SB-6635, were the last three bills passed in the 2012 legislative session. It was a long night! This is Christine Gregoire's last session as governor for the State of Washington, as she plans on retiring from that position. I personally will miss this governor. She reached out to us and even came to one of our AWPPW Wasington/Alaska Area Council meetings. Governor Gregoire took the AWPPW President seriously
Oregon Primary I am writing this on the eve of the primary elections in Oregon, so I don’t have the results to discuss with you. However I think it might be interesting to watch the results of the Democrats’ primary in House District 48 (Happy Valley) race between incumbent Mike SchauflerandchallengerJeffReardon.SchauflerhasbeenintheOregonHouseofRepresentativessince2003.Schauflerhasgivensome real good votes on natural resources and rural issues. How-ever he has made some bad ones as well. It appears that Reardon will be a more even keeled representative should he win. AWPPW Vice President Greg Pallesen and I interviewed Reardon, and we have concluded that the AWPPW would do better by Reardon.
Waste Management (WM) IhaveattendedacommunitymeetingonthelandfillcalledRiverbend in Yamhill County put on by Waste Management (WM). ThislandfillisveryimportanttoSPNewsprintandAWPPWLocal60 (Newberg, OR). At issue is a proposed expansion of this site. However there is considerable backlash from residents because of environmental concerns, they refer to Riverbend as “Mount Trashmore”. WM handed out a pie chart showing the percentage of waste and where it comes from. Yamhill County supplies only 34% ofthelandfill’swaste,whileWashingtonCountysupplies40%.Ifthe residents have their way, there will not be an expansion, which will effect SP Newsprint. One answer is to not allow more waste to come into Yamhill County than said county puts in itself. You know, kind of like the National Forests’ policy where, if you pack it in, you pack it out. It appears that the politics of the Portland area would like to give Yamhill County their problem while having their politicians vote against any sustainable forest practices and support waterqualitylegislationthatevenfishcouldnotlivein.Imeanyoucan’t have it both ways—RIGHT?
Attorney Don Willner As you may have heard, before this Rebel edition reaches you, labor lawyer Don Willner has passed away. Don Willner was the attorney that helped in the founding of the AWPPW in 1964. A few years ago, Willner, Harold King (a former member of AWPPW Local Union 166 of West Linn, OR), and Greg Pallesen servedonapanelforthePacificNorthwestLaborHistoryAsso-ciation (PNLHA) which discussed the founding of the AWPPW. I want to pay tribute to Don Willner not only for what he did for the AWPPW, but other unions, including my old Steelworkers Local 8378 during the almost two years of negotiations. I made sure the people present at his memorial knew how
The photo at left was taken in front of Cascade Steel where Steelworkers Local 8378 was on strike. The guy on the left is Herb Ferris and the other one is Bill Kluting of the Carpenters Industrial Council. Both guys where once in the Sawmill & Lumbermen Workers Union years ago in Dallas, Oregon. They came to show their support as the Steelworkers Local 8378 did for them in the mid 1980's. In photo at right, Robb Renne of AWPPW Local 60 (Newberg, OR) is pictured with Glen Rominger of the Steelworkers. Sean O'Sullivan, left, is pictured with Frank Chopp, Speaker of the
Washington State of House of Representatives. Chopp lent his support in helping get the Jobs Bill passed in Washington State. O'Sullivan said, "No bill get passed by the legislature without Chopp's approval."
The Washington State Labor Council, at its COPE Convention (held for the purpose of endorsing political candidates), has endorsed Jay Inslee as candidate for Governor of the State of Washington. Inslee is cur-rently U.S. Representative of Washington's 1st Congressional District.
important it is to have a person from the legal profession who is not only bright but morally guided. So now three important people from the beginning of the AWPPW are gone: William Perrin, Harold King, and now Don Willner. They will be remembered.
Steelworkers’ Strike in McMinnville, OR I take this opportunity to thank Local 60 in Newberg, Oregon, for their support and donation to Steelworkers Local Union 8378. Rob Renne (Standing Committee and Council Delegate), personally came to the strike line and presented a check to strike captain Glen Rominger (see photo). I believe Tip O’Neil was correct when he said "All politics is local". Again, many thanks. Oh, I can’t forget that Bill Kluting of the Carpenters Industrial Council and his former local union president, Herb Ferris, stood picket duty as well!!
Legislative Committee Meetings At press time for this edition of The Rebel, the week of May 21st, there were three days of committee meetings at the Capitol. Regarding the information, below on this page, about the Management-Labor Advisory Committee, those of you who re-member Lon Holston, a former AWPPW member and AWPPW localunionofficer,willbedelightedtoknowthatLonisthelaborco-chair of this committee. Hopefully I will have some good news to report from the committee meetings in the next issue of The Rebel. Until then I hopeyouallcanenjoythesummer.Ifyouhaveanyquestionspleasedon’t hesitate to contact me at 971-237-3125 — Mike Sullivan Oregon Political Director, AWPPW
when he told her, "Governor, if we don't get chips, we don't get a check.". Governor Gregoire has been a friend to us in every way. Election season is upon us, and the AWPPW Area Council has made some early endorsements for the upcoming elections in the State of Washington. They are as follows: Mark Miloscia for State Auditor For the state House of Representatives: Brian Blake (19th) Dean Takko (19th) Steve Tharinger (24) Kevin Van De Wege (24) Kathy Haigh (35th) Jeff Davis (35th) For the state Senate: Tim Probst, 17th District State Lands Commissioner: Peter Goldmark. There will be more updates in the next edition of The Rebel. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me at any time if I may answer any of your questions, or to discuss any legislative matters. You may e-mail me at [email protected]. — Sean O Sullivan AWPPW Washington Area Lobbyist
Washington Governor Christine Gregoire, seated in center of photos, is pictured signing into law, in left photo, SB-6406, and right, SB-6635. Sean O'Sullivan attended these bill signings, and can be seen in each photo, toward the center, just a little behind Governor Gregoire.
The Management-Labor Advisory Committee (MLAC) will begin hearing presentations on legislative concepts at their June 15th, meeting. It is not too early to present ideas to the committee to introduce Workers’ Compensation leg-islation next session. The MLAC will soon begin to review legislative proposals for the 2013 session. It is often useful to make an initial presentation to MLAC to introduce the concept even before there is bill language. Of course, MLAC’s recommendation about legislation will not take place until it is drafted by Legislative Counsel. Anyone who would like time on the June 15th agenda or a future agenda, please contact Lou Savage at [email protected] or (503) 947-7867.
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Loyal Attorney Willner Aided AWPPW Formation
Everett Mill Closure Marks End Of An EraIn Memoriam Don Willner, a Portland attorney who represented many labor unions, including the AWPPW, passed away peacefully March 27 at his home in Trout Lake, Washington, surrounded by family members. He was 85. Don Shelley Willner was born in New York City and gradu-ated from Harvard Law School in 1951, after serving in the Mari-timeServiceandtheU.S.Army.WillnerbrieflypracticedlawinWashington,D.C.HemovedtoPortlandin1952toopenalawfirmthat focused on labor, civil rights, and environmental issues. He was elected to the Oregon Legislature in 1956 and served as state senator for 10 years, beginning in 1963. Willner represented Multnomah Typographical Union No. 58, Mailers Local 13, and Portland Newspaper Guild Local 165 during The Oregonian Newspaper strike of November 10, 1959 to April 4, 1965. He was the attorney for the strike-born Portland Reporter, which started in February, 1960. Don Willner was the attorney for the AWPPW during its formation in 1964, when the Portland-based AWPPW was founded as a 21,000 member independent union of west coast pulp and pa-permillworkersthatdecertifiedfromtheoldinternationalunion.He continued representing the AWPPW in many matters over the years,alongwithotherpro-laborlawyers,rightupuntilhisfinaldays. His door was always open for consultation, right down to the individualrank-and-filemember,whomightseekhisassistancefora problem. Just this past November, 2011, Don Willner drove home a great victory for AWPPW Local 1 (St. Helens, OR), winning a $2 million settlement to be paid by Boise Cascade in a class action for failure, by the employer, to pay proper amounts of overtime pay. Willner worked with Cesar Chavez, the late president of the United Farm Workers, and served as lawyer for Colegio Cesar ChavezinMt.Angel,Oregon,oneofthefirstLatinocolleges.Heserved 40 years as Oregon State Grange attorney. In the 1970's he was national president of the Consumer Federation of America.
He was active in the NAACP and the Urban League. Willner argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of sportsfishermenandwaspartofthe 1984 legal team that won the coram nobis reversal for Japanese Americans convicted of resisting internment in World War II. Willner was named to the Northwest Oregon Labor Council Retirees Association's "Labor Hall of Fame" in December, 2007, and wasawardedthePacificNorthwestLabor History Association's "La-bor Person of the Year" in 2010. Don Willner continued practicing law into his 80's. He was an avid tennis player, nationally ranked in men's singles and doubles into his 80's. Willner carried his tennis racket wherever he traveled. HejoinedtheMazamasin1956afterclimbingMt.Hood.Hehikedand biked all his life and loved to travel, with trips to Nepal, Bhutan, Patagonia,Mt.Kilimanjaro,andbeyond. Heissurvivedbyhiswife,MarjorieBurns,fourdaughters,threestepsons,astepdaughter,ninegrandchildren,andhisfirstwife, Patience Willner. Inlieuofflowers,thefamilysuggestsdonationstotheInstituteforJudaicStudies(www.judaicstudies.org),theJewishVoiceforPeace (www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org), or the Trout Lake Com-munity Foundation (http://community.gorge.net/tlcfoundation/tlcf.htm). Onbehalfofitsofficers,staff,andmembers,theAWPPWextends its sincerest consolences to the family, friends, and many associates of Don Willner.
2010 PNLHA Award Presented with wife, Marjorie, at Don's side.
The late attorney Don Willner's history with the AWPPW goes back as far as the history of the AWPPW itself! The photo above was taken during the swearing in, by then Oregon State Senator Willner (center of photo, holding paper), of the AWPPW's veryfirstexecutiveofficers,namedinthecaptionabove.Bythistime, Willner was already no stranger to the AWPPW's founding fathers and had already been assisting them on quite a few legal battlefields, suchashadarisenduring thebreak-awayfromthe
From left to right are Dick Long, Elmer Lines, Clyde Emerson, Graham Mercer, William Perrin, (Willner, front), Dick Archer, Jim Garfolo, John Eyer, Don DeLaGrange, and Burt Wells. (For more information, see The Rebel edition of April 21, 1965, Volume 2, Number 7.)
international union. The special tenth anniversary edition of The Rebel, published September 23, 1974, featured a special address by Don Willner, outlining a lot of what went on during those early days during the birth of the AWPPW. At the time of that publication, Willner was aseniorpartnerofthePortland-basedlawfirm,Willner,Bennett,Meyers, Riggs, and Skarstad. Anyone wishing a reprint of that
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It was another very sad day for the AWPPW and its members when the closure of the Everett, Washington, mill became a real-ity — after many months of pondering, by the company, Kimberly Clark,aboutwhethertheywouldtrytofindabuyerforthemillornot. The workers that were retained, right up to the end, were glad to stay on the payroll that long, but they knew their days there were probably numbered. Affected were members of AWPPW Local 183 andLocal644.ThelastandfinaldayatthemillwasApril15th. ThefirstnotificationwasreceivedinaletterfromthecompanydatedSeptember1,2011,citing"..lossofasignificantamountofproductionvolumein2011andduetotheinabilitytofindabuyerwho would be interested in purchasing the mill for operation similar to the current operational model . . " Then, at a later date, it still appeared possible that a buyer might appear on the horizon, but efforts were unsuccessful. Formerly owned by Scott Paper Company, the products made by AWPPW workers at the facility made the nickname "Scotty," for facial tissue, become a household word. In fact, much of the product packaging shown in the photo at right, even though the photo itself is quite old, can still be found on most supermarket shelves.Butthereweresomeotherveryfineproductsthatcameout of that mill. Over the years, quite a few AWPPW leaders and electedofficialscameoutofeitherLocal183orLocal644.Tonameatleastafewoftheseformerofficers,therewere: First Executive V.P. Delance "Dick" Archer, Local 644 AWPPW President Farris Bryson, Local 183 General Vice President James A. Thompson, Local 644 Area Rep Chuck Mahlum, Local 183 Relief Area Rep Norm Duncan, Local 183 Area Trustee Bob Overton, Local 183 Area Trustee Jim Hazen, Local 644 Relief Rep, and, later, Vice Pres. Don Reese, Local 183 Area Trustee John Winsor, Local 183 Area Council Lobbyist Robert Hemsley, Local 644 Area Council Lobbyist Sean O'Sullivan, Local 644 Area Rep Frank Prochaska, Local 644 Area Rep John Minor, Local 183
An old aerial view photo of the large mill at Everett, Washington, the production of which has come to a grinding halt, laying off all the workers.
Area Trustee Darrell Moffatt, Local 183 Organizer, and, later, Relief Rep David Herrera, Local 644 Some of the above have since retired, a few are still serving, and some have already moved on. If The Rebel staff has overlooked anyone who should be mentioned as having held an Association leveloffice,pleaseletusknow,sowecanmentionitinthenextedition.Ofcoursetherearemanyotherswhohaveheldofficeatthelocal level, and they also deserve hearty "thanks" for serving their union brothers and sisters and helping keep the locals as strong as they were for all those years. Here's wishing the best to all.
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Dyno-Nobel Workers Celebrate OR-ID-UT Council Held In Idaho
(Continued From Page 1)at various locations across the United States is the production of a wide range of chemicals and explosives, including dynamite, and many high-end high quality products. The Deer Island, Oregon, facility manufactures a variety of chemicals which include fertiliz-ers and an additive that is used to increase mileage for diesel fuel. The "Nobel" in the company’s name comes from the person who was involved in establishing the Nobel Peace Prize and the "Dyno" is because they manufacture dynamite at many of their facilities. AWPPW Area Representative Don Draeger is working diligently to prepare for negotiations on behalf of this newly rep-resented group of workers. The AWPPW will continue to work as ateamsupportingDoninthetoughprocessofnegotiatingafirstcontract for these employees, and, together, we will prevail. This is anawesomegroupofnewmembersjoiningtheAWPPW,who,inadditiontobargainingtheirfirstcontract,willbesettinguptheirnew AWPPW local union. Victory parties were held on both May 9th and 10th at the Hawaiian Island Café in downtown St Helens. The parties were held on two dates so that everyone would have an opportunity to attend. In addition to the Dyno Nobel workers and their families, also at-tending the celebrations were AWPPW Area Reps Don Draeger and KenHardwick,PresidentJohnRhodes,andLocal1officersTomBarker and Don Hibbs. Dan Coffman, President of ILWU Local 21, attended to congratulate the new AWPPW members from Dyno Nobel.
Workers from the Dyno Nobel plant near St. Helens, Oregon, along with their family members, attended parties celebrating their successful elec-tion to join the AWPPW. In photos at right, below, AWPPW Organizer Paul Cloer, seated in middle in first photo, and standing at left in second photo, relaxes and visits with the new members. Cloer's hard, persistent, and successful work on this campaign deserves hearty congratulations.
The AWPPW Oregon Idaho Utah Area Council met May 17-18 in Boise, Idaho, with Council Chairman Tim Wagner (Local 677) presiding. Nampa,IdahoLocal747hostedtheevent.Thefirstdayofthe meetings included a tour of the Nampa, Idaho, Boise box plant. Delegates attending were from Locals 1-St. Helens, OR; 13-Toledo,OR;60-Newberg,OR;78-Portland,OR;677-Springfield,OR and host Local 747-Nampa, ID. Local union reports were given by delegates on behalf of those locals represented at the meeting, including some new issues related to most of the same topics dis-cussedbytheAWPPWofficersandarearepresentatives. SpecialguestGeneHainattendedthefirstdayofthecouncil.OvertheyearsHainheldtwodifferentAWPPWexecutiveoffices;firstasSecretary/Treasurer,andlater,asVicePresident. AWPPW President John Rhodes, Vice President Greg Pallesen, and Area Reps Ken Hardwick and Don Draeger, along with Council Political Director Mike Sullivan were all in attend-ance and all gave reports. Secretary-Treasurer Jim Hassey e-mailed report information, which V.P. Pallesen presented on his behalf. President Rhodes' report included updates on the successful organizing campaign at Dyno-Nobel (see front page of this edition); current labor negotiations, and bargaining board training. Rhodes also reported the Kimberly Clark (KC) mill in Everett, Washington, has been permanently closed. KC decided not to sell the facility. TheTradeAdjustmentAssistance(TAA)andAlternativeTradeAdjustmentAssistance(ATAA)TradeActhavebeenapproved. Part of AWPPW Vice President Pallesen’s report included the AWPPW’s work on Oregon legislation which authorizes con-tracting agencies, when procuring goods or services for public use, to give preference to goods that are fabricated or processed, or services that are performed, entirely within Oregon to pay up to 10% more for those Oregon goods and/or services. The bill would have created more tax revenue than the 10% it would cost andwouldhavehelpedsaveOregonjobs.Pallesenspokeaboutagroup formed to address the issue of Oregon’s recovered waste paper being exported mostly to China. The high cost of recovered waste paper is partially responsible for the bankruptcies of both the Blue Heron and SP Newsprint paper mills. Area Rep Ken Hardwick included, in his report, updates on current labor negotiations, safety, grievances, and arbitration cases in his area, as well as other arbitration cases he presented; two on behalf of the Covington Paperworkers Union (CPU) in Virginia and one of behalf of AWPPW Local 580 (Longview, WA). During the last two years Hardwick has spent a considerable amount of time dealing with the closure and bankruptcy of Blue Heron Paper Company, Oregon City, Oregon, which affected AWPPW Local 68. The Local 68 workforce is still owed over $4,000,000!
Area Rep Don Draeger gave updates on his work with current labor negotiations, safety, grievances and arbitration cases includ-ing cases he has worked on for Longview, Washington, Local 633. Local1-BoiseratifiedanewlaboragreementonMarch9th.Local1-Cascades Tissues negotiations are ongoing. Draeger has met with the newly organized Dyno-Nobel workers in St. Helens, and he will lead the negotiations for a contract on behalf of that new unit. DraegeralsoreportedthatGeorgiaPacific,Toledo,Oregon,feelsthat some employees have offended the company by their “Face-book” comments. The company has reprimanded employees for certain “Facebook” content, even though their “Facebook” activity is being done on their own time and on their own equipment and in a concerted union effort with others. Council Political Director Mike Sullivan reported on his recent activity. See Page 4 of this edition for some details. Safety Rep Jason Cowles covered this year’s upcoming Pulp and Paper Safety and Health Conference. Efforts are being made to include wood products workers. See Page 11 of this edi-tionforaflyeronawardsnominationsforthisevent.Cowlesalsodiscussed the continued push by some employers’ actions which are causing “non-reporting” of safety incidents and accidents. Council President Tim Wagner led discussions about the Pulp and Paper Resource Council (PPRC). Wagner attended the Febru-ary PPRC Washington DC gathering, along with Jason Cowles, Local 677, and Dean Rudolph from AWPPW Local 5-Camas, WA. The PPRC Steering Council will be meeting in Portland, Oregon in September, at which time another AWPPW OR-ID-UT Area Council meeting will also be held, and with a day or so coordinated between the two events. More details about this will be covered in a later Rebel edition.. Council delegates can provide more in-depth information to any members who would like to know more.
An overview of the roomful of Area Council attendees at the Idaho meeting is pictured during the reading of the council minutes .
Area Rep Don Draeger, standing, is pictured during his council report.
Page 11Page 10
Training Classes Strengthen Union Skills
Notices Of Local Union Elections
LOCAL 1 — ST. HELENS, OR WillvoteonofficersJune12and13,2012,attheunionhall,230 S. First Street, St. Helens, Oregon, from 5:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., both days. BallotswillbecountedafterfinalcloseofpollsonJune13,atthe union hall.
LOCAL 13 — TOLEDO, OR Willvoteonofficers, electedcommitteemembers, andAPCrepresentative on June 4 and June 6, 2012, at the mill main gate motorcycle parking area and the powerhouse, from 6:00 a.m. to 7:15 a.m., 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. BallotswillbecountedafterfinalcloseofpollsonJune6th,atthe union hall, 138 N.W. 1st Street, in Toledo, starting at 7:30 p.m.
LOCAL 89 — MEDFORD, OR Willvoteonofficersandsergeant-at-armsonJune6,2012,attheunionhall,4480N.PacificHwy.,CentralPoint,Oregon,from7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Ballots will be counted at close of polls at the polling place.
Local 78 (Portland, OR) members who attended Shop Steward training conducted by Area Rep Ken Hardwick on March 26, from left to right, are Alan Kirkwood, Kit Caruso, Jodene Wilhoit, Lance Bell, and Dawn Fischer.
LOCAL 633 — LONGVIEW, WA Willvoteonofficers,trialboard,safetychairman,andextruderwage delegates, on June 18, 2012, at the liquid packaging machine and shipping lunch rooms, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.; and on June 20th, at the liquid packaging machine and shipping lunch rooms, from 4:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. Voting will also be held on June 19th and 21st at the Extruder lunch room, from 5:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., both days. Ballots will be counted June 22nd at the union hall, 724 - 15th Avenue, Longview, starting at 8:30 a.m.
LOCAL 677 — SPRINGFIELD, OR Willvoteonofficers,safetysteeringrepresentatives,andinsideguard at the mill Shipping Dock and also at the Maintenance De-partment, on both June 19th and June 20, 2012, from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., both days. Anyone needing an absentee ballot must contact Local 677 Recording Secretary Jim Kupsick. BallotswillbecountedrightafterfinalcloseofpollsonJune20th, at the Education Center at the mill.
NOTE: The following local union officer election notices cover nominations/elections of President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Financial Secretary, Treasurer, Trustee, Standing Commitee, and Delegates for AWPPW Conventions, Wage, and Councils. Any excep-tions or additions will be noted in the individual local union's notice.
AWPPW Financial Training Held Secretary-Treasurer Jim Hassey spent May 7th through 9th in Spokane, Washington, working with Local 422's (Usk, WA) Financial Secretary/Treasurer Joel Hendershott in some further financialofficertraining. On May 10-11, Secretary-Treasurer Hassey conducted some generalfinancialtrainingatLocal69(Wallula,WA)attheirunionhall in Pasco. Attending this session were Local 69 President Mike Ortiz, Recording Secretary Shelly Rizzuto, Financial Secretary/Treasurer Victor Mendoza, and Trustees Vern Collins and Robert Irving.
Training Classes Available Upon Request Localswishingtoarrangeshopstewardorfinancialofficers'trainingforhowevermanywouldbenefitfromitmaycontacttheirAWPPW area representative, relief area representative, or AWPPW headquarters to make arrangements. As much advance notice for the request as possible is helpful as far as scheduling, preparation of materials, and other factors.
AFL-CIO Summer School The University of Oregon's Labor Education and Research Center (LERC) is, again this year, conducting the annual AFL-CIO Summer School for the dates of August 10, 11 & 12 at the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, Oregon. Activities will include a silent auction, core classes and workshops, a solidarity picnic,music,laborfilmfestival,andmore. For more information about this event, other upcoming classes featured by LERC, or to register, contact LERC directly at (541) 346-5054, or [email protected]
Gals -- Hurry To Register For TheSummer Institute On Union Women!
The deadline to register for the 31st Annual Western Regional SummerInstituteForUnionWomenisjustaroundthecorner!Thisyear's institute has been coordinated with University of California at Berkeley, and will be held at Sonoma State University in beautiful Rohnert Park, California. The deadline for registering is June 1st. The dates are Monday, July 23, through Friday, July 27. Various rates are available, depending on what housing plan attendees choose, including reduced rates for commuters or for attending only one day of the session. There are some great choices of core classes and workshops. A few examples, out of many that are offered, are: • BargaininginToday'sEconomy • Workers'RightsandAdvocacySkills • What'sWrongwiththeEconomy,andHowWeCanFightBack • FamilyLeaveandWorkers'Rights • WomenintheTradesandOtherNon-TraditionalJobs Plusseveralchoicesinthesubjectsoforganizingandpublicrelations . . . and more! Additional information and a detailed brochure is available [email protected] the program or scholarships is available by contacting Maria Abadesco at (707) 494-2461. For assistance with logistics or general inquiries, contact Clementina Jara at (510) 643-7048.
November 27-30, 2012Red Lion Hotel on the River – Jantzen Beach • Portland, Oregon
22nd Annual
Western Pulp & Paper Workers Safety & Health Conference
Your nomination is important!Nominate individuals or organizations for a 2012 Western Pulp & Paper Workers Safety & Health Conference award. Award categories are listed below. Awards will be presented during a dinner ceremony on November 28 at the conference. If you've nominated someone in the past, and they were not selected, we encourage you to submit their nomination again.
Pulp & Paper Industry Award Categories Employer Manager of the Year Safety Advocate Safety Professional Safety Committee
Applications must be received byAugust 10, 2012
Nomination forms can be found on the Pulp & Paper Conference Web page at:
www.orosha.org/conferences
If you have questions or need clarification on the nomination process, please call: the Conference Section at 503-378-3272, or toll-free at 888-292-5247, option 1,
NOTE: If your nominee is selected to receive an award, you will be contacted by the committee and asked to provide a photo of the award recipient.
Supervisor of the YearLocal UnionLife SavingUnion Contractor
Partners in Safety – Steering Toward the Future
Page 12
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Local 580 Picnic Set For Members & Retirees Attention: Local 580 members and retirees: Mark your calendars to attend the Local 580 annual picnic. Bring the family! Food and fun provided! The date is August 4th, and the place is Riverside Park in Lexington, Washington. Hours are from 12:00 noon to 6:00 p.m. Any questions, contact Recording Secretary Ernie Wilson at [email protected].
(Continued From Page 6)
Loyal Attorney Willner Aided AWPPW Formation"Homer With Bases Loaded"
Circa 1964very informative and historic article may request one from The Rebel staff at AWPPW headquarters in Portland. It is interesting to note that, even prior to the formation of the AWPPW, Don Willner was legal counsel for some of the organizations that provided the framework for organizing the new AWPPW. This made it a "natural" for Don Willner to work with the AWPPW in its infancy, right up to the present. The cartoon at right was publishedin the August 12, 1964, edition of The Rebel (Volume 1, Number 12), and was described as follows: "Several weeks ago, the new West Coast paper put out by the two internationals showed AWPPW attorney Don Willner at bat, presumably being struck out. The cartoon was a bit premature, since Willner has done nothing but get hits in his legal work for the AWPPW in the courts and with the NLRB. So, we present this cartoon as a follow-up to the one published by the internationals." Well done, wouldn't you say?
