News briefs

Income falls in Oregon; poverty rate on the rise

Oregon’s median household income dropped $1,289 between 2000-01 and 2001-02, falling to $41,816, according to new data released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau. Oregon was one of 38 states where the estimate for median household income declined, and one of 12 states where the decrease was statistically significant. Nationally, median household income fell $720.

Oregon’s poverty rate, at 11.3 percent, remained unchanged between 2000-01 and 2001-02. However, because of continued population growth, the number of poor Oregonians rose by 5,000, climbing to 395,000 in 2001-02, according to an analysis by the Oregon Center for Public Policy (OCPP), a non-profit research institute in Silverton.

Nationally, the poverty rate rose 0.4 percent, to 11.9 percent, while the number of poor rose by 1.7 million. Poverty rate estimates rose in 39 states, and in nine states the increase was statistically significant.

“While economists have declared that the national recession has ended, people in Oregon and around the country still don’t see much improvement in their ability to meet household needs,” said Jeff Thompson, economist and policy analyst with the OCPP.

Thompson said Oregon’s economy depends on the national economy, and the state’s economy can’t be expected to start generating jobs and income growth until there is a serious change in direction at the national level.

OCPP said the rising number of poor Oregonians is especially troubling given Oregon’s revenue shortfall and because of budget cuts in programs serving low-income households.

“The new Census data are further evidence of the failure of the ‘tax cuts for the rich at any cost’ approach favored by the Bush Administration,” he said.

The annual Census survey used to estimate the median income and poverty rate for Oregon is based on approximately 1,000 households statewide. Census and the Oregon Center for Public Policy use two-year averages of the Census statewide data to provide more reliable figures.

Links to the Census reports on Income and Poverty are available at www.ocpp.org .

AFSCME challenges crime prevention staff reapplication

Ten crime prevention workers in the City of Portland’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI) learned in August of plans to terminate their jobs Nov. 14 — not for budget reasons, but because management wanted to add to their job descriptions. All were then given the opportunity to apply for 10 newly- created positions, which would pay 10 percent more.

At the workers’ request, their union, American, Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 189, decided to fight the decision.

“If the city is allowed to treat even a tiny group this way, they may feel emboldened to do it with others, and we won’t allow that,” said AFSCME Staff Representative Rick Henson.

ONI is one of a portfolio of bureaus that answer to City Commissioner Randy Leonard, a former president of the Portland Fire Fighters Local 43. The dispute marked the first public case in which Leonard was at odds with a city workers union since he won election in September 2002 with strong labor backing.

Crime prevention worker Rhetta Drennan, the union steward for the 10, said she thinks the termination/ reapplication strategy is a way for managers to get rid of staff they don’t like. She said no job description for the new positions is yet available, but that it would require greater skills and would include more statistical analysis.

Leonard had a different account of the decision.

Right now the 10 work with police and neighborhoods to create block watch programs, collect crime statistics, monitor drug houses, and notify neighbors when sex offenders move in. To those duties Leonard said he wants to add enforcement of a new liquor ordinance that’s still in the proposal stage. Crime prevention workers already meet with liquor sellers to negotiate voluntary changes after neighbors complain of nuisances from intoxicated patrons. Under the new ordinance, the city could place restrictions on those businesses, such as limiting hours of operation, if they refused to cooperate. Leonard said some crime prevention workers complained that this would cross a line into “enforcement” of the law and said they would oppose the change through their union.

Since the city would have to bargain with the union to change a job description, Leonard said, it would be easier to eliminate the existing positions and create new ones.

The union appealed the move, but that appeal was rejected by the human resources department.

Leonard said he insisted the new positions be union-represented, pay more, and that existing employees who didn’t want the new positions be offered jobs elsewhere in the city.

“I didn’t want to do this in a way that was unfair,” Leonard said.

Drennan denied that any of the 10 workers had refused to take on new assignments. She said the issue was that existing employees wouldn’t be given an opportunity for training. Leonard said that was not the case.

Five of the workers applied for the new positions before the deadline; five did not.

Some neighborhood activists who work with the crime prevention specialists also said management didn’t consult with them about the change; Leonard said he’d heard from numerous people in the community who were unhappy with the decision.

He met with the workers Sept. 26 and with community members Sept. 29.

David Lang, the manager in charge of the crime prevention unit, resigned Sept. 19, citing a planned move to Hawaii.

Oregon minimum wage to increase 15 cents an hour

The political fight to keep low-wage workers our of poverty was fought twice during the last 10 months — first, when Oregon voters passed Measure 25 to provide annual cost-of-living adjustments in the minimum wage, then again in the Legislature this year when anti-worker forces tried, but failed, to overturn the will of the voters.

Those victories paid off when Labor Commissioner Dan Gardner announced that the minimum wage will be raised from $6.90 per hour to $7.05 per hour on Jan. 1.

“This modest 2.2 percent increase will only keep low-wage workers from falling farther behind in their effort to make ends meet,” said Gene Pronovost, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 and a co-chief petitioner for Measure 25 with Gardner and State Representative and union member Diane Rosenbaum. “The minimum wage is still not a living wage, but this increase will help keep tens of thousands of working-poor families above the poverty line.”

Gardner noted that the increase will be good for local economies as well. “Overall, most low-wage workers pump every dollar of their pay checks directly into the local economy by spending their money in their neighborhood stores, local pharmacies and corner markets,” Gardner said. “When the minimum wage increases, local economies benefit from the increased purchasing power of low-wage workers and their families.”

The Oregon Employment Department estimates that 127,000 to 130,000 workers will directly benefit from the increase to $7.05 in 2004. With that increase, Oregon’s minimum wage will be the fourth highest in the nation, behind Alaska at $7.15, Connecticut at $7.10 and Washington, which will announce its annual cost-of-living increase at the end of the month, expected to be above $7.10.

Pile Drivers send care package to member in Iraq

Portland-based Pile Drivers, Divers and Shipwrights Local 2416 is helping one of its members stationed in Iraq. Fred Lotfi is a bridge builder in Mosul, Iraq — part of the Albany Oregon-based Bravo 52nd Engineers. The B52s have been in Iraq for 158 days as this goes to press.

Last month the local voted to send a care package to Lotfi and his unit. Local 2416 office secretary Charlane Carlson has been corresponding with Lotfi via e-mail. She organized collection of the care package, getting donations from vendors that service the local, as well as from union staff and members.

Cases of coffee and hot chocolate, toothbrushes, beef jerky, phone cards and more were collected.

“Union reps and secretaries donated enough to buy 20 phone cards for calls home. Once it was all boxed up the local paid the $209 in shipping,” said Carlson, who added some whimsey to the care packages by including whoopee cushions and giant sunglasses.

Lotfi confirmed via e-mail that the supplies had arrived. He then took on the role of union ambassador, handing them out to fellow soldiers on his base.

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