Oregon AFL-CIO convention resolutions

Law and Legislation Committee

Delegates voted to support each of the following resolutions:

• Prohibit Release of Emergency 911 Voice Tapes Without Consent: Support legislation prohibiting release of emergency 911 voice tapes to media without consent of the caller or a parent, spouse, guardian of the caller.
• Illegal Employers: Increase penalties, including incarceration, and strictly enforce all laws regarding employers who hire and exploit workers without legal status.
• Trade: Favor import tariffs to protect job retention and the industrial base of the United States.
• Support Public Financing Campaign Reform: Support public financing for all political campaigns, ranging from local races to statewide and legislative candidates.
• Oppose Bush Administration’s Pending Free-Trade Agreements: Oppose pending free-trade agreements with Peru, Colombia, Panama and South Korea, and rescind NAFTA and WTO.
• For Good Jobs and Energy Independence: Work with politicians, the Apollo Alliance, and other similar coalitions to investigate best practices in reducing greenhouse gases without adversely impacting jobs.
• 2007 Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Support full labor protections and civil rights for immigrant workers and their families so that they can join a union; support immigration reform legislation that provides for an earned path to legalization for undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.; oppose expanded use of guest worker programs; oppose the House-passed immigration bill HR 4437 and the portions of S 2611 that would criminalize undocumented workers and those who assist immigrants.
• Combatting Climate Change: Appoint a Blue-Ribbon Committee to do a comprehensive study of how the state labor federation can assist in the fight against climate change; and encourage all organizations and members to reduce, reuse and recycle.
• The Oregon Job Creation and Highway Congestion Relief Initiative: Support passage of a significant transportation funding package in the 2009 legislative session.
• Stop Media Consolidation: Oppose the Federal Communication Commission’s efforts to loosen the media ownership consolidation rules, allowing a giant media corporations to own more TV channels, radio stations and newspapers in a single market.
• Demand the Governor Bargain in Good Faith with Members of AFSCME: Demand that the governor use the same criteria for represented employees as he used for management when he gave them 18 percent raises and that he bargain in good faith with AFSCME Local 3336 and other AFSCME locals.

Affiliation & Growth Committee

Delegates voted to support each of the following resolutions:

• Oregon State Workers Memorial: Establish and finding funding for a permanent memorial to be located on the Oregon State Capitol grounds.
• Safe Patient Care and the Right to a Fair Election Process: Support Legacy RNs right to organize without interference from management and call on CEO Lee Domanico to remain neutral in the United Nurses of Legacy’s union election.
• Urge Congress to Enact Legislation Requiring Paid Parental Leave: Support legislation that provides 12 weeks of paid parental leave for workers to care for and bond with the birth or adoption of a child.
• Urge Congress to Enact Legislation Requiring Paid Family Medical Leave: Support legislation that will provide 12 weeks of paid family leave for workers due to illness or to care for an ill family member.
• Urge Congress to Enact Legislation Extending the Definition of ‘Immediate Family’ Under the FMLA: Support legislation that expands definition of “immediate family” to include grandparents, grandchildren, siblings, step-parents, parent in-laws and domestic partners.
• Oregon State Fair Booth: Continue to participate in and help fund labor booth at Oregon State Fair.
• Diverse Movement Calls for Diverse Leaders: Encourage training and development to build diversity in the leadership of the labor movement and prepare a report on diversity in the Oregon labor movement.
• OSEA-AFT Affiliation Process: Strongly support affiliation vote by Oregon School Employee Association with the American Federation of Teachers.
• PLAs and Neutrality: Promote benefits of project labor agreements and neutrality agreements and develop strategies to public and elected officials.
• Oregon AFL-CIO Unity Team: Create a Unity Team to strategize on multi-union organizing campaigns.
• Union Voice in Economic Development: Will recruit union members to serve on boards and commissions dealing with economic development.
• Switch Cellular Service to Responsible Providers: Encourage members, employers, city and state government officials and others to switch cellular service to unionized AT&T Mobility and take advantage of union discounts.

Resolutions Committee

Delegates voted to support each of the following resolutions:

• Central Labor Council General Fund: Establishes a fund dedicated to central labor councils.
• In Support of Sustainability in Education Construction: Pursue legislation to require that all publicly-funded construction and renovation meet LEED Silver standards.
• Scheduling Oregon AFL-CIO Conventions: Consider including weekends when scheduling conventions.
• For Progressive Solutions to the Health Care Crisis: Affirmed its support for national health care reform that would provide universal coverage, endorsed HR 676 (a bill in Congress that would institute a single-payer health care system in the U.S. by expanding the Medicare system to every resident).
• Support of the Bradwood Landing Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal: Lobby the governor, Legislature and Congress to support the permitting and construction of an LNG terminal at Bradwood Landing in Clatsop County.
• Support Feedlot Workers: Help get settlement and signed contract between Beef Northwest in Boardman and the United Farm Workers.
• In America, No One Should Go Without Health Care: Commit to campaign and mobilize members to win universal health care for all Americans.