Two trade organizations claim union bias on Oregon's task force

Members of two area trade organizations said this week that a task force commissioned to address Oregon's prevailing wage rate law is stacked and has an overwhelming union bias.

Created by Oregon Labor Commissioner Dan Gardner, the task force is charged with making policy recommendations to Gardner about how the state's prevailing wage rate law should be applied to increasingly complex developments financed through private-public partnerships throughout the state.

According to Gardner, who met with numerous representatives from various housing agencies, contractors and public officials over the past year to research the issue, the task force will help resolve important public policy issues.

But John Killin, the executive director of the Independent Electrical Contractors of Oregon, a nonunion organization, said this week that the labor commissioner has stacked the deck in his favor.

I am concerned that there is the appearance of impropriety, Killin said.

According to Killin, the task force, which is made up of developers, lenders, affordable housing advocates, representatives of minority-owned and emerging small businesses, public officials and representatives of the construction industry and the building trades, lacks open-shop representation.

Of the 17 members on the task force, the construction industry and building trades are represented by a representative from the Oregon-Columbia chapter of the Associated General Contractors, one minority contractor, two union contractors and four union representatives, Killin wrote in an e-mail.

The problem is that AGC represents union and non-union, so they negate themselves and typically fall on the union side in many of these issues, Killin wrote. The minority contractor/representative will largely only be interested in a minority-contractor involvement regulation - as well he should. And the now 6 (or seven, I lost count) union representatives will run away with their interests.

But Gardner said that only five people with union affiliations are on the task force and that, of those five individuals, two are contractors.

On a 17-member task force, that's a small amount, Gardner said. These claims are ludicrous. - When I appointed the task force, I didn't see it as a union or nonunion issue, I saw it as a public policy issue.

The task force will meet for the first time Wednesday.

Gardner said he personally met with Killin and representatives from the local chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, a nonunion organization, before appointing the task force. Killin and ABC, he said, did not offer names of anyone whom they believed ought to serve on the task force until after the original 15 members of the task force were appointed in June.

They had more than ample time to suggest a name, but they didn't, Gardner said. The onus was on (Killin) to have made a request for someone specific, which he didn't. - If he didn't submit a name, that's not my responsibility.

Gardner said Killin and anyone else interested in attending the meetings of the task force, which will take place twice a month for approximately the next six months, are more than welcome to do so, as the meetings are open to the public, and input from citizens will be accepted, he said.

Killin will be able to attend, Gardner said. He is not being frozen out of the process in any way, shape or form.

Jeff Dean, who was present at the meeting between Gardner and Killin and is the director of governmental affairs for the local ABC chapter, said an open-shop representative should be a member of the task force.

We think it is a great direction, and it makes sense for them to be examining this, Dean said. Our concern is the make-up of the group. - The open-shop industry is a major part of Oregon's construction industry, and it makes sense to have somebody on there representing that point of view.

Despite not having a representative from ABC or IEC on the task force, both organizations, Dean said, will have members attending the meetings.

We're looking forward to being involved in it, and we're going to go to the meetings, Dean said. We will be involved any way we can.

Jessica Harris Adamson, co-chairwoman of Gardner's task force and AGC's legislative affairs manager, said the goal of the task force is to have a very open process.

She does not view the task force as a union-stacked process, she said.

This is a group of people that are going to give a significant chunk of their time over the next couple of months to look at this issue, Harris Adamson said. We're going to be very open and very thorough, and we encourage everyone to come and participate. - Once people see it in action, perhaps their fears will be allayed.

Regarding the allegation that AGC falls on the union side of many issues, Harris Adamson said, I don't believe we come down on the union side or the open-shop side.

My job is to balance both interests, Harris Adamson said. I believe that we come down in the middle.

The first meeting of the task force will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday in Room 140 at the Portland State Office Building, 800 N.E. Oregon St., in Portland.

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