# 20 - Why is this happening?

There is an old saying "Keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer."  What does this sating mean?  It means know your opponents well.  We have know Pang-in -the-Assborn since the days that he used to fetch coffee for Tim Dallas.  I always thought that if Tim Dallas ever came to a sudden stop that Pang-in-the-Assborn would have a brown broken nose.  For the younger set around here and if you want to know what kind of hell we are descending into, ask an oldtimer.  Ask Rich Ries, Walt Boynton or Jim Saville about the Tim Dallas days.  Now you fellers know I mean higher seniority not "old", but then if the shoe fits....
 
Who  we know the least about is Mary Neidig, our amiable new Human Resources Director and the new LTD lawyer/negotiator for the management Jackie Damm.  What can we find out about these two women?  They have fine academic pedigrees and apparent political connections with Governor Kitzhabber for Ms. Neidig, having worked in high level positions in the ex-governors administration.
 
But Joe Hill is more interested in what others say about these two.  Found some intersting information on the Internet.  These are words from others and not Joe Hill's.  I found them easily on the internet and the links are provided so that you may satisfy yourself that Joe ain't making this stuff up.

Oregon's new breed of mass murderers
Author
Subject: Oregon's new breed of mass murderers

David

Posted At 21:06:00 03/17/2000

This posting is for John Kitzhaber, Kevin Mannix, Gene Derfler, Peter DeLuca (OR OSHA), Michael Greenfield (DCBS), Bill Braly (DCBS & MLAC), Maureen Bock (WC Board), Lisa Trussell (AOI), Katherine Keene (SAIF), Jerry Keene (lobbyist), and Mary C. Neidig (WCD).
Perhaps you're worse because your crimes against working class men & women are the result of your sickness for personal ambition, your political power fixation, a sick need for personal gratification, and a pathetic desire to fill your pockets with gold at the expense of people's lives.Does it even concern you that you're enriching yourself, you greedy SOB's, by purposely destroying good and honest people. Your callous actions are causing Oregonians to lose their good health, you're destroying families, and your actions are responsible for the deaths of hundreds, or perhaps for some of you thousands.
The information above is part of the information that is found at:
http://www.injuredworker.org/forums/injuredworker/posts/179.html
 
Ms. Neidig must have really pissed off the injured worker community.  Joe was talking to a an injured worker lawyer about six months ago and when I mentioned Ms. Neidig's name he moaned and started to tell me about her history at Werehauser.    So injured workers are not her friends.  Here is more:

officials cover up for Wal-mart. There reply is hogwash

Author
Subject: officials cover up for Wal-mart. There reply is hogwash

Lisa 

Posted At 13:05:59 06/20/2001
This below is another example of Oregon officials covering up for employers. Wal-mart workers need to throw this coverup back in officials faces. My email said >>> lisa_marie@eudoramail.com 06/04/01 12:52PM >>>Shouldn't Oregon be investigating Wal-Mart. Why would they do these terrible tings in WA and not in Oregon?Thank you in advanceThank-you for your information and inquiry about Wal-Mart. I am theadministrator of the Oregon Workers' Compensation Division. We are aware ofthe reports about Wal-Mart in Washington and other states. After learningabout these reports, we conducted a review of some Wal-Mart operations inOregon to determine if there was anything like this occurring. We have found no definate problems with claims filing or processing to this point. However, if you have knowledge of issues or know about violations of the Workers' Compensation Act, we would be interested in hearing about them. Please feel free to call me at the number below or to e-mail. Thank-you. John Shilts, AdministratorWorkers' Compensation Division(503) 947-7500
 
The responses to Lisa's Post are below

Jack C
Re: officials cover up for Wal-mart. There reply is hogwash (Currently 0 replies) Posted At 10:56:34 06/22/2001

Its not like this guy was hired to protect workers. Wal-Mart does it elsewhere but not in Oregon. Maybe this guy should thing about selling oceanfront property in Montana. It would be a step up in ethics.

Marty
Re: officials cover up for Wal-mart. There reply is hogwash (Currently 0 replies) Posted At 23:25:10 06/22/2001

And to think they went after Italian-Americans in the early 1990s. The Mafia are a street gang compared to the political corruption by state officials.

watchdog
Re: officials cover up for Wal-mart. There reply is hogwash (Currently 0 replies) Posted At 11:41:07 06/24/2001

Yes wal-mart does do these things in Oregon. Do some research.Why would Oregon be any different that any other state.

Matt
Re: officials cover up for Wal-mart. There reply is hogwash (Currently 0 replies) Posted At 20:51:24 06/26/2001

He was appointed by Neidig and worked for SAIF. Those arn't exactly credentials that would lead anyone to beleive he could be fair to workers.
The information above is part of the information that is found at:
http://www.injuredworker.org/forums/injuredworker/posts/2054.html
 
So who is Jackie Damm?
 
See the following web site for a bio:  http://www.bullardlaw.com/pages/profiles/jacquelinemdamm.html


Jacqueline M. Damm  jdamm@bullardlaw.com
Practice Area
Union Busting
Collective Bargaining;
Labor Contract Administration;
NLRB Proceedings;Labor Arbitration;
Employment Discrimination;
Personnel Policies and Practices
Bar AdmissionsIllinois, 1992Oregon, 2000 EducationJ.D., University of Minnesota, 1992B.A., University of Wisconsin, 1987  

Jackie Damm grew up in Madison, Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1987 with majors in Philosophy and English Literature. After college, she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and in 1992, she earned her juris doctor degree, cum laude, from the University of Minnesota School of Law.
After law school, Jackie joined the Labor and Employment Department of the law firm of Jenner & Block in Chicago. At Jenner, Jackie concentrated her practice in defending employment discrimination and wrongful discharge claims. In 1993, Jackie joined the law firm of Matkov, Salzman, Madoff & Gunn in Chicago, and continued to develop her practice in management-side labor and employment law. At Matkov, Jackie expanded her practice to include representing management in collective bargaining negotiations, National Labor Relations Board proceedings, and labor arbitrations. Jackie also has developed a significant practice in preventative labor and employment law, which includes advising clients on labor contract administration, leave law issues, employment discrimination, personnel policies and procedures, and union organizing campaigns (A nice way of saying Union Busting or Prevention). Jackie was a contributing editor to the 1993 cumulative supplement to The Developing Labor Law, and wrote the chapter entitled "Presenting a Case at Arbitration" for the most recent H.B. Maynard Industrial Engineering Handbook. She also has given numerous presentations on the Family and Medical Leave Act, how to present a case at arbitration, and workplace violence.

In 2000, Jackie relocated to Portland and is a shareholder in the firm, where she continues to represent management in labor and employment law issues.  
Check out these other Chicago law firms if you want to see the quintesential  anti-union law firms.  Ms. Damm worked her way up in the hotbed of anti-union law.  If you want more law firm info check out www.Martindale.com .
So what has Jackie accomplished in her short time in Oregon besides her constant harangues against the ATU?  Ms. Damm went after some of the lowest paid workers attempting to organize a union.  Lane County's Head Start couldn't afford her so they hired former LTD Human Resources Director, Ed Ruttledge.  Look waht Ms. Damm did in Portland as reported in the NW Labor Press.

Portland Head Start spends $50k fighting union
(edited for this email)
In a June 2 election, workers at Early Head Start Family Center (EHSFC) of Portland defied months of management anti-union campaigning by voting more than 2-to-1 to unionize. The 50 to 24 vote to join Council 75 of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) means the unit of 82 employees now must try to negotiate a first contract.
The center is a non-profit funded by the federal, state and city governments and private grants to provide child care to pre-schoolers from birth to three years of age, so the money spent fighting the union — estimated at over $50,000 — was, in effect, supported by tax dollars.
Executive director Cynthia Wells hired attorney Jackie Damm of the management-side labor law firm Bullard Smith Jernstedt Wilson, who began to object, through legal maneuvers, to the choice of which workers should be eligible to join.

“If there were 10 things they could do to stall the election, they did 11,” said union organizer Debra Kidney.

To resolve the employer’s objections took 12 days of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) hearings over a five-week period. The NLRB found no merit to the employer’s case. But the delay meant the election date for the 82 workers found eligible wasn’t determined until May.

Meanwhile, management, particularly executive director Wells, had time to work on employees one-on-one and in staff meetings.

“Head Start is a social service agency,” said employee Carrie Schneider. “In my head, it wasn’t a possibility that it would get so ugly.”
At a February all-staff “training” meeting, witnesses said, Wells yelled at and made personal attacks against those who favored the union, and said that one pro-union worker didn’t care about the kids.
Workers who attended the NLRB hearings reported hostile looks from managers, and returning to work, were given the silent treatment. At least 10 union supporters are reported to have quit during the campaign.
Pro-union workers say the union campaign is not about the money; it’s about respect, fairness in discipline and promotion, and reducing turnover.
“It’s not cool for two- or three-year olds to go through two or three teachers in a year,” Schneider said. “The population we work with needs to bond with an adult.”

Workers said high turnover, estimated at 30 percent a year, may be the result of a hostile work environment.
“Unfortunately, there’s an utter lack of respect from upper management, particularly the executive director,” Schneider said. “It was stressed to us many times that we were at-will employees; it was an overused phrase that ‘if you don’t like it, there’s the door.’”
Complete story at :  http://www.nwlaborpress.org/2004/7-2-04AFSCME.html
 
Gee I wonder how much LTD is paying Damm to negotiate this contract of the "Dammed"  Bet it is a lot more than 50 Grand!
 
In movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid  Butch and Sundance when they were being chased by the Pinkertons after robbing the train kept looking back and asking "who are those guys?".  The chasers were persistant.  Knowing who you are up against helps define what actions you must take ultimately.  As you recall Butch and Sundance jumped off a cliff into a river with Sundance stating he could not swim.  It was a tough choice for him to have to face, but he knew what he was up against.  Knowing is important!
 
Joe Hill says all that is happening to us is based on the players.  But never forget that the Hamm is the Disrector of this theater of the unfair.  I think we needed to hear about the main players in the show that we don't know too well.  Hamm cast them for their parts.  If you cry at the end of this play is is because it is a tragedy.
 
In Solidarity,
Joe Hill 
 
 
Joe Hill 20                      You can contact Joe Hill at joehill_1915@hotmail.com