AFSCME Local 328 Endorsements

Hello AFSCME 328 members!

One of the functions our union performs is to give our endorsement and support towards candidates in an election that concerns our union and towards local bills which affect our members. In that capacity the AFSCME Local 328 is happy to announce our endorsements for the Oregon AFSCME Council 75 Executive Director race, the Oregon AFSCME Council 75 Presidential race, and our support for bond measure 26-159.

For the Oregon AFSCME Council 75 Executive Director race; AFSCME local 328 endorses candidate Rob Martineau for the position.

For the Oregon AFSCME Council 75 Presidential race; AFSCME Local 328 endorses our own member Sarah Curtis for the position.

For Bond Measure 26-259; Those who live in the Portland Public Schools District are being asked to approve an important school bond renewal. Measure 26-259 renews the current tax rate, delivers critical repairs to aging schools across Portland, and completes the modernization of our high schools. 

This bond is a generational investment, ensuring students and families have access to high-quality high schools no matter where they live in the district for decades to come. AFSCME Local 328 has endorsed the school bond, and we urge you to vote YES. Measure 26-259 DOES NOT increase tax rates–it is a renewal of the rate we already pay. That rate, $2.50 per $1,000 in assessed value, will stay the same. Renewing the rate allows us to raise almost $1.83 billion for important investment in our schools. Portland's students deserve schools that are safe, comfortable, and ready for the future. Right now, too many of our schools–some over a century old–are struggling. That’s why this bond measure will invest in upgrading outdated heating and cooling systems and aging plumbing and roofs. Our students need updated classrooms that are warm, safe, and dry. With respect to seismic safety, our region is at risk of experiencing a large earthquake, and too many older buildings were not built with this reality in mind. This bond will invest in seismic reinforcements to make our schools stronger and more resilient and keep our teachers and students safe. As Willamette Week recently put it, "it’s almost certainly the case that passage of the bond will make schools safer when the Big One hits." Our students deserve up-to-date schools and learning tools. Yet, Cleveland and Ida B. Wells high schools still await modernization, and Jefferson remains unfinished. In 2012, a promise was made about modernizing every PPS High School–approving this bond keeps that promise. Every student deserves access to a high-quality high school, and voters can make that happen by approving Measure 26-259. And of course, schools are more than just places to learn–they’re workplaces, too. Passing the bond will help improve working conditions for rank and file teachers and workers who keep our schools running. Measure 26-159 has earned extensive labor support, and we urge you to vote YES. 

In Solidarity,

AFSCME Local 328 Board