According to a recent article in The Bulletin, the head of Oregon Right to Life has confirmed that the video U.S. Senator Gordon Smith filmed in the U.S. Senate Recording Studio on behalf of the group “was always intended to promote her group's activities.” Senate rules explicitly prohibit the use of Senate resources for promotional or political purposes.

In an Oct. 24 article in The Bulletin of Bend, the Executive Director of Oregon Right to Life, Gayle Atteberry, also said that, "The original purpose was just to make an Oregon Right to Life promotional video to talk about Oregon Right to Life and the many things it does."

According to the U.S. Senate Ethics Manual, “Senate space may NOT be used for any...promotional...purpose whatsoever.”

Additionally, Smith's campaign manager seemed to recognize the video was a violation of Ethics rules. In the same article in The Bulletin, Brooks Kochvar, Smith's campaign manager, said he had asked Oregon Right to Life “to take the spot down” late last week.

The issue of Smith filming a political video promoting Oregon Right to Life came to light last week when NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon filed an Ethics complaint against Smith.

“Senator Smith has said several times that lawmakers should not be lawbreakers, but when it comes to helping his right-wing allies he's apparently willing to bend the rules,” DPO Chair Meredith Wood Smith said. “At the very least, Senator Smith should reimburse the taxpayers for using Senate resources for a political purpose.”

Gordon Smith was keeping wages low for his workers and opposing an increase in the minimum wage for workers across the country, while he was doling out sweetheart mortgage deals for his company’s top executives.

In 2001, Smith Frozen Foods was in such dire straits – according to the company – that it petitioned to cut its property taxes. That move ultimately cost the town of Weston $300,000. But strangely the company was doing well enough that it could afford to give a mortgage to a top executive.

On January 27, 2001, the company’s acting president, Kelly Brown, took out a $65,000 mortgage from Smith Food Sales for a lot at the Langdon Lake Resort.

“Gordon Smith always puts the executives in the corner office before the workers on the line,” DPO Chair Meredith Wood Smith said. “Just like the financial titans on Wall Street, Smith expects hand outs from taxpayers, while he doles out Cadillac deals for his executives. Simultaneously, he has been an enemy for working people – opposing the minimum wage, denying his workers health care benefits and living wages, and firing his workers when cheaper labor is available.”

This wasn’t the first time, or the last, that Smith has helped his executives out:

• On June 15, 2003, Smith Food Sales extended a $17,000 mortgage for “agricultural purposes” to Kent and Tracey Perkes.
• On July 1, 1994, Smith Frozen Foods extended a $75,000 mortgage to Nicholas A. Smith, Garrett Packing executive, for property in Milton Freewater.
• On June 6, 1991, Kent Perkes received a $30,000 mortgage from Smith Frozen Foods for a lot in the West Hills Addition of Pendleton.
• On February 21, 1990, the executive Vice President of Smith Frozen Foods, David Jensen, took out a mortgage for an undisclosed sum from Smith Frozen Foods.

The stark contrast in Smith’s priorities are of no surprise to Oregonians – in the Senate, he voted repeatedly against raising the minimum wage while he was giving hundreds of billions in handouts to the largest multinational corporations in the world.

After promising to favor a hike in the minimum wage, Smith voted 10 times against increasing the minimum wage.
[CQ; Vote 278, 9/2/98; Vote 94, 4/28/99; Vote 239, 7/30/99; Vote 356, 11/9/99; Vote 75, 7/7/00; Vote 76, 7/7/00; Vote 26, 3/7/05; Vote 257, 10/19/05; Vote 179, 6/21/06; Vote 23, 1/24/07]

Instead Smith authored one of the biggest special interest giveaways in history. Smith brags about a tax giveaway he inserted into the JOBS Act that gave special interests more than $265 billion. Smith said the giveaway would create 650,000 new jobs. Instead, companies cut thousands of jobs in America. [Smith Press Release, 5/11/04; New York Times, 6/24/08; Slate.com, 4/13/06]

“Whether in Washington or Weston, Gordon Smith puts his own interest above that of working families,” Wood Smith said. “He scored a federal contract worth millions, his executives got mortgages, but families in Weston paid the price. Just like in Washington where he stands up for special interests on Wall Street while taxpayers are left holding the bag. Gordon Smith has just got it wrong.”

Portland - Gordon Smith has become a fixture on the jet-set scene since he joined the U.S. Senate. While Ron Wyden has visited every county every year, Smith is more likely to be seen in Switzerland than Sherman County.

"Senator Smith goes through customs more often than he travels through rural Oregon," DPO Chair Meredith Wood Smith said. "Oregonians deserve two senators that will give them the time of day. While Ron Wyden is listening to citizens, Gordon Smith is hitting the European links."

Ron Wyden visited nearly twice as many counties in January 2004 than Smith visited the entire year. In January 2004 Ron Wyden visited 23 counties. In all of 2004, Smith visited 12 counties. Incredibly, public records indicate that in 2005, Smith traveled to more locations outside Oregon than counties in Oregon.

Smith Says He Travels Oregon As Much As He Can

What is Smith's explanation for operating under the same senate schedule as Wyden, but matching just a fraction of Wyden's in state travel?

His spokeswoman, Lindsay Gilbride said "He visits as many counties and as many communities and meets with as many constituents as the Senate schedule allows." (The Bulletin, 10-7-08)

The Real Record

A full accounting of Smith's travels over the last four years shows that he spends much of his time hopping from European capitals to resort destinations in the U.S.

"We've asked Gordon Smith to release his schedule to show Oregonians exactly how often he travels our state and he has refused," Wood Smith said. "With this new information, it's clear that he doesn't want voters to look too closely at his trips outside the state."

Two weeks ago, Smith claimed on two occasions that he has visited every county every year. When the DPO challenged Smith on his absurdly false claim, it was quickly corrected by his office and soon after disproven by publicly available records.

Despite all the attention on Smith's limited travel, he still hasn't accepted Jeff Merkley's challenge to visit every Oregon county, every year.

Smith's Recent Foreign Travel

2007: Smith Visited 4 Foreign Countries. According to the Senate public records, in 2007 Smith made 4 trips to foreign countries. Smith visited Greece, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Jordan. [Senate Public Records]

2006: Smith Visited 12 Destinations Outside Oregon. According to the Senate public records, in 2006 Smith made 12 trips either to foreign countries or privately funded trips in the United States. Smith's 2006 trips included Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Egypt, United Kingdom, Austria, Italy, Coral Gables, FL, Orlando, FL and Seattle, WA. [Senate Public Records]

2005: Smith Visited 18 Destinations Outside Oregon, But Only Visited 17 Counties. According to the Senate public records, Smith took 18 foreign and U.S. trips while only visiting 16 Oregon counties in 2005. Smith's foreign travel in 2005 included trips to Slovenia, Italy, Morocco, Denmark, Norway, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, France, the United Kingdom, China, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan and Jordan. Smith's trips in the United States in 2005 included trips to Miami, FL and Pinehurst, NC, home to one of the world's most famous golf courses. [Senate Public Records]

2004: Smith Made 7 Foreign Or Privately-Funded Visits Outside Oregon - Wyden Visited Nearly Twice As Many Counties In One Month Than Smith Did In The Entire Year. According to Senate public records, Smith made 7 foreign or privately-funded visits outside Oregon including France, New Zealand, Switzerland, Australia, Germany and privately-funded trips to New York City and Miami, Florida. [Senate Public Records]

New reporting from today’s Willamette Week uncovers more contradictions from Republican U.S. Senator Gordon Smith about his company’s practice of hiring undocumented workers.

Although Smith claimed in last week’s U.S. Senate debate that all the workers at his plant are documented, Willamette Week has uncovered a letter to the Social Security Administration from Smith Frozen Foods, Inc. showing that the company must have known it employed an undocumented worker and did nothing about it.

“The letter from Smith Frozen Foods is related to Hernandez’s effort to get Social Security benefits. But it is also a record of one worker’s employment with a fake Social Security number and Hernandez’s successful attempt to change that number when she got a new, valid one. Her move never appears to have raised any red flags with Smith Frozen Foods. The letter runs counter to Smith’s contention, repeated Sept. 10 on Lars Larson’s radio show, that his company follows a ‘very rigid procedure for hiring people.’ It also contradicts Smith’s statements about illegal immigration and casts a new light on his vote last year to kill federal legislation paving the way for undocumented workers to seek legal status.”
(Willamette Week, 10-15-08)

“Every time Gordon Smith discusses his company’s hiring practices, he blows more holes in his already tattered credibility,” DPO Chair Meredith Wood Smith said. “On television, on radio, in debates and to reporters, he consistently repeats a claim he knows is not true – that his company does everything it can to follow the law. When Gordon Smith got caught for exaggerating how often he travels Oregon, he instantly corrected his absurdly false claim. When will he acknowledge his egregious untruths about his company and correct his public statements? When will he instruct his company to follow the law, not circumvent it?”

You can read the whole article here.

You can see the letter from Smith Frozen Foods to the Social Security Administration here.

If Republican U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith showed up everywhere he said he would, he would at least be closer to reaching 36 counties a year.

For the second time in two days, newspapers reported that Smith would not be showing up at previously publicized appearances. These reports follow Smith’s Monday disclosure that he does not travel to all of Oregon’s 36 counties every year – as Smith twice claimed on Friday.

“Maybe Gordon Smith would not exaggerate how often he travels throughout Oregon if he actually made it to scheduled appearances,” DPO Chair Meredith Wood Smith said. “Frankly, I’m not surprised by Smith’s antics. By voting with President Bush 90 percent of the time, sending Oregon jobs overseas and opposing a woman’s right to choose, Smith never shows up for Oregon in the U.S. Senate. Why would he show up back home? Whether it’s fighting for Oregon’s interests in Washington, D.C. or reaching out to constituents back home, Smith is just a no-show.”

TWO CANCELLED APPEARANCES IN TWO DAYS

Just yesterday we learned Smith won’t speak at Cascade AIDS Project’s annual AIDS Walk Portland.

“It's busy back in D.C. right now with the budget crisis and all, and there was a miscommunication out of Smith's office. Although it was CAP's intention to have Smith speak, his schedulers had never actually put it on his calendar. Oops. So Smith is going to be a no-show.”
(Willamette Week Online, 10-7-08)

Today, Smith reached all the way to his hometown to brush off a publicized appearance.

“Sen. Gordon Smith not to appear”
(East Oregonian Headline, 10-8-08)

“Sen. Gordon Smith was mistakenly listed among the attendees at this evening's Day of Culture celebration at Pendleton Center for the Arts due to a miscommunication.”
(East Oregonian, 10-8-08)

SCHEDULE PROBLEMS FOLLOWED SMITH’S UNTRUTHFUL CLAIM

These mishaps followed Smith’s admission on Monday that he doesn’t visit each of Oregon’s 36 counties every year. On Friday, unprompted and in two separate interviews, Smith claimed he visits each of Oregon’s 36 counties every year.

DPO’S RESEARCH REPORT ON SMITH’S INFREQUENT TRAVEL

After the DPO challenged Smith on his blatantly false claim, he quickly backed down, but still asserted he frequently travels the state.

According to this examination of Smith’s public documents, Smith doesn’t even come close to annually visiting most of Oregon’s counties. And the DPO still has not seen documentation from Smith that refutes the DPO’s research.

HERE ARE THE PUBLIC RECORDS USED. IF SMITH DISAGREES WITH THESE RECORDS, HE SHOULD SUPPLY HIS OWN.

HERE IS THE COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF COUNTIES THESE RECORDS INDICATE SMITH VISITED.
After further research, we have updated this attachment with three new counties in 2004, Hood River, Wasco and Union and one in 2006, Jefferson. The below press release and chart does not reflect these minor changes.

Yesterday, after U.S. Senator Gordon Smith admitted that he is an Absentee Senator who does not visit each of Oregon's 36 counties every year, he told The Oregonian and The Bulletin that he visited more than 20 counties each of the last three years. While Smith refused to provide any documentation for his claim, a review of Smith’s own public records show that he may have made another “mistake”.

Smith’s own public records show that Smith visited only 9 counties in 2007; 16 counties in 2006; and 15 counties in 2005. If Smith wants to dispute these totals, he must provide records of his own.

“Gordon Smith has turned into Pinocchio four weeks before election day. The truth is that unless you are a CEO with a campaign contribution in your hand, Gordon Smith does not have much time for you,” DPO Chair Meredith Wood Smith said. “While Ron Wyden has visited every county every year, Gordon Smith is Oregon’s Absentee Senator. Oregonians deserve two senators who reach out to their constituents.”

Using the most complete public records available to Oregonians, here is Smith's travel to each of Oregon's counties:

Year	# of counties visited	# of counties NOT visited
2007	9	                                     27
2006	16	                                     20
2005	15	                                     21
2004	8	                                     28
2003	11	                                     25
2002	22	                                     14
Average	13.5	                                     22.5

According to these public records, the Absentee Senator visits less than 14 counties in an average year – fewer than half of Oregon's 36 counties. According to these records, the only year Smith visited even half of Oregon's counties, in 2002, was a year in which he was up for reelection.

Smith's opponent, House Speaker Jeff Merkley, has pledged to hold a public forum in every county every year if he is elected to the U.S. Senate; U.S. Senator Ron Wyden has held a town meeting in every county, every year since his election in 1996.

Right outside Republican U.S. Senator Gordon Smith’s evening fundraiser, Oregonians passed out a new mail piece from the DPO to educate voters about Smith’s effort to outlaw a woman’s right to choose.

The mailer is part of a broad effort to highlight the importance of protecting reproductive rights in this election. Hundreds of thousands of mail pieces will let voters know that if you’re pro-choice, Gordon Smith is the wrong choice.

Pro-choice supporters gathered outside The Heathman Hotel in downtown Portland tonight to distribute the mailer, hold signs declaring “Smith Opposes Roe vs. Wade,” “Smith is Anti-Choice” and “www.StopGordonSmith.com.”

As the mailer states, Smith, President Bush and their fellow Republicans have worked to:

-Pack the Supreme Court with extreme, anti-choice judges.
[Vote 245, 9/25/05; Vote 2, 1/31/06]

-Criminalize abortions even if the health of the mother is at stake.
[Vote 402, 10/21/03]

-Make abortion illegal.
[USA Today, 4/16/06; Oregon Right To Life, 2008; Vote 48, 3/12/03]

While representing arguably the most pro-choice state in the country, Smith has compiled one of the most aggressive and consistent anti-choice records in the U.S. Senate.
Oregon voters deserve to know who supports a woman’s right to choose, and who wants to ban that right. If you’re pro-choice, Gordon Smith and the Republicans are the wrong choice.

The Democratic Party of Oregon is calling on Republican U.S. Senator Gordon Smith to release his public schedules from 2002-2008 to verify his suspect claim that he visits every county every year.

The senator told his whopper in Douglas County Friday when responding to Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Merkley’s challenge to hold a public forum in every county, every year.

“Now I’m in the midst of a tough campaign. Mr. Merkley is challenging me to go to all of Oregon’s counties once a year. Well I do that.”
(Video From The News-Review, 10-3-08, At about the 3:35 mark)

But, many Oregonians haven’t seen Smith in their community for years.

“U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith, for the first time in several years, made a visit to Ashland on Thursday shortly after two prominent Ashland residents announced they are considering challenging him in the 2008 election.”
(Ashland Daily Tidings, 7-6-07)

The only way for Smith to prove he’s telling the truth is for him to release his public schedules to Oregon’s media. His schedules are part of the public record and should be available to every Oregonian.

“Smith’s claim that he visits every county every year isn’t backed up by the facts,” DPO Chair Meredith Wood Smith said. “The closer we get to election day, the more Gordon Smith exaggerates. Smith should release his 2002 through 2008 public schedules to the AP, The Oregonian and other Oregon media outlets by noon on Tuesday to prove his claim. If he can’t provide that public record by noon on Tuesday, well that’s all the proof we need.”

THE TEXT OF DPO CHAIR MEREDITH WOOD SMITH’S LETTER TO REPUBLICAN U.S. SENATOR GORDON SMITH:

Monday, October 6, 2008

Dear Senator Smith,

I fear that as the campaign grows longer, your tales grow taller.

Your statement on Friday in Douglas County that you visit every county every year surprised me and I’m sure many other Oregonians.

After all, the media has chronicled your sparse travel throughout the state.

“U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith, for the first time in several years, made a visit to Ashland on Thursday shortly after two prominent Ashland residents announced they are considering challenging him in the 2008 election.”
(Ashland Daily Tidings, 7-6-07)

Senator, I simply don’t believe that you’ve visited every county every year. And I’m sure many other Oregonians who haven’t seen you nor heard from you in years are equally skeptical.

So, please prove it.

Release your public schedules from 2002 to 2008 to Oregon’s media by noon on Tuesday. Highlight on those schedules the 36 counties you’ve visited every year. It’s the only way for you to prove to skeptical Oregonians you are telling the truth.

Your schedules are part of the public record and should be available to every Oregonian.

Release your schedules by noon on Tuesday to the AP, The Oregonian and other Oregon media outlets to prove your claim

If you can’t prove it, well that’s also an answer.

Sincerely,

Meredith Wood Smith
Chair
Democratic Party of Oregon

Republican U.S. Senator Gordon Smith has collected millions of dollars in taxpayer funded contracts while running a business that hires undocumented workers, risks his employees’ safety and may have accrued more fines and workplace safety violations than any other business run by any other member of the U.S. House or U.S. Senate.

Smith’s company has violated Oregon and federal laws yet he’s rarely answered to his constituents about his corporate behavior.

“Smith’s business is the people’s business,” DPO Chair Meredith Wood Smith said. “His conduct as a corporate citizen exemplifies his laser beam focus on the bottom line. This is the same greed-driven philosophy that has caused this economic crisis. His unwillingness to address these issues is adding greater concern for Oregon voters.”

The Facts

-Ample evidence of consistently hiring undocumented workers.

-A tripling of his multi-million dollar tax-payer funded contracts after his election to the U.S. Senate.

-Gordon Smith’s Golden Parachute - Is Smith preparing to write a blank check for his campaign?

-Providing safety training in English for Spanish speaking employees.

-At least 623 worker’s compensation claims.

-Cited more than 100 times for worker safety violations.

-Dangerous carbon monoxide levels investigated by OSHA.

-Saving hundreds of thousands on property tax breaks his neighbors did not enjoy.

Just A Sampling Of The Questions

-Do all the workers at his company have social security numbers or not? Senator Smith has said two different things.

-Do some of his workers have ITIN numbers? If so, why?

-In the absence of e-Verify, what procedures does Smith use to verify legal status of his employees?

-Why won’t Gordon Smith disclose the terms of federal contracts he signed just last month?

-Why was his business failing to train workers in their proper language?

-Why are workers at his plant routinely performing tasks they have not been trained to do properly?

-Why has Smith’s company accrued more than 700 OSHA violations and workers’ compensation claims?

-Is Gordon Smith worried that all of this attention on his corporate behavior will affect his reelection campaign?

-Is Smith building a golden parachute for himself so that he can self-finance his flailing campaign?

Over the last 19 years, at least 623 workers’ compensation claims have been filed against Smith Frozen Foods, Brittany Farming and Garrett Packing – all companies owned by Gordon Smith. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Smith’s companies more than 100 times for violations of safety procedure and training for workers, lack of or inadequate guardrails, and exposing employees to dangerous materials.

Click Here For Workers’ Compensation Records.

Click Here For OSHA Violations Records.

“Gordon Smith’s conduct as a corporate citizen has been horrendous and is a legitimate issue that should concern every single voter,” DPO Chair Meredith Wood Smith said. “These injury reports are appalling. Apparently, Gordon Smith treats his own workers just as badly as he’s treated workers across Oregon and across the country. He gets an ‘A’ for supporting George W. Bush, but he fails at protecting his own workforce.”

At Least 623 Workers’ Compensation Claims Were Filed On Smith Frozen Foods, Garrett Packing, and Brittany Farming.

According to the Workers’ Compensation Division of the Oregon Department of Business and Consumer Services, at least 623 workers’ compensation claims have been filed by employees of Smith Frozen Foods, Garrett Packing, and Brittany Farming since 1989. [Workers’ Compensation Division Records, 1989-2008]

• 31 Accepted Claims Were Fractures. According to the Workers’ Compensation Division 31 of the accepted workers’ compensation claims were for fractures of various kinds. [Workers’ Compensation Division Records, 1989-2008]

• 11 Accepted Claims Were Amputations. According to the Workers’ Compensation Division 11 of the accepted workers’ compensation claims were amputations. [Workers’ Compensation Division Records, 1989-2008]

• 5 Accepted Claims Were Chemical Burns. According to the Workers’ Compensation Division 5 of the accepted workers’ compensation claims were for chemical burns. [Workers’ Compensation Division Records, 1989-2008]

Smith Frozen Foods Was Cited At Least 101 Times For Worker Safety Violations Totaling Almost $20,000 in Fines.
Since 1991 Smith Frozen Foods has been cited at least 101 times for worker safety violations totaling at least $19,750 in fines. In addition to the 101 violations and $19,750 in fines at least 5 OSHA violations were withdrawn and an additional $8,345 in fines were either withdrawn or lowered usually after being appealed by Smith Frozen Foods. [Oregon OSHA Records, 1991-2008]

• Smith Frozen Foods Was Cited At Least 38 Times For Safety Procedure and Training Violations. According to Oregon OSHA records, since 1991 Smith Frozen Foods has been cited at least 38 times for safety and training violations. Examples of violations include “Lack of Procedure and Documentation,” “Untrained Employee in Hazardous Occupation,” “No Safety Minutes,” and “Untrained Workforce.” [Oregon OSHA Records, 1991-2008]

• Smith Frozen Foods Was Cited At Least 7 Times For Guardrail Violations. According to Oregon OSHA records, since 1991 Smith Frozen Foods has been cited at least 7 times for lack of or inadequate guardrails. [Oregon OSHA Records, 1991-2008]

• Smith Frozen Foods Was Cited At Least 9 Times For Exposing Employees To Dangerous Materials. According to Oregon OSHA records, since 1991 Smith Frozen Foods has been cited at least 9 times for exposing employees to dangerous materials or situations, including carbon monoxide. Examples of violations included, “Failure to report Injury and Ammonia Leak,” “Storage of Hazardous Material,” “Carbon Monoxide Exposure,” and “Worker Noise Exposure.” [Oregon OSHA Records, 1991-2008]

Republican U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith is refusing to disclose information about taxpayer-funded contracts his frozen food company is receiving from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Due to his refusal to be straight with the Oregon public, the Democratic Party of Oregon today filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the USDA for all correspondence between Smith and the USDA.

“Gordon Smith is refusing to tell voters that during his time in the Senate he and his company have been feeding at the public trough,” DPO Executive Director Trent Lutz said. “It is hypocritical for Smith to espouse conservative ideology and then benefit from taxpayer-funded contracts. During these trying economic times, most Americans aren’t getting that same kind of support from the federal government. Gordon Smith’s conduct as a corporate citizen should concern all Oregonians.”

The FOIA request letters will be mailed today to the USDA. They request any and all correspondence maintained electronically or in any other form by the USDA, between the USDA or any of its employees, officers or agents and Gordon Smith, any of Senator Smith’s employees, staff or agents, Smith Frozen Foods, Inc. and any employees, officers, representatives or agents of Smith Frozen Foods.

Smith’s Federal Contracts Have Tripled During His Time in the U.S. Senate

The FOIA request follows an article in The Bend Bulletin detailing how Smith’s contracts with the federal government have tripled since Smith joined the U.S. Senate in 1997. After earning $2.9 million before Smith entered the Senate, his company received 15 contracts worth $9.4 million from 1997 to 2001.

Smith Refuses to Disclose Information on Recent Contracts

In today’s story, Smith refuses to disclose information about two recent contracts – one in 2005 and a second contract signed as recently as this month.

According to Gordon Smith’s latest financial disclosure, his annual income from Smith Frozen Foods inexplicably skyrocketed from less than $1 million to over $5 million.

The last time Smith reported earning more than $1 million from Smith Frozen Foods was in 1996, when he had two election contests for the Senate, and loaned millions of dollars to both campaigns.

“The last time Smith was taking this kind of income from his company he wrote a big fat check to his campaign,” said DPO Executive Director Trent Lutz. “Either there has been a run on frozen peas or Smith may be getting ready to write two checks: a blank check for Wall Street and one for his own flailing reelection campaign.”

SMITH'S BLANK CHECK FOR WALL STREET

Gordon Smith has stood with George Bush to foster a culture where CEOs run their companies into the ground and sail away with a golden parachute.

Under Gordon Smith and George Bush, CEO salaries increased in 2007 by 20 percent, while average real wages for the middle class have fallen. The gap between the rich and middle class is higher than at any point in the last 80 years.
[AFL-CIO, 4/13/08; Economic Policy Institute, 1/16/08; International Herald Tribune, 3/29/07]

SMITH'S BLANK CHECK TO HIMSELF

Apparently, CEOs on Wall Street aren’t the only ones profiting off the Smith-Bush economy. Gordon Smith has also found time to build a golden parachute of his own.

This is the first time since entering the U.S. Senate, Gordon Smith reported income from his company, Smith Frozen Foods, of over $5 million. Smith first reported his finances to the U.S. Senate in 1995, during his failed run against Ron Wyden.

A past investigation by the Immigration and Naturalization Service showed that most of Smith's employees were illegal immigrants.

Now, a newspaper report says there is still "ample evidence to suggest that the hiring of illegal workers is a regular fact of life at Smith's operation" today.

It's outrageous for Smith to claim as a Senator that he wants to crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants, while employing them in his own business.

For the full report, click here.

A full scale Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OR-OSHA) investigation of Smith Frozen Foods in 1998 found that the company was knowingly exposing their employees to dangerous carbon monoxide levels and refusing to address the problem. According to multiple complaints filed with OR-OSHA, workers at Smith Frozen Foods were nearly passing out due to the exhaust fumes coming from forklifts in the plant’s freezer.
[Memorandum in OR-OSHA File, 11/21/98; Notice of Alleged Safety or Health Hazards, undated]

“Gordon Smith’s record as a corporate citizen should concern Oregon voters,” DPO Executive Director Trent Lutz said. “He has endangered his workers, denied them fair wages and refused to provide them health care. Meanwhile he has received taxpayer-funded contracts and squeezed local budgets to pad his own bottom line. Smith cannot and should not hide from his conduct as a poor corporate citizen.”

A report prepared in November 1998 describes that OR-OSHA launched a full scale investigation after receiving complaints from workers at Smith’s company.

The complaint that triggered the investigation was made anonymously. A hand-written note in the file indicates that the complainant was “afraid of losing job over complaint.”
[OR-OSHA Investigation Report M7711-006-99, 11/19/98]

The notation also indicates that the company boss knew of the problem but “won’t take care of [the] problem.”
[OR-OSHA Investigation Report M7711-006-99, 11/19/98]

Although the company admitted that carbon monoxides levels were high, they maintained that the workers were not in the freezer long enough to face real danger.
[OR-OSHA Investigation Report M7711-006-99, 11/19/98]

After attaching their own dosimeters to two forklifts used in the freezer, OR-OSHA found carbon monoxide levels that were more than twice those reported by the company.
[OR-OSHA Investigation Report M7711-006-99, 11/19/98]

The inspection found unsafe levels of carbon monoxide in other parts of the facility as well, including the dock, the office adjacent to the dock, and a small break room where workers could go to warm themselves after long periods in the freezer.
[OR-OSHA Investigation Report M7711-006-99, 11/19/98]

Forklift drivers at the company who displayed symptoms of exposure were never told about the chronic, long term effects of carbon monoxide exposure.
[OR-OSHA Investigation Report M7711-006-99, 11/19/98]

According to U.S. OSHA, “acute poisoning may result in permanent damage to the parts of your body that require a lot of oxygen such as the heart and brain. Significant reproductive risk is also linked to CO.”
[OSHA Fact Sheet, 2002]

When OSHA took their findings to Smith’s managers the company said that addressing the problem “just wasn’t feasible.”

There was considerable discussion regarding the feasibility of addressing the carbon monoxide exposures. Mr. [Morris] Hansen claimed that it just wasn’t feasible to replace all of the propane fueled forklifts. My observation of the facility was that there were electric forklifts in other areas of the plant. I do not feel that there is a feasibility problem with this issue.
[OR-OSHA Investigation Report M7711-006-99, 11/19/98]

Following the meeting with Smith’s managers, Smith Frozen Foods was fined for numerous violations the following year resulting from its investigation of carbon monoxide levels at the Weston facility.
[OR-OSHA Investigation Report M7711-006-99, 11/19/98]