Meeting Notices

When you come to meetings, please remember to bring donations for the food bank.

Note: Membership meetings will now begin at 6 p.m. This was voted on by the membership at January’s Special Called Meeting.

General membership
Meets the second Tuesday, Aug. 9, at 6 p.m. at the Carpenters Hall, 2215 N. Lombard, Portland. Congressman Earl Blumenauer will be a guest speaker at the meeting.

Retirees
Retirees meet for lunch the second Monday, Aug. 8, at 11 a.m. at JJ North’s, 10520 NE Halsey, Portland.

Executive Board
Executive Board meets the fourth Tuesday, Aug. 23, at 6:30 p.m. at the Carpenters Hall, 2215 N. Lombard, Portland.

Volunteer Organizing Commitee
VOC meets the first Tuesday, Sept. 6, at 6 p.m. in the Conference Room on the first floor of the office. For more information, contact Jason Sheckler at 503-367-7694.

Reminder: Sick Fund fee due

The annual Sick & Injured Fund Assessment fee of $15 was added on June 1, 2005 to all actively working members’ dues accounts. If you are a yearly or quarterly dues member, please remember to submit this amount to the Local. This assessment was voted upon at last year’s May membership meeting.

Food bank

The Carpenters Food Bank is the third Friday of every month in the back of our building. Please note that the time has changed to 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is available for members who are out of work and are in need of a box of food. Join us in the back of the building. It is first come, first serve. All you need to do is show your union card.

Clark County Fair

We are looking for volunteers to cover the UBC booth at the Clark County Fair in Vancouver, Washington. Parking passes and entrance passes will be provided. We have been chosen to cover the booth on Saturday, Aug. 6 and Monday, Aug. 8 from 6 to 10 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 10 and Sunday, Aug. 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Please contact the office if you are interested.

Picnic Ticket fees

As the caterers are paid in advance for the picnic, we have decided that it would be in the best interest of the Local to charge a small fee for entry into the picnic. For example, if we had 800 people send in notices that they will attend and only 600 actually attended, we are out the money for the additional 200 meals.

This has cost the local approximately $6,000 over the past two years. The picnic is a wonderful time to see people you have worked with in your career as a carpenter and spend the day with your friends and family. Please attend. We would love to see you there!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

— The Executive Board

In remembrance

By Joe Whitney
Delegate, Local 247

I was just thinking the other day how quickly last year went by. My kids are a little older, my truck depreciated a bit, and I keep looking in the mirror for the first sign of gray hair. (Not yet, but with two beautiful daughters it’s just a matter of time.)

But I was also thinking of time spent with brother carpenters in the field and on the job, and began to think it really is true that “Time Flies,” and not necessarily if you’re just having fun, because sometimes fun doesn’t fit the equation when you’re at work. But the men and women that you work with — the apprentices, the foremen and superintendents — are all going to have an impact on your life whether you like it or not.

That’s when I got to remembering friends who are no longer with us, who we lost in the last year, and it brought a tear to my eye thinking of the lessons learned, the conversations, and the relationships with my brothers that will never be again. We at Local 247 were especially unfortunate to lose several brothers and sisters that really made a difference in my life as well as some of you out there that might be reading this article.

You really don’t know what you’ve lost until it’s gone, and in this case, it’s forever that we will never again talk to or work with or see these loved ones again. Three such individuals come to mind immediately.

One we lost just a few weeks ago. Though I didn’t know B.J Cummings all that well, I know that his impact reached many members of our Local, and when I learned of his passing and read the obituaries, I knew that this was a great man, a good man that used his influence to help others and create a good working conditions for his fellow brothers and sisters. His list of accomplishments was impressive, and even in the dry shack at work we talked about how wonderful he was to his employees, his family and to his friends.

Earlier in the year we also lost Earl Khoury, who was killed in an explosion. He was very dear to myself and many others, as evident at his memorial, where we shared stories, tales and mishaps, and how unselfish he was not only with the knowledge that he so willingly shared with everyone, but with assistance, tools, and even a little lunch if perhaps you forgot yours (that would be me.) I can still remember so many good times at work or after work that I’ll never be able to share again. Earl, if you’re looking down from above, yes I still play “whack ball” (Golf). Something he never understood: why someone would chase a silly white ball around a golf course and spend good money at it. He was an amazing individual and I believe that I could write a book on some of the escapades that I witnessed over the years.

Last but certainly not least was my friend and brother Raif Zwingli, who we all called Rodeo or Roadie, who died tragically earlier this year. Many times when we talk at work about men who were fearless, up comes Rodeo’s name with adventures packed into almost every day at work. Some of the stories that I had never heard came up from several of my brothers on the Kaiser Interstate job, and though amazing in their own right didn’t surprise me in the least little bit … such as the time Brother Jeremy Larsen was knocked unconscious and hanging off his positioning hook. Rodeo, without a second thought for his own safety, climbed up a got him down. There are a lot of stories similar to that one, and just so you know what kind of man he was, Big Brother Raymond Quinn (and he is quite large) proudly showed me his assortment of various tools that he was given by Rodeo. Why? Because he thought Ray needed them more than he did, and when his hammer broke one day last week, you could see in his face that that hammer meant a lot to him, and that, like his relationship with his brother, could never again be the same.

Earl and Rodeo, I would venture to say, are two individuals that never complained, never showed fear or excitement, and I would trust my life in their hands without a second thought. Both were like cats: Whether 200 feet in the air or on the ground, it made no difference to them.
All three of these men possessed qualities that we admire in heroes or friends alike, and though I didn’t know Mr. Cummings as well or never worked with him, I’m sure that the tales and stories of his youth contain some of the same qualities that my two other friends had: respect and admiration for his brothers and sisters, and generosity that knew no limits. All three are sorely missed by friends and family alike. Remember earlier in this article I said you never know what you have until it’s gone? Well, it’s true, and if you took the time to read this article, take a moment and share with your family and friends the love and warmth and perhaps a nice word because you never know what tomorrow might bring.

All of us here at Local 247 know that we have lost many more over the last year and would like to have a last chance to say goodbye but that is just not to be. So please, take that moment of silence and remember our friends and brothers and sisters that have left us and will never return. One last thought to Brother John Strand, who just lost his Father a short time ago: I’m sorry, John, for your loss, and I wish you only the best.

Carpenters Local 247 picnic

Sunday, August 28, 2005, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Camp Withycombe Armory, Clackamas

Chart your course and set sail to the Carpenters Local 247 Picnic for some swashbuckling fun, grub and majik! This year’s picnic features food, drink, games and activitiesfor all ages. It will be a fun day for the whole family. Please be sure to join us. If you don’t, ye will walk the plank! See ye there. Aaarrgghh!!!!

There will be lots of grub to munch on: Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, ribs, chicken, salads, baked beans, corn on the cob, chips and beverages, brownies, sno cones, and cotton candy too!

Games and activities: Swab the deck, matey, for some swashbuckling fun. There will be face painting and a tatoo station, carnival booth games, Treasure Island obstacle and slide, Under the Sea bounce, swimming pools, bingo & relay races! Don’t forget to bring your swimsuit!
Raffle: This year we’ll be having a raffle on a variety of items. Raffle tickets will be available for purchase at the picnic. The proceeds will be divided between two charities: Toys for Kids and Doernbecher Childrens Hospital.