Christine Kern, Local 247 Trustee, recently made a quilt for the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters annual charity auction. The quilt has various PNWRCC Local Union logos attached, that were sent from throughout our four-state region. The quilt was made as a display for all the PNW Locals. At our recent quarterly meeting, the quilt was auctioned by a silent sealed bid system. Local 131, Seattle, bid $2,100 for the quilt. Local 247 bid $1,247, and Local 470, Tacoma, bid $470. The proceeds will go to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. The Council Unions will bid on the quilt over and over again, as a continual Doernbecher fundraiser. THANKS, CHRISTINE!
General membership Meets the second Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. at the Carpenters Hall, 2205 N. Lombard, Portland. There will be a special apprentice drawing at the January regular meeting. You receive a ticket to enter into the drawing at each meeting you attend in December and January.
Mentors Network Mentors Network meets second Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m. at the Carpenters Hall, 2205 N. Lombard, Portland.
Retirees Retirees meet for lunch the second Monday, Dec. 11, at 11 a.m. at JJ North’s, 10520 NE Halsey, Portland.
Executive Board Executive Board meets the fourth Tuesday, Dec. 26, at 7 p.m. at the Carpenters Hall, 2205 N Lombard, Portland.
We had a good turnout of over 70 members at the meeting. The Executive Board recommended lowering the dues for apprentices, beginning January 2001. We had reports on our political activities, work prospects, toy drive, the Safeway campaign and the recent Pacific Northwest Regional Council Quarterly Meeting. A donation of $192 was collected from members in attendance, for our Christmas toy drive. We will circulate a Christmas toy drive donation box at the Dec. 12 meeting, also. I expect your Board to recommend matching the donation, to purchase toys for the toy drive. If anyone wants to donate toys or to help wrap gifts, please notify us. The members also agreed to help area businesses and organizations as a partner in the “Helping Hands” group (see related article). We also discussed ordering jackets for members who have attended 11 of the last 12 meetings. If you are one of the members who will be getting an embroidered Carhartt jacket for meeting attendance, please contact us with your size and color preference. We will be ordering two dozen extra jackets, so we will have some on hand to sell or give away as door prizes or Steward awards. The picnic was also discussed. Your 2001 picnic committee will be looking at ways to improve and expand your next picnic. If you are interested in anything in this report … GET INVOLVED! This is your UNION.
The PNWRCC is sponsoring the second annual
area-wide toy drive for our Locals in Oregon and SW Washington.
Last year the Council along with Locals 247, 1388, 2130 and Fair
Contracting contributed 248 toys to the Toy and Joy Makers. Locals 190,
306, 1065, 1273 and 1715 all stepped forward to donate gifts to
organizations in their communities. Our combined efforts last year
resulted in the donation of over 500 gifts and in excess of $1,100
directed towards charity programs in our respective communities. The
Carpenters were featured as major contributors to the Toy Drive and
received some great media coverage during the KPTV Channel 12 “Good
Day Oregon” morning show.
We would encourage you to help us make this year’s Christmas special
for those less fortunate. You may drop presents off a the Council office
or your Local by Friday, Dec. 15, 2000. Please wrap presents and
identify them by gender and age group for the best match.
Local 247 was approached by a group of Lombard area businesses and organizations, to join them in helping needy families at Christmas time. Below is a copy of the letter we received prior to our last meeting. The local members present agreed to support the effort. Anyone who wants to help or donate to the cause can stop by or call the office.
We are a group of people who independently sponsor needy families at Christmas. We get the families from right here in our community. This is our fifth year, and each year we have been fortunate enough to add new businesses and groups to our list of helpers.
This year we are asking you to join our team. We collect non-perishable food items as well as buying toys and clothing for the kids. We deliver these items ourselves, two days before Christmas. I will bring more information to the office as the lists of families are given to me.
Please consider being a part of our team. Your help will be so appreciated.
Thank You.
A recently admitted apprentice carpenter submitted this letter. His letter is an example of non-union conditions and of why unions are necessary today. Our local agreed to supply a bus pass to get him started on his first union job, and you can tell he appreciates the small bit of help we extended to him.
I have worked non-union for the last three years. I worked in high-level security banks doing HVAC systems, to residential county jobs. I once even drove the big boss’s Cadillac as a Laborer in battered women’s shelter. For the most part, I haven’t had a hard time finding work, even though I am an ex-con. I have made okay money but when I did, I didn’t get any medical benefits. When I received medical benefits I barely made over minimum wage.
I was working non-union when a wall fell on my foreman. I was thrown off a job for my very first time. I was even eating in the Mission for the very first time in my life. I was not receiving any unemployment benefits, even though it was not my fault that the wall was not strapped or cleated — I just did as I was told.
The union paid for my drug treatment even though I was working non-union when the wall fell on my foreman, just so they could put me to work. They gave me a food box even though I did not ask for one.
My grandfather was and always will be pro-union. He is deceased now. He was aware about the wall falling on my boss. I told him how the union even bought me a bus pass when I couldn’t get a draw from my new job, and even lent me 20 dollars. I explained how if I had stayed non-union that I wouldn’t have been able to pay my tuition. My grandfather cried when I told him I was in the union now, because through experience I had learned about all the stories that my grandfather said about the union were true, just as he said.
My grandfather was born in 1911. He knew about the soup lines, living during the Depression. He didn’t believe in banks, but for some strange reason he believed in the union. He didn’t know how the union would help his future children, he just knew it would.
