We had 79 members and six guests present at our January
regular meeting of Carpenters Local 247. Three new members were
in attendance and were given the oath of obligation. Our
trustees reviewed all bills as posted and recommended payment.
We passed the hat for an injured apprentice and for a member who
unfortunately lost his son to an apparent act of random violence
on New Years Day. Local 247 members generously donated $333,
which was split between the two recipients. We observed a moment
of silence for the departed son of our member and for his
family.
Training Director John Steffens was in attendance, and he
reported on the remodel at the training center and on various
training programs. Ben Embree reported on various actions in the
downtown area and a rally attended in Salem in support of the
State Police. Benefit Trustee Jerry Auvil gave us an update on
the 401 prospectus and the trust merger study. Dan Bonham from
Fair Contracting reported on recovered wages for construction
workers. We had some other work reports as well: The job outlook
is very good, especially for winter time.
Our financial report was very positive because many members
paid their annual dues during this period. Under “Good of the
Order,” we had various comments on safety, health care, local
donations, 247 budget, Martin Luther King holiday plans and
Unionmade tool purchases.
Under “Unfinished Business,” we passed an E-Board
recommendation to limit our donations during the next budget
year. We passed the hat under New Business. The meeting went
fairly smooth and lasted two hours. This report only covers the
primary issues and is a summary of the meeting. For a more
complete account … attend your union meetings.
General membership
General membership meets the second Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m. at the
Carpenters Hall, 2215 N. Lombard, Portland. If you have any questions, please
feel free to contact the office at 503-289-9632.
Retirees
Retirees meet for lunch the second Monday, Feb. 12, at 11 a.m. at JJ North’s,
10520 NE Halsey, Portland.
Executive Board
Executive Board meets the fourth Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 6:30 p.m. at the
Carpenters Hall, 2215 N. Lombard, Portland.
Are you feeling a void in your life? Spouse not
wanting to talk shop, kids don’t want to spend quality time talking Union,
solidarity or just plain old construction tales? Well then set aside the second
Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. and come and visit old friends and new ones
that you are about to make. You can bring an appetite too, because the food is
great and the conversation lively. You can catch up on the latest news either
about work or what is going on locally or in our region. There is always someone
from the Training Center, the Organizing Department, business reps, trustees,
and a wide variety of guests to fill you in on work, training, politics and in
general quite a few items that pertain to you as a Carpenter and possibly to
your future or that of you family.
You are going to see old friends and partners, you
can catch up on gossip, and you can network with other Carpenters as well as
foremen and superintendents, and if you are looking for work, what better place
to find it than your Local Union meeting?
No babysitter? No problem. We have “kids area” set
aside with toys, books and things for your kids to do, and there is also a
raffle for the kids where every ticket is a winner.
Got a game to watch? Special show? Record it!
There is no Tuesday night football, baseball is done for now, and the Blazers
need to win more than one in a row to get my attention again. American Idol can
wait until tomorrow.
Take a couple of hours, come to a meeting and
learn more of what is going on around you, such as Contract 2007 gearing up now,
the likes of which we’ve never seen before and with the potential of having a
powerful effect on your future wages, along with the possibility of winning a
brand new Chevy 4-wheel-drive truck, complete with a full tank of gas and going
only to a Carpenter.
You could find out why your are seeing more Union
contractors downtown doing TI work, or if there’s a way of voting out our
current trust administrators because you might have had an issue or two with
them concerning your dental or health and welfare. You could also just come down
and enjoy yourself, see some old friends, because you never know, you just might
want to do it again. Upper Hall, 6 p.m., second Tuesday, 2215 North Lombard
Street. 503-289-9632.
All of us at Local 247 would personally like to
thank all those members who donated to the Toy Drive. We had quite a successful
year! Our local donated over 300 toys to the Regional Council office. PNWRCC
donated the toys to the Toy & Joy Makers of Portland.
No
longer national headline news but still very much a reality is the devastation
caused by Hurricane Katrina. I was not prepared for the catastrophic loss of
property and hardships these fellow Americans still have to cope with on a daily
basis. Most survivors who have returned to the area live in a tiny one-room
trailer provided by FEMA as they await the necessary funds to rebuild their
homes and lives one by one. However, even in the midst of this destruction, I
found smiling faces and thankful hearts for our endeavors there.
When I first arrived in late October, after being
a recipient of generosity towards my airfare ticket by the Local 247, I was
ushered into the underneath caverns of a football stadium where the Salvation
Army has set up operations. I bunked with the 24-member staff from the Northwest
region and was served fantastic meals every day. In the cafeteria, I was able to
meet volunteers from all over the U.S., particularly from the Midwest, Northwest
and Florida. As I stretched my legs after my dinner that first day, I went out
to meet the neighborhood folks in Biloxi. Much to my surprise, when I said I was
from the Northwest, people just lit up with handshakes, hugs and huge grins.
This led me to ask, "Why?" I was immediately told that the Northwest has sent
tens of millions of dollars in support on a personal volunteer basis in the form
of work such as I did and donation of vehicles, hardware supplies and basic
necessities. It became apparent to me the Northwest hasn't just sent warm wishes
to the victims of Hurricane Katrina but they have come through in the clinch
with sweat equity and tangible expressions of care.
I was inspired from the first day in Biloxi to
keep the tradition alive from our area, and pitched right in working 10-hour
days to do construction work on three homes. The first home I spent a day
remodeling in a bathroom, setting tile and doing finishing work in the rest of
the house. Then I proceeded to another home and did various tasks that completed
a project the homeowner had been waiting for since the flood. Speaking of flood,
this particular coastline had a wall of water hit it, 30' high, from the bay
bordering Biloxi. In other words, these poor people endured a double whammy of
deluge.
Finally, on the last four days, I had the
privilege of working with five other young men from Beaverton, Oregon. As a
team, we framed a 30- to 40-foot home on a plywood decking three feet high to
the attaching of roofing joists before we had to head to the airport. The people
were astounded and absolutely loved it. We were building this home for an
81-year-old elderly woman who would sit on the front stoop of her tiny trailer
and cheer us on as we cruised along. She had tears in her eyes as she hugged me
goodbye and wanted me to send photos of my family upon my return home.
My heart was full too. It was one little bit I
could so gladly contribute to these individuals. I plan on taking my sons, who
are 17 and 18, with me this Spring on a return trip to Biloxi. Both of my boys
enjoy carpentry work and know how to put in a day's labor. If anyone is
interested in going along, please contact us through Local 247. I am confident
it will be a life-changing experience for you and the lives you touch with your
labor of compassion.
The following members are celebrating their
birthday this month. We would like to wish them all “Happy Birthday”!! We hope
you enjoy your special day! Jason Alexander, Daniel Allen, Richard Anderson,
Tyler Armstrong, Roberto Avalos, Ryan Bates, Peter Benz, Kenneth Bohlman, Sergio
Bravo, Robert Brooks, Gregory Campbell, Jon Chauran, Brendon Cierniak, Andrew
Clark, Michael Clark, Eugene Crane, John Culbertson, Richard Daley, Josif
Daraban, Lawrence Darmody, Robert Davis, Terry Day, David Denson, Thomas DeYonge,
David Drews, Christopher Durdel, Randy Durkee, Thomas Elgin, Wallie Emerson,
Miguel Espinosa, John Ferguson Jr., Francisco Florian, Jeff Franks, David
Frederick, Jerry Frye, Michael Galvan, Albert Garvey, Kirk Guymon, Noel Haga,
John Hahn, Elmer Hakkinen, Ted Hansen, Joseph Henry, Robert Heuett, Gary
Hilbert, Mike Hirsch, Phil Hopper, Damian Hughes, Michael Humphries, John Hurrle,
Emeric Juhasz, John Kane, Alex Kazakoff, Stanley Kelley, Shawn Kirkman, Robert
Klingler, James Knapp, David Lawyer, Dexteur LeSueur, Richard Lewis, Tom Mann,
Robert Martini, Tyna McMillan, Richard Melcher, Michael Mercer, Patrick
Mitchell, Leo Morris, David Mundle, Dennis Murdock, Kevin Murphy, Auda Nelson,
Derek Nollman, Jay Ottis, George Passon Jr., Agne Pearson, Ruben Perez
Gutierrez, Florin Pop, Samuel Pribeagu, John Ramig, Frederico Ramirez, Mike
Reynolds, John Richardson, Seely Riedel, Daniel Roberts, Christopher Ross, Corey
Royal, Scott Santella, Philip Sherman, Bret Sorg, Michael Swanson, Gregory
Thompson, Delvon Upton, Andrew Wagner, Tom Warren, William Weber, Todd Welch,
Troy Welch, Kenneth White, John Wickenkamp, Jeanette Williams, Paul Winther II.
No
longer national headline news but still very much a reality is the devastation
caused by Hurricane Katrina. I was not prepared for the catastrophic loss of
property and hardships these fellow Americans still have to cope with on a daily
basis. Most survivors who have returned to the area live in a tiny one-room
trailer provided by FEMA as they await the necessary funds to rebuild their
homes and lives one by one. However, even in the midst of this destruction, I
found smiling faces and thankful hearts for our endeavors there. 