Fifty-five members and two quests were present at our Feb. 14
(Valentine’s Day) meeting. Six new members were present to receive the Oath
of Obligation.
Under Reports, we heard from Christie Kern, new field agent for the Fair
Contracting Foundation; Leo Larsen, retired financial secretary; and three
business representatives. Ed Glad gave us an update on political issues.
Jason Morgan reported from Portland Jobs with Justice, and John Svob
announced planning sessions for May Day activities.
Under “Good of the Order” we had a discussion about dispatching and
termination slips. A steward training class was scheduled at Local 247 March
1 and 2. We passed the hat for Raymond Mason, an apprentice who had a kidney
removed. He is not eligible for the Health and Welfare benefits. The Local
agreed to match the collection up to $247.
Under New Business, we passed motions to send letters to the Pacific
Northwest Regional Council regarding dispatch procedures and increasing the
rebate to locals because the International raised our per-capita tax. We
also agreed to send a letter to the Tradeshow dispatchers regarding phone
calls from members. We agreed to elect Northwest Labor Council delegates in
June, when we will elect a Trustee. We will have appointed delegates until
then.
The meeting lasted for two hours.
For a more complete understanding of your Union and its meetings … be
there on the second Tuesday at 6 p.m.
General membership
Meets the second Tuesday, March 14, at 6 p.m. at the Carpenters Hall, 2215 N.
Lombard, Portland.
Retirees
Retirees meet for lunch the second Monday, March 13, at 11 a.m. at JJ North’s,
10520 NE Halsey, Portland.
Executive Board
Executive Board meets the fourth Tuesday, March 28, at 6:30 p.m. at the
Carpenters Hall, 2215 N. Lombard, Portland.
Volunteer Organizing Committee
VOC meets the first Tuesday, March 7, 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.
Fellow Members, We are looking for members to volunteer their time and skills
for one day! On Saturday, April 29, 2006, we will be assisting individuals in
our community with various home repairs through Rebuilding Together with
Christmas in April.
Rebuilding Together with Christmas in April is the leading local volunteer
organization that, in partnership with the community, rehabilitates the homes of
low-income homeowners, particularly the elderly, disabled, and families with
children so that they can continue to live in warmth, safety, and independence.
If you are interested, please contact the office and Dawn or Sherrie will be
happy to sign you up and send you the information to complete. Thanks so much
for your help!
We need your help … so please volunteer! Mark your calendars for April 29!
Please note: This is an opportunity for everyone! Even if you know someone
who doesn’t have any construction skills, there is cleaning and landscaping and
lots of other miscellaneous tasks to be completed. Please bring the family!
Anyone can help!
Recently I had the pleasure of helping our fine trade show workers with the
Portland Auto Show set-up. It is always a pleasure to work the Auto Show because
this is a show that requires a large amount of manpower. You have the chance to
work with the regulars, some of the retirees and also the field carpenters who
are there because their regular job is in limbo or they are laid off. There are
people there who you only see once a year so it is a combination of hard work
and catch-up time as to what has been happening and where they have been
working. I don’t know if our membership is aware of the fact that the trade show
carpenters in Portland are considered by many to be the best in the West and a
few of our workers travel to New York, Las Vegas, and other cities to work and
run work for national companies. When I ask the vendors how things are going,
they always tell me what a pleasure it is to come to Portland and do a show. So,
be proud of your trade show workers and know that you, as Union Carpenters, are
well-represented in the Trade Show industry.
By Leo E. Larsen
Proud to be a Journeyman Carpenter
During the past few weeks several news articles have caught my attention. They
all add to my hope that our union can once again rise to the challenge that our
trade faces in the construction industry.
Every carpenter should be aware of, and have read, the excellent articles that
were written by Jeff Manning and appeared in the mid-summer and fall editions of
The Oregonian. By his exposure of the failures of the CCB to protect the
consumer, an editorial in the Oregonian made it very clear that the problem of
questionable material and poor workmanship was the real problem that faced the
industry.
In most cases the problem with materials is in the way they have been used or
under what conditions they can be expected to last. Today’s wet-unseasoned
lumber is the big issue. This is a man-made problem which should not be hard to
overcome.
Poor workmanship falls in the lap of those who are licensed and registered by
the Construction Contractors Board who construct the buildings in question.
I was prompted to write this letter after reading several recent news articles.
In the last edition of The Carpenter General President Douglas McCarron used the
words “It’s Our Choice” and the “The Brotherhood’s Future Depends On What We Do”
in his quarterly message to our UBC members.
Doug Tweedy, Executive Secretary of the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of
Carpenters, reminds us of the serious problem we will be facing in the future if
nothing is done to replace the baby boomers. “Recruitment of skilled labor is
imperative” is the way Tweedy put it.
Bruce Dennis, President of PNWCC and President of Local 247, reminds us in The
Measure that our local is discussing setting up a committee to look into the
possibility of proposing a carpenters’ licensing law.
These comments and actions of our most influential leaders should certainly set
the stage for some action by our membership.
On at least three occasions during the 1970s a resolution to pass a carpenters’
licensing law was on the carpenters’ agenda. In 1980 Local 226 introduced a
resolution which went through all the channels and was introduced into the 1981
Legislature by the AFL-CIO.
During this session the sunsetting of the Builders Board was under
consideration. The same problem that exists today was the main issue at that
time. Poor materials and shoddy workmanship. Instead of getting to the root of
the problems, the officials of the Builders Board and their attorneys turned to
revising the old laws and shifting more emphasis on bonding and revision of the
prevailing laws. Not one thing was done to protect consumers from fly-by-night
contractors or unqualified workmen who were responsible for the shoddy
workmanship.
Now is the time for consumers, carpenters, bonding companies, lending agencies
and all those affected by this “scam” to join in an effort to solve this
problem.
Senate Bill 245, which was passed without the governor’s signature in 1981,
should be scrapped. A copy of that bill and all the documents and testimonies
pertaining to its passage are available through the Secretary of State Archives
Division, 800 Summer St N.E., Salem, Oregon 97310. This is an interesting
document to read and can be purchased at a reasonable cost.
Now is the time for our members to take an active role in trying to regain our
work. Cheap labor and poor workmanship have crept into our industry. How long
will our employers be able to compete with such competition?
We carpenters cannot stand by and watch as our trade and industry fall into the
same state the Construction Contractors Board and its builders are in today. It
has been twenty-five years since they changed the laws to protect consumers from
the disaster we are in today.
In closing, I’d like to pass along a foot note in Thomas R. Brooks’ book The
Road To Dignity: A Century Of Conflict: “The Oxford English Dictionary defines
Journeyman as: ‘One who, having served his apprenticeship to a handicraft or
trade, is qualified to work at it for day’s wages. Journey: a days work.’”
Any member who is taking advantage of reduced quarterly dues must have their 2nd
quarter dues payment into the office no later than March 30, 2006. The 2nd
quarter payment will pay for your dues for the months of April, May and June. If
you are not currently taking advantage of this option and wish to do so, please
send your payment into the office before the due date. However, you must have
your dues paid through March in order to take advantage of this discount. The
reduced rates are as follows: Journeyman - $72, Tradeshow - $48.
