247 Carpenters Union Local 247 Carpenters Union - Carpenters Union UBC Local 247 Portland Oregon

General membership
Meets the second Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. at the Carpenters Hall, 2215 N. Lombard, Portland. A representative from the Metropolitan Alliance for the Common Good will talk about the group’s goals and upcoming actions.

Retirees
Retirees meet for lunch the second Monday, Nov. 10, at 11 a.m. at JJ North’s, 10520 NE Halsey, Portland. There will be a retirement party Nov. 15 for Eldon Middleton at the union hall starting at 5 p.m. in the upper hall. Call the office for details.

Executive Board
Executive Board meets the fourth Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 7 p.m. at the Carpenters Hall, 2215 N. Lombard.

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

Turner Construction has recently signed an A.G.C. Compliance Agreement with the Carpenters Union. We have met periodically with Turner for over ten years. They are a large national company who will be valuable as a Union Contractor. Turner has four jobs in the area already. One is a large condo job at Hayden Island, starting early next year.

We are collecting toys for needy children ages 1 - 13, to be donated to Toy & Joy Makers. If you are interested in donating a toy, please bring it to our office. If you would like to gift wrap it, please indicate the age and gender on the outside. If you have questions, please feel free to call the office at 503-289-9632. Thanks so much!!

In Gresham at Southeast 169th and Stark, a project has started called Lillian Place.

Habitat for Humanity works to encourage participation with organized labor. Currently, IBEW Local 125, jointly with Portland General Electric, has agreed to install the underground power. Next, IBEW Local 48, jointly with Rose City Electric, has pledged to support the inside wiring for the project. Thirdly, Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 290, jointly with Peninsula Plbg Co., has pledged to support the inside plumbing for the project. Members from various other organized labor groups have participated, as well as small independent businesses.

Mount Hood Habitat for Humanity needs those interested to help in constructing foundations for three buildings. The Community Center, is 22’ x 42’, slab on ground. Another foundation is 40’x 60’, for three four-bedroom units. The last building is 54’ x 34’, for three two-bedroom units. Each building site has been excavated recently. It would be nice to get two or three key people from Local 247 to help guide a crew of volunteers building these foundations.

It is the vision for Mount Hood Habitat for Humanity to develop strong communities where all persons have decent and affordable places to live. Their goal is to partner with organized labor, to bring together all sectors of the community in common respect for each other, and to make known the ongoing community service contributions of unions.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Arnold Williams, Mt. Hood Habitat for Humanity at 503-572-1042.

Gene Picariello, Andy Wagner and Joe Baron work on the historical storefront for the North Precinct Community Policing office.

Tim Collins and Ron Kochman work on interior framing at the North Precinct Community Policing office.

What’s next: Volunteers needed for West’s Block
The renovation of the West’s Block Building at 701 SE Grand is well under way and, when finished, will house the non-profit Architectural Heritage Center. This building was built in 1883. This is the same year that the first Carpenters Hall, Local 50 — 247’s ancestor — was chartered in Portland, and members of our local may have built it. To date, classes from the Willamette Carpenter Training Center have put over 700 donated hours into this project. The Pacific Northwest Regional Council has made a $10,000 contribution, and the carpenters employed onsite by Robertson, Hay and Wallace are making a significant donation by agreeing to work for low scale to make the Architectural Heritage Center a reality. On Saturday, Nov. 22, work parties will start and volunteers are needed. To sign up or for further information contact Sherrie at the Local 247 office, 503-289-9632, or Rich Carasco with Robertson, Hay and Wallace at 360-521-3398.

“Ten thousand times has the labor movement stumbled and bruised itself. We have been enjoined by the courts, assaulted by thugs, charged by the militia, traduced by the press, frowned on in public opinion, and deceived by politicians. But not withstanding all this, labor today is the most vital and potential power this planet has ever known, and its historic mission is as certain of ultimate realization as the setting of the sun.” — Eugene Debs, American Railway Union

1700s Colonial America: Guild system, skilled masters, journeymen, then apprentices many of whom are indentured servants. Demand for skilled carpenters is very high. Apprentices make twice as much as English counterparts. The Carpenters Company of Philadelphia is founded and publishes a Book of Prices which standardizes cost of construction.

1773 -- The Ship Carpenters and Caulkers of Boston play a leading role in the Boston Tea Party.

1776 -- The Constitutional Assembly meets in the Philadelphia Carpenters Hall on July 4 to sign the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

1788 -- Again the Constitutional Assembly meets in the Philadelphia Carpenters Hall to draft the US Constitution.

1790 -- The first textile mill is established in Pawtucket, Rhode Island by Samuel Slater. All the workers are children under age 12.

1791 -- The Union of Society Carpenters organize and strike for a uniform workday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and no winter piece rate work.

1793 -- Cotton gin invented, which speeds up production of cotton and increases pressure on slaves.

1800s -- Empire in Wood, by Robert A. Christie, tells us that three basic changes took place from 1791 to 1881 which influenced the development of carpenters unions in the United States: (1) A change in the basic organization of the industry; (2) A widening of the labor market;(3) An advance in technology.

1806 -- Eight Philadelphia shoemakers are found guilty of a criminal conspiracy after striking for higher wages under an old English common law dating back to 1349 which forced survivors of the black plague to work for fixed wages. The Power Loom is invented which takes the weaving of cloths out of homes and into the factories where women and children are worked 12 to 16 hours a day, seven days a week.

1825 -- The United Textile Workers of New York conduct the first all women’s strike for higher wages. Women are accused of striking against God and mankind. In the carpenter trades, the masters become employers, journeymen and apprentices respond as employees.

1830 -- Mary Harris Jones is born in Cork County Ireland. Emigrates to the United States at age eight with her family. She is the most controversial labor activist in American history. Becomes popularly known as “The Miner’s Angel’’ “Mother Jones”and as the “Most Dangerous Woman in America.” She is hired as the first woman organizer by the United Mine Workers, and her most active years in labor are between the ages of 60 to 100. The Factory Girls Association is organized in Lowell, Mass.