Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2007)
Let me say this about that —By Gene Klare Fame for George Brown THE NORTHWEST OREGON Labor Retirees Council has selected George Brown of Sheet Metal Workers Local 16 for the Labor Hall of Fame. The Retirees Council, which is affiliated with the Portland-based Northwest Ore- gon Labor Council, AFL-CIO, sponsors the Labor Hall of Fame to honor union retirees for their contributions to the labor movement. GEORGE BROWN, 64, retired two years ago after working 26 years in the maintenance department of the Portland School District. He later worked briefly at an auto auction business and as a pastry truck driver. He also did volunteer work making repairs on homes of sen- iors in Northeast Portland. He is still active in Port- land-headquartered Local 16 and continues as a longtime volunteer for the Northwest Oregon La- bor Council’s Labor Day Picnic at Oaks Park. He was born as George LeRoy Brown Jr. on Nov. 17, 1942 in Portland’s Good Samaritan Hos- pital. He attended Joseph Lane Grade School and graduated from Franklin High School in South- east Portland in 1961. At Franklin, he played the trombone in the school’s band. After high school he followed his father into Sheet Metal Workers GEORGE BROWN Local 16. George Brown Sr. was employed for many years at Northwest Copper Works. GEORGE BROWN JR. went through his four-year apprenticeship in Local 16 at American Sheet Metal Co. and worked there 12 years as a journeyman. He began his career as a maintenance sheet metal worker for the Portland School District in 1977. Brown served on Local 16’s Executive Board for 12 years and also was on its Negotiating Committee. He’s been a delegate to Northwest Oregon Labor Coun- cil meetings and to Oregon AFL-ClO conventions. FOR TWO DECADES, Brown has worked as a volunteer at the NOLC La- bor Day Picnic to keep the well-attended event running smoothly. The picnic, which started in the early 1980s at Blue Lake Park in East Multnomah County and moved in the mid-1990s to Oaks Park in Southeast Portland, draws crowds of more than 15,000. Brown waits on union members and their families at the NOLC booth, selling scrip for refreshments, answering questions and perform- ing other chores that are needed. Judy O’Connor, NOLC’s executive secretary- treasurer, praised Brown’s commitment to making the Labor Day event a happy experience for thousands of union members and their families. Golf is Brown’s favorite sport. He plays regularly with an organization called “Oregon Seniors.” They play at different golf courses. His handicap is 13. GEORGE AND HIS WIFE, Shirley, who’ve been married for 28 years, en- joy traveling by car to various places in the U,S, Their family includes a daugh- ter, Laura; two sons, Jeff and Kevin; and four grandchildren. George and Shirley live in a condo in Vancouver, Wash., to which they moved three years ago. The Browns are members of Zion Lutheran Church in Southwest Portland. George has served as a director on the church’s board. George is also a member of the Gateway Elks Lodge in Northeast Portland, which he joined 42 years ago. ★★★ LEONARD (BLACKIE) PALMER, a longtime member and official of the International Woodworkers of America (IWA), died on May 11, 2007 in a Port- land hospital of a heart attack. He was 80 years old. His nickname was given to him in childhood because of his black hair. HE WAS BORN in Alberta, Canada, on Nov. 27, 1926. His parents, Lonnie and Annie Palmer, moved to Clarkston, Washington, when he was a boy, and he attended schools there. When he was a junior in high school he was drafted into Class-action lawsuits filed for PERS retirees forced to pay back benefits Public Employee Retirement Sys- tem (PERS) retirees who took a lump- sum distribution upon retirement are facing a difficult choice, as many have received invoices from PERS de- manding partial repayment of “ex- cess” benefits. This demand for repay- ment comes about as the agency attempts to reconcile accounts as a re- sult of the outcome of the City of Eu- gene/Strunk lawsuit. While retirees who kept their money in PERS face the same repay- ment demands, they have the option of seeing their monthly benefit reduced slightly until PERS deems they are caught up. Retirees who took lump- sum payments, however, have more limited options. Greg Hartman, an attorney for the PERS Coalition, a group of unions that have filed class-action lawsuits on behalf of public employees, notes that two pending lawsuits — the Arken case and the Robinson case — have the potential to address this issue and possibly lessen or even eliminate the repayment burden. Hartman hopes to see both cases certified as class-action suits, meaning anyone who fits the pa- b h m k rameters of the cases has the potential to be covered. Arken deals with the so-called “window” retirees — those who retired between April 1, 2000, and April 1, 2004. Robinson covers a somewhat broader range of retirement dates. Both cases were briefed and ar- gued before Multnomah County Cir- cuit Court Judge Henry Kantor several months ago, and Hartman believes Kantor’s decisions are imminent. However, whichever side loses likely will appeal to the Oregon Court of Appeals — and then to the Oregon Supreme Court. That could take years. Retirees who fit the parameters of either the Arken or Robinson cases will automatically be included in the class-action should the cases be certi- fied. In the meantime, what can lump- sum retirees do with their pending in- voices? Hartman outlines four op- tions: • Write a check and pay the bill. Should the unions prevail in Arken and/or Robinson and you’re covered by one or the other (or both), you’ll ul- timately get your money back from PERS. Bennett Hartman Morris & Kaplan, llp Attorneys at Law Oregon’s Full Service Union Law Firm Representing Workers Since 1960 Serious Injury and Death Cases • Construction Injuries • Automobile Accidents • Medical, Dental, and Legal Malpractice • Bicycle and Motorcycle Accidents • Pedestrian Accidents • Premises Liability (injuries on premises) • Workers’ Compensation Injuries • Social Security Claims • Roll over the amount due back to PERS from a qualified account. The fine print of the letter you re- ceived outlines this process, and it ap- pears the IRS will allow this rollover to occur tax-free (although that has not been 100 percent determined yet). You may need to contact a qualified financial planner to help you through this process. • File an administrative challenge with PERS. If you feel you have some circumstance that makes your situa- tion extraordinary, you can contact PERS and challenge the agency’s in- voice. Hartman warns that while this op- tion exists on paper, he isn’t sure of any circumstances that PERS may ac- cept as proof. “But every single re- tiree’s situation is unique, so I would never rule out that someone may in- deed have an unusual circumstance that qualifies,” said Hartman. Never- theless, this option is likely a stalling tactic at best for most lump-sum recip- ients. • Do nothing. This is a viable op- tion, though not one Hartman recom- mends. This was a better option for those who kept their money in PERS. But you can choose to sit back and see what happens while hoping that Arken and/or Robinson intervenes in your fa- vor. Hartman does warn that if you force PERS to instigate a collection process against you, there will likely be penalties and fees added to the amount due. (Editor’s Note: This article origi- nally appeared on the AFSCME Ore- gon Council 75 Web site.) Southgate Mobile & RV Park 7911 SE 82nd Ave. Portland, Oregon Spaces Available up to 35’ 503-771-5262 (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) Established in 1900 at Portland, Oregon as a voice of the labor movement. 4275 NE Halsey St., P.O. Box 13150, Portland, Ore. 97213 Telephone: (503) 288-3311 E-mail: Michael492@comcast.net Editor: Michael Gutwig Staff: Don McIntosh, Cheri Rice We Work Hard for Hard-Working People! 111 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 1650 Portland, Oregon 97204 (503) 227-4600 www.bennetthartman.com Published on a semi-monthly basis on the first and third Fridays of each month by the Oregon Labor Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non- profit corporation owned by 20 unions and councils including the Oregon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 120 union organizations in Ore- gon and SW Washington. Subscriptions $13.75 per year for union members. Group rates available to trade union organizations. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT PORTLAND, OREGON. CHANGE OF ADDRESS NOTICE: Three weeks are required for a change of address. When ordering a change, please give your old and new addresses and the name and number of your local union. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS, P.O. BOX 13150-0150, PORTLAND, OR 97213 Our Legal Staff are Proud Members of UFCW Local 555 (Turn to Page 11) PAGE 2 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS JUNE 15, 2007
