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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 2007)
Clif Davis, new IBEW Local 48 business Industrial Carpenters Union manager, outlines his goals and priorities president and Iraq war veteran Portland-headquartered Interna- tional Brotherhood of Electrical Work- ers Local 48 swore in a new business manager July 25. Clif Davis, 50, took the oath of of- fice after finishing first in a field of seven candidates when mail ballots were counted June 25. Incumbent business manager Barry Mitchell came in second. Business manager is the 3,800-member local’s top elected position and has a term of three years. Davis said his top priorities will be to establish a harmonious relationship with employers, set a tone for friend- lier union meetings, and increase union market share in residential con- struction. “We have a lot in common with our employers — we both want to grow,” Davis said. “We need to put aside our differences and find a way to do that.” L EGAL P ROBLEMS ?? 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Davis became an IBEW apprentice in 1988 and later attended Portland Community College, earning an asso- ciates degree in applied science in 1993 — the same day he became a journeyman electrician. He worked as a general foreman, but also started teaching as soon as he graduated, at PCC and at the NECA-IBEW Electri- cal Training Center (NIETC). Davis was highly regarded as an in- structor, said NIETC Director Ken Fry, earning praise for listening skills, managerial ability and intelligence. Davis had the chance to go full-time as an instructor, but wanted to help build the local instead. In 1996, he came on as a union or- ganizer for Local 48 — visiting job sites and recruiting licensed electri- cians who were working for the non- Quest Investment Management, Inc. • Serving Multi-Employer Multi-Employer Serving Trusts for for Over Twenty Years Trusts Twenty Years } Cam Johnson Cam Johnson Adrian Adrian Hamilton Hamilton Doug Goebel Goebel Doug Garth Nisbet Greg Sherwood Greg Sherwood Monte Monte Johnson Johnson Bill Zenk Zenk Bill Pat Worley One SW SW Columbia St., Suite 1100, Portland, OR 97258 One 1100 Portland, 503-221-0158 503-221-0158 www.QuestInvestment.com www.QuestInvestment.com AUGUST 3, 2007 union competition. Five years later, he switched to the job of business repre- sentative, negotiating for some of Lo- cal 48’s non-construction contracts, in- cluding local radio and television stations and schools. As business manager, Davis said he will retain all office support staff, plus attorney Norm Malbin, dispatcher Frank Crane, and business representa- tives Lee Duncan, Steve Vidito and Bob Carroll. Former Local 48 rep Joe Esmonde was rehired as political liai- son and political action committee (PAC) chair, and will serve as the lo- cal’s representative to the Oregon En- ergy Trust. New hires include Tim Foster as assistant business manager; Nancy Cary and Dave Johnston as business representatives; Larry Warren as lead organizer; and Terry “Tater” Riegle as organizer. Local 48’s jurisdiction covers Mult- nomah, Clackamas, Washington, Hood River, Sherman, Wasco, Tillam- ook, Clatsop, Columbia counties, the northern part of Yamhill county, and Clark, Skamania and Klickitat coun- ties in Washington. It includes inside wiremen, plus sound and communica- tion specialists, marine electricians and electricians working for govern- ment agencies. skeptical of U.S. presence there LaGRANDE, Ore. (PAI) — A Car- penters local president from rural Ore- gon, who served 13 months as a platoon leader of U.S. troops in Iraq, has re- turned skeptical of why the U.S. is there. In a long interview with the Union Register newspaper published by the Carpenters Industrial Council, Local 2851 President Todd Gorham said he came to that conclusion after seeing bit- ter relations between groups of Iraqis, specifically between Kurds and Shiites. Gorham joined the Oregon National Guard in 1985. His unit trained for six months in Texas and Louisiana in 2004 before being sent to Iraq that October. He called the training “maybe 20 per- cent useful, because the insurgents kept adapting and changing their tactics...” His 13-month tour of duty included only one break: A two-week leave to come home for his son’s high school graduation. Gorham’s son enlisted in the guard, too, as a combat medic. In Iraq, Gorham, by then a sergeant first class, commanded a platoon of 44 soldiers just south of Kirkuk. They pa- trolled an area where four main roads met, clearing it of insurgents’ home- made bombs, called improvised explo- sive devices (IEDs). “We were very for- tunate. We didn’t lose any one, but we had two close calls,” he said. One of the incidents that left Gorham wondering about the mission in Iraq involved his platoon’s two inter- preters, both Kurds from northern Iraq. “I recall one time I entered the chow hall with one of our interpreters and all the other Iraqi nationals — mostly Shi- ites — moved to the opposite side. “They hated Kurds and refused to eat near us,” he told the Union Register. “I asked the interpreter about this ex- treme level of hatred and he really did- n’t understand. He accepted it as part of everyday life. That left me with little hope that this country could come to- gether under any democratic system and govern themselves. I feel like we don’t need to be there when it’s a fight over which group controls the country,” among the Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis, Gorham added. After returning to LaGrande, Gorham, a former shop steward and a 21-year veteran of the Boise Cascade particleboard mill, was elected Local 2851 vice president. He moved up to the top job when his predecessor left the mill. THE UNION PLUS ® MORTGAGE PROGRAM Provided Exclusively by Chase Home Finance When it comes to mortgages, we’re taking a stand for Union members. 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For down payments of less than 20%, mortgage insurance (MI) is required and MI charges apply. All loans are subject to credit and property approval. Program terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. Not all products are available in all states or for all loan amounts. Other restrictions and limitations apply. ©2005 JPMorgan Chase & Co. All Rights Reserved. P-UP 104 2A-7604 10/05 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 9
