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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 2007)
Let me say this about that —By Gene Klare Salute to Schneider THE NORTHWEST OREGON Labor Retirees Association welcomes Dick Schneider into the Labor Hall of Fame. Schneider, 62, of Gresham, retired in April of this year after a long career in the International Association of Machin- ists. He retired as an IAM grand lodge representative — an international rep — a post he has held for 19 years. The Retirees Council, which is affiliated with the Portland-based Northwest Oregon Labor Council, AFL-CIO, estab- lished the Labor Hall of Fame 10 years ago to honor retired unionists for service they gave to their unions and to the labor move- ment. At the time of his retirement, Schneider was one of four coordinators in the IAM’s Aerospace Department. He was responsi- ble for 115 IAM labor contracts with the Boeing Company and other aerospace firms in the United States and Canada. RICHARD (DICK) LEE SCHNEI- DER was born on March 24, 1945 in Lebanon, Oregon. He attended schools in DICK & KATHI SCHNEIDER the Portland area and in other places be- cause his father, Bob Schneider, worked construction, involving many moves for the family. Bob Schneider was a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers and worked out of Local 701 when he was in Oregon. Dick attended Benson High School in Portland and grad- uated from high school in Long Beach, California. After high school he worked for a time “pulling the green chain in a sawmill” in Oregon and in 1963 joined the U.S. Army. He spent most of his military serv- ice in an artillery unit in Germany and earned the three stripes of a sergeant. In 1966, after his Army hitch was completed, Schneider moved back to Long Beach where a cousin was the IAM’s chief shop steward in a Douglas Aircraft plant. The cousin steered Schneider to a job in the plant’s plastics lab and Dick became a member of the Machinists Union. TWO YEARS LATER, Schneider decided to return to his Oregon roots and settled in Portland, obtaining a job at the Portland Iron Works and joining Ma- chinists Local Lodge 63, to which he still belongs. He started as a helper in 1968 and worked his way up to journeyman status. He became active in Local 63 and held several offices. In 1978 he was appointed as a business representative of Ma- chinists District Lodge 24, based in the Machinists Building at 3645 SE 32nd Ave., just south of Powell Blvd. AS A DISTRICT LODGE 24 business representative, Schneider participated in contract negotiations, grievance handling and other facets of representing the membership. He spent a lot of time dealing with problems caused by employers at the Swan Island ship repair yards leased by the companies from the Port of Portland. He and representatives of other ship repair unions came up with inno- vative ways of out-maneuvering the employers in order to achieve the unions’ goals while keeping the unions’ members on their jobs and drawing paychecks. Schneider next worked as the administrative assistant to District 24’s Directing Business Representative George Miller. His duties in that job, coupled with being the secretary-treasurer of the Machinists Non-Partisan Political League of Ore- gon, required him to become knowledgeable about politics and lobbying at the Oregon Legislature in Salem. He spent eight years as the IAM’s political director and lobbyist. He helped now U.S. Senator Ron Wyden first get elected to Con- gress in Oregon’s Third District and in his years with District 24 campaigned for (Turn to Page 11) PAGE 2 Meeting in Newport, building trades unions savor legislative victories NEWPORT — Construction union officials celebrated a successful legisla- tive session Aug. 21-24 at the annual convention of the Oregon State Build- ing and Construction Trades Council. Passage of a new prevailing wage law on public-private partnership proj- ects was their major victory. Improved budgets for capital construction projects was another gain. The Council also helped block several bills that would have weakened safety standards and ap- prenticeship training requirements. The Council announced its legisla- tive all-stars for the session, topped by Rep. Mike Schaufler, D-Happy Valley. Schaufler, a former member of the La- borers Union, was praised for his work introducing, carrying and guiding sev- eral key pieces of legislation through the political process as chair of he House Business and Labor Committee. Joining Schaufler on the all-star team were Democrats Arnie Roblan, Betty Komp and Jeff Barker and Republicans Karen Minnis, Wayne Krieger and Greg Smith. Senate all-stars included Floyd Prozanski, Vicki Walker, Brad Avakian, Richard Devlin, Kate Brown, Rick Metsger, Frank Morse and Ben West- lund. All are Democrats. “But there is no time to rest on our laurels,” said Executive Secretary Bob Shiprack. Noting a “sea change” occur- ring in the Oregon Legislature, with sev- eral representatives and senators either leaving to run for other posts — or just leaving — and the move to annual ses- sions, Shiprack said the Council is al- ready gearing up for 2008 and beyond. The 54 convention delegates passed a resolution to continue assessing $2 per member per month to fund Oregonians to Maintain Community Standards. Money raised by this political action committee is used to promote legislation and ballot measures that benefit union crafts as well as defend against ballot measures and legislation that try to weaken them. Transportation funding will be a top legislative issue, as will reforming the enterprise zone program. Enterprise zones offer exemptions from property taxes for businesses that agree to invest in specific areas and commit to create and maintain a certain number of jobs. The Building Trades Council wants language that would re- quire businesses to hire Oregon con- struction contractors to build the proj- ects. Last session, SB 151 extended the sunset date for the enterprise zone pro- gram to June 30, 2013, but it doesn’t in- clude language about local hiring. “The construction phase isn’t even included in the calculation,” said Pat Smith, executive secretary of the Lane, Coos, Curry, Douglas Counties Build- ing Trades Council. “Build it cheap. Build it any way you want; but once it’s open they’re required to pay a living wage, whatever that is. The construction industry should be included in the equa- tion.” NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS Guest speaker Sen. Rick Metsger asked construction unions for their help in putting together a transportation fund- ing package that would keep Oregon moving forward. “It’s a critical time,” Metsger said. “If we fail to keep improving our trans- portation system, it will have a ripple ef- fect in all corners of our state. Trans- portation fuels businesses and our economy. Investment in transportation is an investment in the health of our state.” Chris Warner of the governor’s office told delegates that Gov. Ted Kulongoski is committed to working with stake- holders to develop a plan that meets the transportation needs of the state. “Oregon is rapidly approaching grid- lock,” he said. “A transportation pack- age will be part of the 2009 session.” Warner also told delegates the gover- nor would work with labor “to find that balance” on local hire language for en- terprise zones. Mike Wood, director of the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Ad- ministration (OR-OSHA), told dele- b h m k gates construction deaths are on track to reach double figures for the first time since 1997. Eight construction workers have died this year already. That’s up from an average of five to six annually. Wood said the increase in fatalities “doesn’t mean the sky is falling,” or that more regulations are needed. “The truth is, rules aren’t followed,” he said. The most recent death Aug. 16 was caused when a trench collapsed on a worker laying sewer pipe. Not speaking specifically to this tragedy, Wood said that when shoring fails, “I can flat out tell you ... it sure as hell isn’t a freak accident. It’s some- thing we know happens — and we damn well know how to prevent it.” Wood emphasized that greater com- pliance of safety rules by contractors and workers would go a long way in saving lives and preventing injuries. “What kills people on construction sites, we know how to prevent,” he said. Other speakers included Vicki Walker, who is running for secretary of (Turn to Page 8) 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 We Work Hard for Hard-Working People! 111 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 1650 Portland, Oregon 97204 (503) 227-4600 www.bennetthartman.com Our Legal Staff are Proud Members of UFCW Local 555 SEPTEMBER 7, 2007
