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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 16, 2007)
Inside MEETING NO TICES See Page 6 V olume 108 Number 22 No v ember 16, 2007 P ortland At Career & Benefits Fair Craft unions welcome veterans into training programs National Guard and reserve mem- bers who are returning from war are finding the welcome mat is out at union apprenticeship training programs in Oregon and Southwest Washington. At a Veterans Career & Benefits Fair Nov. 3 at Clackamas Community Col- lege, more than a dozen of the 58 infor- mational booths were sponsored by union training programs. “Apprenticeship training (and con- struction work) is a perfect fit for a lot of our people,” said Oregon National Guard Brigadier General Michael Caldwell, deputy director of the Ore- gon Military Department. “Labor unions have been superb working to get soldiers plugged into their programs.” An estimated 700 veterans — in- cluding many who recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan — attended the career fair, which was open to all military veterans, including those from Vietnam. Because of their military experience, Caldwell said veterans bring immedi- ate special skills to the workplace: They are disciplined, they can follow instruc- tions, and they are not afraid to work hard. “But making the right connec- tions can be difficult,” he explained. “Many of these young kids are not (PHOTO LEFT) Joe Luna (sitting), apprenticeship coordinator for the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers and a former Marine, discusses the benefits of apprenticeship training with a soldier attending a Veterans Career & Benefits Fair Nov. 3 at Clackamas Community College. (PHOTO RIGHT) Sheet Metal Workers Local 16’s HVAC & Metals Institute was one of 13 training programs at the fair recruiting apprentices. Staffing their booth was Ric Olander (right), assistant director of apprenticeship, and Joe Harris, a business development agent for Local 16. aware of this opportunity.” To help military veterans transition back to civilian life, the Oregon Na- tional Guard and the Oregon Appren- ticeship and Training Council have made arrangements that gives veterans special consideration for apprenticeship placement. Military veterans also can get credit for previous work experi- ence, which allows them to advance more rapidly to journey-level status. “Servicemen and women will re- ceive the best training in the trade of their choice. They will be paid while learning, and they will come out with a union career in the construction indus- try — a career that pays a living wage and provides great family benefits,” said Glenn Shuck, executive director of Labor’s Community Service Agency. Shuck helped coordinate the process that resulted in the agreement between the National Guard and the Appren- ticeship and Training Council. LCSA also is a contract partner with the Vet- erans Workforce Investment Program, which assists veterans with training, job placement and other services when they return from active duty. Joe Luna, apprenticeship coordina- tor for the Portland-based Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers and a former Marine, said veterans can apply for the bricklayer, tilesetter and terrazzo work- ers program at any time and that the program has a procedure for direct en- try for soldiers with the proper skill set. Luna also said that veterans in his program can use GI Bill benefits while enrolled. “It’s like going to college,” he said. “Most training programs are ap- proved for the GI Bill,” confirmed Mel Lowney of Helmets to Hardhats, a partnership program between the na- tional AFL-CIO Building Trades De- partment, the signatory Construction Industry Employer Associations, and the U.S. military services. For more information about the Hel- mets to Hardhats program, go to www.helmetstohardhats.org. Ric Olander, assistant director of apprenticeship at the HVAC & Metals (Turn to Page 4) Labor celebrates its history with Arts Festival November is Labor History Month in Oregon, so to celebrate, the Northwest Oregon Labor Council held the first-ever Pacific Northwest Labor Arts Festi- val Nov. 10 at Portland State University. Featured performers included Anne Feeney (in photo second from left, singing with — from left to right — Grace Cox of Citizens Band and Susan Lewis and Janet Stecher of Rebel Voices of Seattle); hip-hopster Mic Cren- shaw of Portland; folk music legend Dick Weissman; labor songwriter Paul McKenna and others. “It was a great lineup of entertainment. I hope we can do it again,” said Fes- tival Coordinator Jim Cook. Cook, a retired member of Letter Carriers Branch 82, is chair of the labor council’s Labor History Committee. The Labor Arts Festival combined various art forms showcasing working class culture, pride and solidarity. For example, the Museum of People’s Art in Bay City displayed period pieces from the Works Progress Administration while Swedish political and labor artist Julie Leonardsson presented “Outside the Lines/International perspective of class struggles.” Photo by John Acerbi
