UFCW Local 555
backs Walker for
secretary of state
Oregon State. Sen. Vicki Walker’s
campaign for secretary of state has been
endorsed by United Food and Com-
mercial Workers Local 555 and Amal-
gamated Transit Union Local 757.
Walker is in a three-person primary
race with two of her colleagues from
the Senate — Rick Metsger and Kate
Brown.
All three candidates were endorsed
by the Oregon State Building and Con-
struction Trades Council. The Oregon
AFL-CIO is neutral in the race.
Service Employees International
Union locals 503 and 49 have endorsed
Brown. SEIU is an affiliate of the
Change to Win labor federation.
Westlund adds
IBEW, Carpenters
to list of endorsers
Oregon State Sen. Ben Westlund
(D-Tumalo) picked up endorsements
from Electrical Workers Local 48, Car-
penters Local 247 and the Joint Coun-
cil of Teamsters No. 37, in his bid for
state treasurer.
A proponent of renewable energy,
Westlund was instrumental in expand-
ing the solar energy tax credit for indi-
viduals during the 2005 session. In the
2007 session, he supported the Oregon
Renewable Energy Act, which will
make Oregon a national leader in the
development of clean energy.
“As an efficient legislator, Ben West-
lund has been getting things done to ex-
pand our renewable energy economy in
Oregon,” said Joe Esmonde, political
director for IBEW Local 48. “As state
treasurer, he will advocate for retro-
fitting our state buildings to increase en-
ergy efficiency, save tax dollars and cre-
ate jobs.”
“Ben has encouraged vocational
training in our schools to help our youth
have the chance at good-paying jobs,
and he is leading the charge to lower
health care costs,” siad Joseph Baron of
Carpenters Local 247.
Also endorsing Westlund are the
Oregon AFL-CIO, Oregon Nurses As-
sociation, Oregon State Fire Fighters
Association, Oregon Education Associ-
ation, SEIU Local 503, AFSCME
Council 75, American Federation of
Teachers, and Association of Oregon
Corrections Employees.
Westlund has served Central Oregon
as a legislator for the past 10 years. Be-
fore that he was a business owner and
entrepreneur. He currently consults for
Northwest Professional Management to
develop affordable health care delivery
systems.
Machinists Union
endorses Merkley,
Schrader, Kroger
ASTORIA — The Machinists
Non-Partisan Political League en-
dorsed Jeff Merkley in the Democra-
tic primary for U.S. Senate.
The endorsement came April 26 at
the Oregon Machinists Council meet-
ing in Astoria. MNPL is the political
arm of the Machinists Union.
Also speaking at the meeting was
John Frohnmayer, an independent
candidate for the U.S. Senate.
Merkley told the group that in-
cumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Gor-
don Smith has voted with President
Bush 90 percent of the time during
his tenure and that his votes have can-
celed out Oregon’s senior U.S. Sena-
tor, Democrat Ron Wyden, 1,700
times.
“Workers have been getting the
short end of the stick time and time
and time again,” Merkley said, em-
phasizing that he opposes free trade
agreements such as NAFTA.
In other political business, MNPL
issued Democratic primary endorse-
ments to John Kroger for attorney
general; State Sen. Kurt Schrader for
Congress; and Brad Witt and Brian
Clem for re-election as state repre-
sentatives in House Districts 31 and
21, respectively.
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K IRKLAND U NION M ANORS I,II,III
IN MEMORIAM
“Buy American. Look for the Union
Label.” Whenever those words were ut-
tered at a union event, you knew Luther
Jobe was in the house.
Luther P. Jobe Jr. passed away at
his Portland home on April 17. He was
87.
For nearly 58 years, Jobe served as
president of the Label Trades Section of
the Northwest Oregon Labor Council
(and the Multnomah Labor Council
prior to its merger). At monthly meet-
ings or conventions Jobe would always
remind delegates to “Buy American”
and to “look for the union label.”
Jobe operated a one-chair barber
shop at the downtown Portland Labor
Temple and later at the Labor Center.
After the Labor Center shut down, he
opened a shop in Northeast Portland.
Much of his clientele were union
members, and he always promoted his
store as a “union barber shop.”
Jobe was a member of Barbers Lo-
cal 75, which later became Meat Cutter
Local 143A. That local then merged
into what is now United Food and
Commercial Workers Local 555. He
served as president of Local 75, as well
as president of the Barbers Credit
Union.
Following the merger with Local
555, Jobe was made a vice president
and Executive Board member of that
union.
In 2000, Jobe was named to the La-
bor Hall of Fame sponsored by the
Northwest Oregon Labor Retirees
Council, AFL-CIO.
Luther P. Jobe Jr. was born June 13,
1920, in Wichita Falls, Texas, the son of
Luther and Mary (Byrd) Jobe. He was
raised in Yuma, Ariz., and various cities
in California, before moving to Portland
in 1937.
He took up barbering at age 17, fol-
lowing in the footsteps of his father, un-
cle, and brother. For a short while he
also worked at the Oregon Shipyard in
St. Johns, where he was a member of
Boilermakers Local 72.
He left the shipyard to serve two
years in the U.S. Navy during World
War II. Upon his return to Portland in
1946, he resumed his barbering career.
Jobe married Vivian in 1940. They
had a son and three daughters. Vivian
died in 1995.
Jobe is survived by his son,
Leonard; daughters Carol Turner, and
Diane German; a sister; eight grand-
children; and 10 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by daughter,
Karen Liday, in 1997.
Interment was at Willamette Na-
tional Cemetery with military honors.
Memorial contributions can be made in
his name to Doernbecher Children’s
Hospital.
CLARIFICATION
An article in the April 18 edition re-
ported that under the International
Longshore and Warehouse Union con-
tract with the Pacific Maritime Associ-
ation, the union is allowed to call
mandatory-attendance union meetings
on the second shift , which workers at-
tend while still on the clock. That was
partially in error; attendance is manda-
tory, and members are assessed a fine
by the union if they miss meetings, but
ILWU members are not paid by the
employer to attend.
Opened in 1980, 1985 & 1995
L ABOR L EADERS IN THE
P ORTLAND B UILDING T RADE
M OVEMENT ORGANIZED THE
U NION L ABOR R ETIREMENT
A SSOCIATION IN 1962, WITH THE SOLE PURPOSE
OF PROVIDING HOUSING FOR THE ELDERLY .
We support Mike Delman for
Multnomah County Commissioner District 3
“ We believe that everyone earns the
right to retire, free from pressures
of earlier years.”
Kirkland
Union Plaza
Marshall
Union Manor
1414 Kauffman Ave. 2020 NW Northrup
Portland 97209
Vancouver 98660
360•694•4314
503•225•0677
WWW . THEUNIONMANORS . ORG
TDD 503•771•0912
G ENE P RONOVOST , J OE D EVLAEMINCK , D ICK S PRINGER ,
G ARY H ANSEN , L ORI R ICE , R.N., UFCW L OCAL 555,
O REGON N URSES A SSOCIATION
And Congratulations, Mike, on your endorsement by the
Multnomah County Corrections Officers Association
Vote for Real Change. Vote for Mike Delman
www.mikedelman.com
MAY 2, 2008
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
PAGE 5