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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (June 6, 2008)
...Klare remembered Steelworkers ratify new contract at Cascade Steel United Steel Workers Local 8378 reached a final agreement with Cas- cade Steel Rolling Mills, which mem- bers ratified May 30. After voting down an earlier com- pany offer several weeks prior, mem- bers picketed outside the McMinnville plant and conducted a one-shift shut- down of the melt shop May 16. The company, owned by Schnitzer Steel Industries, then sweetened its proposal, making a 3.5 percent raise ATU 757 gets tentative deal at Bend Transit BEND — Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757 officials announced today (May 22) that they have reached a tentative agreement for a three-year contract covering Bend Area Transit workers employed by Paratransit Ser- vices, the contractor that runs public transit for the City of Bend. The union has scheduled a ratifica- tion vote on June 6. Details of the tentative agreement, which will cover approximately 40 Bend Area Transit and Dial-A-Ride drivers, dispatchers and customer service representatives, were not known at press time. Bend Area Transit and Dial-A- Ride employees voted to join ATU Local 757 in early 2007. They have been bargaining with Paratransit Ser- vices for about nine months. ATU Local 757 represents transit workers in over 20 Oregon cities and counties, ranging from Tri-Met in Portland to communities smaller than Bend. Q (From Page 1) November 1962. A 1964 exposé Klare wrote of corruption in the Multnomah County coroner’s office won an award from the American Political Science As- sociation for reporting on public affairs. Eugene Francis Klare was born Oct. 12, 1926, on a farm in Tippecanoe County, Indiana to Viola and Francis Klare. At the request of his maternal grandfather, he was named after Eu- gene Debs, a co-founder of the Indus- trial Workers of the World and five-time Socialist candidate for U.S. president. retroactive to the April 1 end of the previous contract, agreeing to start a 1 percent 401(k) match much earlier in the contract, and setting up a fund to compensate union stewards and of- ficers when they do union work. That last item had been a sticking point, since up to now, union officers who spent lots of time on grievances and arbitrations could fall behind coworkers in company pension contri- butions and production bonuses. The new contract provides for three annual raises of 3.5 percent. It gives union members greater say on the company's safety committee. And it commits the company to cover the costs for Steelworker safety training and occupational safety conferences. It also gives the union sole adminis- tration of the canteen fund, which uses profits from vending machine sales in the employee break room. The fund pays for flowers on the birth or death of a family member, and once a year, is parceled out to local charities, school sports teams, and employee scholarships. The final agreement was much im- proved from the company's first offer, which was an 18-month contract with a 4 percent 401(k) match and no wage increase. The new contract runs three years and expires March 31, 2011. CORRECTION Throughout his career, Gene Klare was always very active in Democratic politics. In the photo above, he meets President Jimmy Carter. Below he is pictured shaking hands with President Lyndon B. Johnson. A photo caption in the May 16 edi- tion of the Northwest Labor Press misidentified Gary Moore of Laborers Local 296 at the 100th anniversary din- ner of the Columbia Pacific Building and Construction Trades Council. The Labor Press regrets the error. 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 JUNE 6, 2008 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS His parents divorced when he was a small child. He and his mother moved several times before landing in Hous- ton, Texas, where he graduated from high school. During an oral history interview for the Pacific Northwest Labor His- tory Association in 1987, Klare said: “My mind was made up at 12 years old, I wanted to work on a newspa- per.” After high school Klare returned to Indiana, where he attended Valparaiso University. He left after a one year to take a job creating newsletters. It was in Valparaiso that he met his first wife, Margaret. They had a son, Max, who now lives in Alaska. The young couple moved to Niles, Ohio, when Klare landed his first news- paper job at the Niles Times. They later teamed up with a friend to buy a weekly newspaper in Lagrow, Indiana. Klare was drafted into the Marine Corps during the Korean Conflict. He spent two years in Washington, D.C., working in the publicity department. He served nine more years in the reserves, earning the rank of sergeant. Following his military duty, Klare worked at newspapers in Pocatello and Nampa, Idaho, and San Leandro, Cali- fornia, and as a freelance political writer for Time Magazine before moving to Portland to work at the Oregonian. Margaret told the NW Labor Press that Klare was offered, but turned down, a Nieman Fellowship. The fellowships are awarded to working journalists of accomplishment and promise to come to Harvard University for a year of study, seminars and special events. They divorced in 1961. Klare’s second wife was Jane Zahler. She had three children from a previous marriage: Mark, Paul and Mary. To- gether they had twins Amy and Matthew. Amy is director of the Civil Rights Division of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, and Matt is an Oregon state trooper. Gene and Jane were divorced and in 1973 he met Oleta (Lita) Mooney. They married in November 1975. Lita had three grown kids from a previous mar- riage: Leslie, Michelle, and Kris. Lita preceded him in death on Nov. 2, 1998. During his career Klare served as president of the Portland Newspaper Guild, chaired the Multnomah County Civil Service Commission, and was the first West Coast labor editor to serve as president of the International Labor Press Association. His achievements were recognized with induction to the Northwest Ore- gon Labor Council Retirees Hall of Fame and as a Pacific Northwest La- bor History Association “Labor His- tory Person of the Year.” He was a 45-year member of Office and Professional Employees Local 11. Klare was cremated and his ashes were interred at Willamette National Cemetery. The family said a memorial service will be arranged at a later date. PAGE 11
