Mike Lappier
re-elected to lead
Iron Workers
Shopmen’s #516
Michael Lappier was re-elected fi-
nancial secretary-treasurer/business
manager of Iron Workers Shopmen’s
Local 516. He outpolled Bruce Bun-
nell and Michael Damm in a three-
person race.
In a two-person race for president,
Tony Butkovich Jr. of Oregon Iron
Works/Clackamas defeated Mark
Craig.
Four candidates ran for an open
seat for vice president. Taylor Lappier
of Columbia Wire defeated Gordan
Eckert, Steven Dorton, and Darrell
Tompkins Jr.
Bill Stinde of Oregon Iron Works
ran unopposed for recording secretary
and David Bell of Oregon Iron Works
defeated Andy Gunter for sergeant-at-
arms/conductor.
Business manager is the only full-
time position in the 800-member local
based in Northeast Portland.
Elected to the local’s Executive
Committee were Duane Blackmore of
Columbia Wire; Rex Thornton of
Oregon Supreme Court upholds
unions’ case against Sizemore
MIKE LAPPIER
Pella Vinyl; Gale Bernard of Oregon
Iron Works, and David Payne of The
Western Group. Two candidates —
Cecil Pflegl of Fought and Ricky
Wambold of Oregon Iron Works —
tied. They have agreed to determine
the winner in a coin flip to be held at
the union’s next meeting July 24.
Elected trustees were Ken Malicoat
of Oregon Iron Works, Carl Fossi of
The Western Group, and Larry Gerads
of Fought.
Michael and Taylor Lappier, and
Butkovich were elected delegates to
the Iron Workers District Council.
Terms of office are three years.
SALEM — The Oregon Supreme
Court ruled July 3 that two teachers
unions were within their rights to use
an organized crime law in a lawsuit
against two groups run by anti-union
activist Bill Sizemore.
The court upheld the 2002 jury ver-
dict in the suit filed by Oregon Educa-
tion Association (OEA) and American
Federation of Teachers-Oregon against
Sizemore’s Oregon Taxpayers United
Educational Foundation and Political
Action Committee.
The jury found that Sizemore’s
groups used fraud and forgery to qual-
ify two ballot measures that the unions
had to spend money fighting. That in-
cluded forged signatures on the initial
“qualifying” petitions that are submit-
ted to the state before major signature
gathering begins, illegal use of charita-
ble contributions for political purposes,
and fraud in charitable reports to the
state. The reports failed to reveal
donors, or the extent of political activity
of Sizemore’s charitable organization.
In 2006, the Oregon Court of Ap-
peals affirmed that Sizemore’s organi-
zation engaged in a “calculated course
of criminal conduct” and “cynical,
criminal manipulation of the demo-
cratic process.”
Sizemore had appealed that verdict
on several grounds, arguing that since
the groups could easily have gotten the
required 25 genuine signatures on the
qualifying petitions, the forgeries did-
n’t make that much difference. Also,
the fraud on the charitable filings didn’t
directly cause the unions to have to
spend money, Sizemore argued through
attorney Gregory Byrne.
But the Oregon Supreme Court re-
jected those and other arguments, and
agreed that the jury’s conclusion was
reasonable: That the purpose of the bal-
lot measures was to bleed the unions of
money, and that Sizemore’s ballot
measure campaigns engaged in a pat-
tern of criminal activity.
“The Supreme Court has the final
word,” said OEA President Larry Wolf
in a press statement. “They have con-
firmed what we’ve known for years –
Bill Sizemore is a racketeer who uses
fraud and forgery to manipulate Ore-
gon’s initiative system. Oregon voters
should be very suspicious of any meas-
ure he puts forward now and in the fu-
ture.”
One of the two measures in the law-
suit will be on the ballot again this year
— an initiative to prohibit public em-
ployee union members from using pay-
check deduction to contribute to their
unions’ political campaigns. And at
least three other measures sponsored by
Sizemore will be on this November’s
ballot.
Sizemore’s organizations remain li-
able for a $2.5 million dollar jury award
owed to the unions, and the unions plan
to ask the courts to hold Sizemore per-
sonally liable for the judgment, which
is so far largely unpaid.
AFSCME’s Oswalt returns to
work at Portland Police Bureau
Angela Oswalt returned to her job
as a police desk clerk for the Portland
Police Bureau July 7 after almost 15
months of paid administrative leave.
The suspension came after Oswalt,
an officer of AFSCME Local 189, re-
fused to answer questions related to
union business. AFSCME filed an un-
fair labor practice complaint and the
Oregon Employment Relations Board
ruled that the Bureau could not investi-
gate or discipline her for protected ac-
tivities in her role as a union steward
for Local 189.
The Bureau subsequently dropped
its proposed termination of Oswalt and
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agreed to return her to work.
“I am pleased that the situation has
been resolved,” Oswalt said. “I simply
wish to go back to work and do a good
job for the citizens of Portland; that’s
all I’ve wanted to do for many months.
I would like to thank friends, col-
leagues and my union for standing be-
hind me, but now I just want to turn the
page and go to work.”
Local 189 Union Representative
James Hester said he was happy that
Oswalt was returned to work, although
he chastised the Bureau and City of
Portland for dragging out the case for
over a year.
(Editor’s Note: In April 2006, Os-
walt accused former Police Chief Der-
rick Foxworth of abuse of power and
sexual misconduct, which led to his de-
motion.)
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NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
JULY 18, 2008