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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 2008)
NOV. 7, 2008 :NWLP 11/5/08 10:05 AM Page 12 Oregon’s largest private-sector union Clay, Anderson elected new leaders of UFCW Local 555 The slate of Dan Clay and Jeff An- derson was elected president and sec- retary-treasurer, respectively, of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555. Clay will succeed Gene Pronovost, who is retiring and did not seek re- election. Anderson will succeed Jeff McDonald, who vacated the secretary- treasurer’s post to run for president. Anderson defeated Roberta Cun- ningham in the race to fill the open seat for secretary-treasurer. Tigard-based Local 555 represents approximately 18,000 workers in Ore- gon and Southwest Washington. It is the largest private-sector union in the state. Both Clay and Anderson are full- time organizers for the local. Clay, 31, was hired in 2000. He has worked as a union representative, membership coordinator, and organ- izer in the Medford, Eugene and Port- land offices. Prior to being employed full time with the union, Clay earned a bachelor of arts degree from Mult- nomah Bible College. As a teenager he volunteered during UFCW strikes in 1990 and 1994. Anderson, 50, is a 32-year member of the union. He has been on staff for 21 years and has worked in every de- partment of the local, including stints as head of the Organizing Department and director of the Legislative and Community Affairs Department. Aside from his work for the union, Anderson is a member of the Salem DAN CLAY JEFF ANDERSON 1994 he ran for U.S. Congress in the 5th District. Local 555 is in the midst of con- tract negotiations for some 6,000 gro- cery workers, meat cutters and central checkout clerks at Kroger (Fred Meyer, QFC), Albertsons, and Safe- way stores in the Portland area. Em- ployees have been working under con- tract extensions since July 26. The last round of bargaining took place Sept. 16, with the sides tenta- tively agreeing to several basic lan- guage items. Meat and potatoes items such as wages, pensions and health in- surance have yet to be dealt with. Anderson said “a smooth trans- itioning” is taking place between the new Local 555 administration and the old administration, and that he and Clay are in preliminary discussions with employers to resume bargaining later this month or by early December. All talks had been postponed while the union election was in progress. Contracts have already been ratified in Eugene, Springfield, Corvallis, Salem, Sweet Home, Vancouver and Longview, Wash., Medford, Roseburg, Klamath Falls, Coos Bay, Brookings, The Dalles and Hood River. Clay and Anderson, along with a newly-elected Executive Board don’t officially take office until Jan. 1, 2009. Terms of office are three years. K ramers/metro m ai l i ng s erv i ce 3201 N.W. YEON PORTLAND, OREGON 97210 (503) 274-1638 FAX (503) 227-1245 THE ONLY UNION MAILER IN OREGON Visit our Web site at www.kramersmailing.com MEMBERS OF TEAMSTERS LOCAL 223 — Eric Brending, Owner — Q Quest Investment Management, Inc. • Serving Multi-Employer Multi-Employer Serving Trusts for for Over Twenty Years Trusts Twenty Years } Cam Johnson Cam Johnson Adrian Hamilton Adrian Hamilton Doug Goebel Doug Goebel Garth Nisbet Greg Sherwood Greg Sherwood Monte Johnson Monte Johnson Bill Zenk Bill Zenk Pat Worley One SW SW Columbia Columbia St., St., Suite Portland, OR OR 97258 97258 One Suite 1100, 1100 Portland, 503-221-0158 503-221-0158 www.QuestInvestment.com www.QuestInvestment.com Electric Cooperative board of direc- tors. He is a former chair of Oregon’s Wage & Hour Commission, and in ...Election Night: Measure 64 (From Page 1) work” campaign in Oregon in 2010. “If we get a right-to-work [ballot measure on the ballot in Oregon], Measure 64 means I can’t get up and talk with my members about the fears and anxieties right to work would bring to Oregon because I’ll lose my payroll deduction if I do. If you accept payroll deduction, you can’t take polit- PAGE 12 ical positions.” Dick Schwarz, executive director of American Federation of Teachers-Ore- gon, said that if Measure 64 passes la- bor could go to the Legislature to seek a fix, but that it would be better to challenge it legally. “It has serious ramifications with the Constitution,” Schwarz said, in- cluding freedom of speech and the NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS NOVEMBER 7, 2008
