Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (July 17, 2009)
JULY 17, 2009:NWLP 7/14/09 10:27 AM Page 8 IBEW Local 125’s Liz Shuler Oregonian runs for AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer Elizabeth (Liz) Shuler, a former lobbyist and communications director for IBEW Local 125 in Portland, is running for secretary-treasurer of the national AFL-CIO on a ticket with Richard Trumka, who is running for president, and Arlene Holt Baker, who is seeking re-election as executive vice president. Trumka is currently secretary- treasurer of the labor federation. He hopes to succeed President John Sweeney, who is retiring. Election of officers will take place at the 26th Constitutional Convention of the AFL-CIO Sept. 13-17 in Pitts- burgh. Gregory Junemann, president of International Federation of Profes- sional and Technical Engineers, also is running for secretary-treasurer. If successful, Shuler would be the highest ranking woman ever elected to an AFL-CIO leadership post — and also the youngest at age 39. Shuler has served as executive as- sistant to IBEW President Edwin Hill since June 2004, where she oversees the work and budgeting of 11 depart- ments, including utility, manufactur- PAGE 8 L IZ S HULER ing, telecommunications, broadcast- ing and government, education, re- search, political/legislative affairs, hu- man services, media and safety. The appointment made her one of the highest ranking women in IBEW’s history. Prior to that, Shuler served as inter- national representative in the IBEW’s Political/Legislative Affairs Depart- ment, where she lobbied on numerous issues and helped implement the IBEW’s political program. A graduate of the University of Oregon with a degree in journalism, Shuler was a Democratic Party ac- tivist in college. She worked summer clerical jobs at Portland General Elec- tric, where her father, Lance, was a lineman and member of IBEW Local 125, and her mother was an estimator in service and design. Shuler was initiated into IBEW Local 125 in 1993, where she was the local’s political/legislative director un- der Business Manager Bill Miller un- til 1998. For several legislative ses- sions, she led the local’s effort at the State Capitol to prevent the passage of electricity deregulation in Oregon. She built successful coalitions with al- lied organizations, even against pow- erful interests such as Enron. During that time, she traveled across the lo- cal’s multi-state jurisdiction conduct- ing Construction Organizing Mem- bership Education and Training (COMET) and Membership Educa- tion and Mobilization for Organizing (MEMO) courses. She served on the State of Ore- gon’s Management-Labor Advisory Committee on Workers’ Compensa- tion and also was a delegate to the Northwest Oregon Central Labor NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS Council. In 1998, Shuler was assigned by then-International President J. J. Barry to coordinate the IBEW’s ground mo- bilization effort to battle the Proposi- tion 226 “paycheck deception” cam- paign in California. Later that year, she was appointed international representative and moved to Washington, D.C. In that job, she lobbied on issues such as en- ergy and electricity, Davis-Bacon, health care, transportation, apprentice- ship and training, unemployment and telecommunications. Shuler is active with Women in the Trades and is a member of the board of the Women’s Campaign Fund, a bi- partisan fundraising organization that aims to boost the number of women holding public office. For several years she has volunteered with the In- ternational Women’s Democracy Cen- ter, a mentoring program that encour- ages women to run for office and seek change in countries overseas. Zachary Zabinsky • Social Security • SSI - Disability Claims Personal Attention To Every Case Working For Disability Rights Since 1983 NO FEE WITHOUT RECOVERY 621 SW Morrison, Portland 503-223-8517 JULY 17, 2009
