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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 2009)
DEC-Holiday-2009 :Holiday Issue 12/15/09 9:47 AM Page 4 Happy Holidays! O R E G O N A F L - C I O Officers Tom Chamberlain Barbara Byrd President Secretary-Treasurer Staff D UKE S HEPARD , Campaign/Political Director E LANA G UINEY , Communications & Research Director S TEVE L ANNING , Field Representative G RAHAM T RAINOR , Political Organizer M ARK W ARNE , WIA Labor Liaison S UE H ARRISON , Secretary T AMMY A NDERSON , Bookkeeper Salem 503 585-6320 Portland 503 224-3169 www.oraflcio.org W a r m e s t T h o u g h t s A n d B e s t W i s h e s Slow economy hasn’t dampened spirit of giving IBEW Local 280 members still working to help others McMINNVILLE, OR – With the economy in such poor shape, construc- tion projects nationwide have slowed to a crawl. But that doesn’t mean workers aren’t keeping busy as they wait for jobs to return. Several members of the Interna- tional Brotherhood of Electrical Work- ers Local 280 in Tangent are volunteer- ing their skills for those in greater need than they are. Brian Samp is one of those union members. Nearly a year ago, Samp responded to a notice posted on the board at the Local 280 union hall looking for elec- tricians to volunteer their skills in the community. Executive Board member Joe Evans was coordinating the volunteer pro- gram for the union and, after talking to Samp, he referred him to Habitat for Humanity, which was constructing du- plexes in McMinnville for families in need of housing. Within a couple of days, Samp was F o r a W o n d e r f u l H o l i d a y A n d a V e r y H a p p y N e w Y e a r ! Rain Forest Boots Made in America! Try a pair on, you’ll like them. To u g h b o o t s f o r t h e N o r t h w e s t . N o r t h w e s t O r e g o n L a b o r C o u n c i l , A F L - C I O AL’S SHOES 5811 SE 82nd, Portland 503-771-2130 Mon-Fri 10-7:30 Sat 10-5:30 Sun 12-6 Volunteers from left to right: Brian Samp and apprentices Steve Goodman and Jess Fleming — all members of IBEW Local 280 — worked together on wiring two duplexes in McMinnville for a Habitat for Humanity project. Photo by Kaisa Phillips recruiting other union members to help wire the duplexes. He targeted appren- tices at the IBEW Local 280 training center, thinking it was a perfect oppor- tunity for them to get on-the-job expe- rience while at the same time putting their training to work. “I just told them to lay out this proj- ect, how they would wire the job and then execute their plan,” Samp said. “It is really good experience for them, and they can actually do something other than just pulling wire. Of course, I was there to watch them just in case.” Marianne Mills, executive director of Habitat for Humanity in McMin- nville, says Samp and the volunteer electricians are a “godsend.” Mills, a retired school teacher, said she sees the differences it makes in chil- dren’s lives when they have a place to live and they’re not sleeping in the back seat of a car. “Children need a place to live and sleep and feel safe,” she said. Samp and the other union volunteers take great pleasure to be able to help families out. Besides that, Samp and his colleagues just think of it as the right thing to do when you are part of a com- munity. (Editor’s Note: Since 1991, McMin- nville-area Habitat for Humanity has helped 36 families move into safe, de- cent, affordable homes.) B o b T a c k e t t E x e c . S e c r e t a r y - T r e a s u r e r J u l i e D e v l a e m i n c k O ff i c e M a n a g e r PAGE 4 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS DECEMBER 18, 2009
