May 21,2010:NWLP
5/18/10
10:16 AM
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Salem Roofers local merges
with Local 49 of Portland
The United Union of Roofers, Wa-
terproofers, and Allied Workers on May
1 merged Springfield, Oregon-based
Local 156 into Portland-based Roofers
Local 49.
Local 156 represented 66 workers at
two shops in Salem and Eugene, said
Mike Thompson, business manager of
Local 49. The shops are McGilchrist &
Sons Roofing & Sheet Metal and
Umpqua Roof Company, Inc.
The merger brings Local 49’s mem-
bers to nearly 600 statewide. The union
has contracts at 16 shops in Oregon, in-
cluding a new contractor in Banks —
Diversified Roofing and Construction.
“We signed them just last week,”
Thompson said, noting that he and Lo-
cal 49 president/business rep Darrell
Hopkins will, for now, service the en-
tire state.
Thompson said the defunct local’s
Executive Board will remain intact in
Lane County, sans the former business
manager, Rick Shaw, who plans to
leave the trade.
Washington CLUB golf charity June 17-18
Spots are still open for the Washing-
ton CLUB Charity Golf Classic June
17-18 at Gold Mountain Golf Com-
plex in Bremerton, Washington.
CLUB stands for Contractors, Leg-
islators, Unions and Business.
The organization is celebrating its
10th anniversary this year. In nine
years, the non-profit group has raised
over $675,000 for its three benefiting
charities — Holly Ridge Center, The
Children’s Hospital-Seattle, and the Di-
abetes Research Institute.
Last year the tournament raised
close to $100,000.
MAY 21, 2010
There are various levels of partici-
pation, with all proceeds raised going
directly to the charities. For more in-
formation about the tournament, con-
tact Brian Remington at 206-432-9014
or e-mail him at: brian@golfcorp solu-
tions.com.
Helping Hands under reconstruction
Labor’s Community Service Agency
announced that its Helping Hands pro-
gram will be down May 17 through
May 31 in order to implement new pro-
cedures that will streamline the referral
process.
“There will be absolutely no change
to the services Helping Hands provides
when the program resumes on June 1,”
said Interim Director Vickie Burns.
“Our goal over the next two weeks is to
increase the ease of access to Helping
Hands by creating a dedicated phone
line for referrals, simplifying the process
for making a referral, and standardizing
overall procedures. These are changes
that will make a great program even
stronger and better in the long run.”
During the suspension of the Help-
ing Hands program, Burns suggests
unions refer members with an immedi-
ate need to 2-1-1 Info, the statewide
clearinghouse of information for all lo-
cal social and family services. Dial 2-1-
1 to connect to the service by phone or
online through www.211info.org.
Transit Union’s Susan Stoner
wins international book award
Susan Stoner, in-house attorney for
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757
and author of “Timber Beasts: A Sage
Adair Historical Mystery,” won the In-
dependent Book Publishing Profession-
als Group’s 2010 Indie Book Award for
Mystery Fiction.
The contest had entrants from around
the world. The Indie Book Awards were
established to recognize the most ex-
ceptional independently published
books and are presented in cooperation
with Marilyn Allen of the Allen O’Shea
Literary Agency in New York.
Timber Beasts is a western mystery
set in 1902. The action takes place in
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
the cities, towns, farms and logging
camps of the Pacific Northwest. Rely-
ing on extensive historical research, it
weaves an historic timber industry scan-
dal into the fictional adventures of Sage
Adair, a man seeking economic justice
in a country controlled by America’s
20th Century robber barons.
Last Fall, Timber Beasts was hon-
ored by the Oregon Historical Society.
“Regionally, the book has been
growing in popularity, receiving praise
from both reviewers and readers,”
Stoner said. “The idea, however, that a
regional book has won international
praise is thrilling and amazing.”
Still time to
buy tickets to
win motorcycle
Time is running out to buy a
ticket to win a new Harley-David-
son motorcycle and to donate to
the Motorcycle Poker Run and
Chili Cook-off Fundraiser for Do-
ernbecher Children’s Hospital.
The event will be held Satur-
day, June 12, starting and finish-
ing at the IBEW Local 48 hall in
Northeast Portland.
Unions for Kids is a non-profit
all-volunteer organization that
hosts the poker run.
Harley tickets are $10 each,
and only 4,000 will be sold. Reg-
istration to enter the poker run is
$10.
This year, Unions for Kids is
asking union members to donate
an hour of their net take-home pay
to the cause. Corporate and union
donations of cash and prizes for a
silent auction also are welcome.
To be a sponsor, to donate an
hour’s pay, or to buy a raffle ticket
for the motorcycle (a 2010 Her-
itage Softail Classic in red-hot
sunglo; retail value $18,804), go
online to www.unionsfor kids.org
or call Lee Duncan at 503-260-
5905.
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