assistant business managers: Mike
Scarminach, to replace Ellis; and Banjo
Reed, to replace Chris Murphy, who re-
signed. Ellis is the seventh business
manager since Local 659’s founding in
1937.
Ellis said his priorities will be effi-
cient use of union resources, and organ-
izing new workers. Local 659 repre-
sents about 95 percent of the linemen in
its jurisdiction, but only about 40 per-
cent inside wiremen. And right now too
many members are out of work. The lo-
cal has about 45 inside wiremen and 18
linemen awaiting dispatch, and many
members have left home to find work in
other areas, including over 50 who are
shacking up near Hillsboro to work at
Intel’s massive expansion project.
Lennie Ellis succeeds Ron
Jones at IBEW Local 659
MEDFORD — Southern Oregon’s as part of the First Signal Brigade, do-
International Brotherhood of Electrical ing radio relay at Long Binh and
Workers (IBEW) Local 659 has a new Danang. Returning home in June 1969,
leader. Business manager Ron Jones he spent three years at Western Oregon
retired June 30, and the Local 659 Ex- College in Monmouth, working line
ecutive Board appointed Assistant construction in the summers. Jones de-
cided he made more
Business Manager
during those summers
Lennie Ellis to serve
than he would with a
the rest of his term,
university degree, and
which runs through
opted for a career in the
June 2014.
IBEW, first in construc-
Headquartered in
tion, and later as a line-
Central Point just north
man. In 1992, after 11
of Medford, Local 659
years at Pacific Power,
represents 2,060 mem-
during which he helped
bers from the Santiam
negotiate the outside line
River to California’s
agreement, Jones was
northern three coun-
hired as a union repre-
ties, and from the Pa-
L ENNIE E LLIS
sentative by business
cific Coast to Harney
County. It includes outside utility line- manager Jim McLean. He was ap-
men and tree-trimmers as well as in- pointed to succeed McLean as business
side wiremen (construction electri- manager in 1998 and was re-elected to
cians), municipal workers, water four three-year terms.
During his tenure, Jones says, line
district employees, gas company work-
ers, and about a hundred manufactur- work got safer. When he started, line-
ing workers at Pacific Crest Trans- men climbed poles to do their job; now
they use bucket trucks. But manage-
formers in White City.
Jones, 64, retires after 45 years in ment culture at Pacific Power also
IBEW Local 659, including 14 years as shifted, Jones said. Faraway financiers
its business manager. Fresh after gradu- now call the shots, at a company that
ating from Lebanon High School in used to be run by local managers who’d
1966, Jones followed in the footsteps of risen through the utility ranks.
In retirement, Jones plans to explore
his dad and uncle, IBEW members. He
worked as a groundman, an unskilled the lower Rogue River, retracing the
helper, assembling electric towers in steps of his wife’s grandfather, who
Eastern Oregon. He studied engineer- mined for gold during the Great De-
ing at Oregon State University. When pression. He’ll also spend time with his
he skipped a term, he got a letter from kids; his oldest son is a journeyman
President Johnson, drafting him into the lineman at a Bonneville Power Admin-
U.S. Army. He spent a year in Vietnam istration electric substation in Harris-
Ron Jones, business manager of IBEW Local 659 for the past 14 years, retired
June 30. He has been a member of the union for 45 years.
burg, Oregon.
Ellis, 57, was born and raised in
Bend, and worked for his dad as a resi-
dential tree-trimmer after graduating
high school in 1972. Lured by higher
wages, he became a union tree trimmer
at Northwest Tree Expert in 1973 and
later, Asplundh — clearing tree limbs
away from power lines. He worked
nonunion in the early ’80s as a supervi-
sor for Trees, Inc., in Texas, but re-
turned to Oregon in 1985, and to union
work in 1987.
About a decade ago he sat in on a
bargaining team, then became a union
steward. When a union staff representa-
tive (assistant business manager) posi-
tion became vacant in 2004, Jones in-
vited him to interview. Ellis was hired
and spent the next eight years negotiat-
ing labor agreements, handling griev-
ances up through arbitration, and help-
ing out in public and private sector
union organizing campaigns. Now, as
business manager, he oversees a staff of
eight: three assistant business managers
and an organizer, a dispatcher/office
manager, and three administrative sup-
port staff. Local 659 also hired two new
Broadway Floral
for the BEST flowers call
503-288-5537
1638 NE Broadway, Portland
K now Y our r ights
I f your employer forces
you to work In dangerous
work condItIons you can
make a confIdentIal
report to osHa by call -
Ing (800) 922-2689.
JULY 20, 2012
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
PAGE 3