UA #290 turns out new class of journey workers ...ATU #757
The Plumbers and Fitters Local 290
Training Center threw a party June 9 at
the Oregon Convention Center for 106
new journey level plumbers (57) and
steamfitters (49).
The keynote speakers at the gradua-
tion ceremony were United Associa-
tion Metal Trades Department Direc-
tor James “Jimmy” Hart and Oregon
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici.
To reach journey level status takes
five years in the apprenticeship pro-
gram and requires 8,000 hours mini-
mum on the job training, plus 1,080
hours in the classroom (10 terms, 108
hours per term). And, because they are
working while in training, apprentices
get paid to learn their craft.
To graduate, apprentices must score
75 percent or higher on a state exam,
as well as an exam by the union that in-
corporates both written and practical
elements.
The training center will be accept-
ing applications for new apprentices
July 30 through Aug. 3. For more in-
formation on how to apply, call 503-
691-1997 or go on line to: www.ua290.
org/apprenticeship.php.
NEW JOURNEY PLUMBERS —
Jason Braukman, Kevin Buckem,
Nicholas Card, Michael Carder,
William Carr, Andrew Cheney, David
Cross, Christopher Davis, Seth Deaton,
Josh Easlon, Eric Falk, Christopher
Flowers, Brandon Froom, Warren Ger-
aghty, Nathan Hembree, Frank Hen-
shaw Jr., Tony Hinchliff, Robert Hunt,
James Jackson, Chance Johns, Jeremie
Pictured above with new journey-level plumbers and fitters are Local 290 Business Manager Al Shropshire (front row
center), United Association Metal Trades Department Director James “Jimmy” Hart, (to Shropshire’s right), and
Local 290 Apprenticeship Training Coordinator Mike Pollock (to Hart’s right). Photo by John Klicker.
Johnson, Steven Johnson II, Charles
Keller, Georgiy Kirchev, Damian
Kroha, Jeffrey Labs, Allan Lahr II, An-
drew Lawyer, Kurt McFarland, Jas-
mine Mercado, Pete Messner, Daniel
Mills, William Morrison, Joel Moser,
Derrick Myles, Joshua Natho, Nichet
Newsome, Sam Nichols, Jake Nickel,
Neal Olsen, Michael Panko, Zachery
Pardue, Jerod Parks, Patrick Propst,
Chris Rockwood, Rory Rogers, Micah
Rogers, Ryan Roy, Andrey Rudome-
tov, Brian Sagmiller, Casey Sallee,
Seamus Skelley, Charles Taylor, Jef-
frey Thompson, Daniel Vensel, Jay
Walter, and Brad Yeager.
NEW JOURNEY STEAMFIT-
TERS — Nicholas R. Banning, John
T. Barnes, Bradley C. Boornazian,
Mitchell A. Braun, Brandon M. Car-
roll, Marcel C. Cate, Tyrel W. Clark,
Shaun M. Collins, Kurt A. Cronin, Stu-
art Crowley, Ian F. Duncan, Anthony J.
Ek, Mathyas H. Elliott, Gregory A.
Southwest Washington Electricians PAC #48
recommendations for the aug .
U.S. President
Barack OBAMA
U.S. Senate
Maria CANTWELL
Lt. Governor
Brad OWENS
Governor
Jay INSLEE
Attorney General
Bob FERGUSON
Secretary of State
Kathleen DREW or Greg NICKELS
Treasurer
Jim McINTYRE
Insurance Commissioner
Mike KREIDLER
Commissioner of Public Lands
Peter GOLDMARK
State Supreme Court
Susan OWENS, Pos. 2;
Steven GONZALEZ, Pos. 8
Sheryl McCLOUD, Pos. 9
BALLOT MEASURES: NO on Initiative 1185
NO on Initiative 1191
7 washington
primary :
Washington Legislature
District 17: Tim PROBST, Senate;
Monica STONIER, Rep., Pos. 1
James GIZZI, Rep., Pos. 2
District 18: Ralph SCHMIDT, Senate;
David SHEHORN, Rep., Pos. 2
District 19: Brian HATFIELD, Senate;
Dean TAKKO, Rep., Pos. 1
Brian E. BLAKE, Rep., Pos. 2
District 49: Annette CLEVELAND, Senate;
Sharon WYLIE, Rep., Pos. 1
Jim MOELLER, Rep., Pos. 2
Clark County
Joe TANNER, Commissioner, Pos. 1
Roman BATTAN, Commissioner Pos. 2
Philip A. PARKER, PUD Commissioner
Cowlitz County
Mark McCRADY, PUD Commissioner
Paid for by SW Washington Electricians PAC #48
JULY 20, 2012
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
Fenne, Patrick J. Fromherz, Douglas T.
Harmon, Gerald M. Harris, Scott C.
Hubbard, Clayton M. Hubler, Blake D.
Johnson, Curtis E. Larson, Zeb A.
Marshall, Luke W. Merriman, Robert
D. Molner, Mark M. Moyle, Ryan D.
Mueller, Eric J. Nichols, Cody M. Nor-
man, Jeremy B. Ohlsen, Anthony L.
O'Neal J, Anthony J. Pelroy, Andrew
C. Plassaras, Derek N. Proctor, Gerald
D. Rasmussen, Sean M. Reid, Derek
A. Roane, Blair M. Rothwilson, Moses
M. Schade, Christopher R. Seeley,
Travis B. Spencer, Chad W. Toothaker,
James C. Treacy, Kyle S. Uptegrove,
Mark J. Von Flatern, Edmond R. Vus-
can, Brandon M. Warren, Benjamon
D. Watts, Jesse L. Wiens, and Justin N.
Wong.
AFL-CIO Summer
School set Aug.
10-12 in Eugene
EUGENE — The Oregon AFL-
CIO Summer School is scheduled
Aug. 10-12 at the University of Ore-
gon.
In addition to workshops, classes,
and entertainment, this year’s opening
plenary session will be, “Defending
the Middle Class,” presented by Ore-
gon AFL-CIO President Tom Cham-
berlain and Michelle Glass of Project
REconomy, a nonprofit organization
that seeks to create an economy that
works for Main Street, not just Wall
Street, with a focus on helping those
facing home foreclosure.
The summer school is co-hosted
by the Labor Education and Research
Center at UO.
For more information, call Helen
Moss at 503-412-3722 or by e-mail at
hmoss@uoregon.edu.
(From Page 1)
employees choose between a Regence
preferred provider plan and a Kaiser
HMO plan, and 58 percent choose the
former.
Gaba interpreted the union’s con-
cession — agreeing to pay 1.5 percent
of the Regence premium for 2011 and
3 percent for 2012 — as a recognition
that the health plan had become pro-
hibitively expensive. But he said the
union’s offer to share a portion of the
premium didn’t address the underlying
source of the expense — the plan’s
benefit design, in which members and
their dependents pay only $5 co-pays.
“Sharing the premium does nothing
to reduce usage,” the arbitrator wrote.
Translation: The plan is so expensive
because workers use it too much, and
they need to be discouraged from us-
ing it.
TriMet’s proposal does that: The
agency continues to pay 100 percent of
the monthly premium for both plans,
and keeps the Kaiser plan the same, but
modifies the Regence plan: instead of
$5 co-pays, employees and dependents
would pay 10 percent of the medical
bills, after a $150/$450 deductible, up
to an out-of-pocket maximum of
$1,500/$4,500. Those changes reduce
the premium by approximately 15 per-
cent, and those savings account for most
of the $12 million difference between
the union and management proposals.
The new contract takes effect im-
mediately, and is retroactive to Nov.
30, 2009, though it’s unclear how
TriMet will collect 10 percent of past
health care expenses. The dispute took
so long, however, that the three-year
contract runs only four more months,
expiring Nov. 30. Arbitration was de-
layed twice when the union success-
fully sued TriMet before the Oregon
Employment Relations Board, saying
the agency’s final offer to the arbitrator
was different than the one it presented
in actual bargaining.
TriMet’s reaction to the arbitrator’s
decision suggests they’ll be looking for
even more concessions when bargain-
ing begins: “This is the first step in re-
aligning our benefits to be in line with
the market,” said TriMet General Man-
ager Neil McFarlane in a press state-
ment. “It’s a good first step, but we’re
in a marathon. We face many years and
several contracts to truly make our
benefits financially sustainable.”
Newly elected Local 757 President
Bruce Hansen called the arbitration
loss “disappointing,” and said the
union will be meeting with attorneys
to study the decision.
“We’re not done with this,” Hansen
said.
“We’re going to war,” said Jon
Hunt, Local 757 vice president and
former president of the union. “You
can guarantee there’s gonna be no la-
bor peace until Randy Stedman and
Neil McFarlane are in the unemploy-
ment line.” [Stedman is TriMet’s re-
cently hired labor relations director;
McFarlane is TriMet’s general man-
ager, whose resignation Local 757 has
been calling for.]
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