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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 2012)
LABOR DAY at Oaks Park Union members and their families celebrated the contributions of organized la- bor with a huge picnic on Labor Day at Oaks Park. A crowd of nearly 18,000 at- tended the Northwest Oregon Labor Council-sponsored gathering at the amuse- ment park in Southeast Portland. Among the throng were U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Kurt Schrader; Secretary of State Kate Brown, State Treasurer Ted Wheeler, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian, and former gov- ernor Barbara Roberts. A host of other local politicians and judicial candidates worked the union crowd for promises of support, handing out buttons and campaign flyers to any- one who would take one. Throughout the day union members munched on hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, cookies and ice cream, played bingo, dunked union leaders in a dunk tank, and visited with friends while children lined up for carnival rides, face paint- ing, animal balloons, and more. On this page are some scenes from the day. Jeff Anderson, secretary-treasurer of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, greets former Oregon governor Barbara Roberts. In the background is Nellie Fox Edwards, a retired political director of the Oregon AFL-CIO and UFCW retiree. (BELOW) Families enjoy carnival rides and face painting. Ken Allen, executive director of Oregon AFSCME Council 75, grills chicken for the hundreds of AFSCME members who attended the Labor Day picnic. Jim “Jimbo” Anderson, president of Operating Engineers Local 701, hands out union T-shirts to members of the local. (BELOW) Dave Tully of Teamsters Local 223 donates to the Labor for Life Blood Drive. The American Red Cross, whose employees are represented by the Teamsters, made arrangements for two bloodmobiles to be at Oaks Park. Union members responded by donating more than 80 units of blood. Roben White, president of Painters and Tapers Local 10, volunteered for the “Dunk Labor Leaders” dunk tank sponsored by Union Plus Mortgage. The dunk tank was a fundraiser for Labor’s Community Service Agency. SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley mingles with picnickers. NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 3
