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