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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (April 19, 2013)
Accident at Thompson Metal Fab takes life of Sheet Metal worker VANCOUVER — Members of Sheet Metal Workers Local 16 are griev- ing the loss of a fellow member, Michael Carpenter, who was killed on the job March 15 at Thompson Metal Fab in Vancouver, Washington. Carpenter, 33, was a third-generation member of the union, and had been working as a helper at Thompson for just over a year. He was grinding metal on an oil der- rick when he was crushed by a steel plate. Thompson Metal Fab makes products out of structural steel for the oil, gas, wind, high-tech and other in- dustries at a 12-acre industrial facility along the Columbia River. Washington Department of Labor & Industries is in- vestigating the accident to determine whether workplace safety requirements were met. The accident came as a shock to Local 16 Business Representative Del Brown. Brown worked at Thomp- son for 20 years, and describes the company’s safety record as stellar. Thompson em- ploys three full-time safety officers, and all employees attend weekly safety meetings. Thompson Metal Fab em- ploys about 220 members of Local 16, plus members of Painters Local 10. “If there’s anything we can learn from it, we need to learn from it,” Brown said. “If there was something done wrong, we need to fix it. We don’t want this ever to happen again.” Carpenter’s death was the first-ever fatal accident at the shop, which has been in operation since 1937. “We take safety very seriously, and we’re still trying to understand how it happened,” Thompson Metal Fab pres- ident John Rudi told the Labor Press. The accident occurred on a Friday. On Monday, Thompson held a com- pany-wide safety training, and provided grief counselors to co-workers. Co- workers and fellow union members at other shops took up a collection to help the family, and the union is continuing to collect donations. Checks to Local 16, with a memo noting it’s intended for the Mike Carpenter Memorial Fund, may be sent to 2379 NE 178th Ave. Portland, OR 97230. Carpenter is survived by his mother, Debra Ables-Huft; step-father Terry Huft; brother, Randy Carpenter; and two nieces. Both his father and grand- father, now deceased, were employees of Thompson Metal Fab and were members of the union, and his brother Former Labor Press editor helped pass workers’ comp law in Oregon Former Oregon Labor Press Editor William A. Marshall was considered “the godfather” of Oregon’s workers’ compensa- tion law. A member of the Multnomah Typo- graphical Union No. 58, Marshall helped push through a law to provide compensation to injured workers and widows and orphans of those fatally hurt. In 1912, Gov. Oswald West appointed Marshall to the first State Industrial Accident Commission, where he served until 1927. In that job he became known nationally as an authority on what at that time was referred to WILLIAM MARSHALL as “workermen’s compensation.” Later, he was appointed an administrator in Seattle of the federal job-injury compensation program for long- shoremen and harbor workers. William Marshall died in Seattle in 1963 at age 88. was a longtime employee and union member there as well. Prior to working at Thompson, Michael Carpenter worked at Frito-Lay, where he was a member of Bakers Local 364. A memorial, held March 23 at Layne's Funeral Home in Battle Ground, was attended by family, friends, co-workers and fellow union members. Proposed LNG export facility in Coos Bay would be union-built COOS BAY — The Oregon State Building and Construction Trades Council and the Northwest National Construction Alliance have signed proj- ect labor agreements with Black & Veatch Corporation, Inc. and Kiewit Power Constructors on the $6 billion Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal. A consortium of Black & Veatch and Kiewit Power will manage con- struction of the Jordan Cove and its as- sociated 420 MW power plant in Coos Bay, located within the Coos Bay har- bor on the North Spit. Jordan Cove has received all local land-use approvals and is seeking con- struction, operation, and export permits approval from the Federal Energy Reg- ulatory Commission and U.S. Depart- ment of Energy. Construction of the ex- port facility and supporting power plant is anticipated to span 42 months, with an average workforce of 900 and a peak workforce of approximately 2,000. The average construction wage will be $85,000 per year, including benefits. The project could break ground as soon as 2014. The PLA is under the National Con- struction Agreement of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO. An identical agreement was reached with the Northwest National Construction Alliance, which is com- prised of the Pacific Northwest Re- gional Council of Carpenters and Op- erating Engineers Local 701. “We are very pleased to have reached an agreement ensuring our fa- cility will be built by experienced union labor,” said Bob Braddock, project manager, in a press release. “Black & Veatch and Kiewit are world leaders in designing and managing LNG and power plant construction projects and teaming them with quality, skilled la- bor will enhance our long-term safety and reliability.” Jordan Cove Energy Project is a subsidiary of Veresen Inc. (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) Established in 1900 at Portland, Oregon as a voice of the labor movement. 4275 NE Halsey St., P.O. Box 13150, Portland, Ore. 97213 Telephone: (503) 288-3311 Editor: Michael Gutwig Staff: Don McIntosh, Cheri Rice Published on a semi-monthly basis on the first and third Fridays of each month by the Oregon Labor Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non- profit corporation owned by 20 unions and councils including the Oregon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 120 union organizations in Ore- gon and SW Washington. Subscriptions $13.75 per year for union members. Group rates available to trade union organizations. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT PORTLAND, OREGON. CHANGE OF ADDRESS NOTICE: Three weeks are required for a change of address. When ordering a change, please give your old and new addresses and the name and number of your local union. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS, P.O. BOX 13150, PORTLAND, OR 97213-0150 PAGE 2 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS APRIL 19, 2013
