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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (July 5, 2013)
Roofers come to aid of disabled war veteran (ABOVE) Roofers Local 49 Recording Secretary Sean Maybee is buried in debris. (BELOW) Members of Roofers Local 49 re-roof the home of an injured veteran in Keizer. The soldier did three tours of military duty in the Middle East’s war on terror. JULY 5, 2013 More than a dozen members of Roofers Local 49, along with signatory contractors Anderson Roofing, Snyder Roofing, Umpqua Roofing, and Griffith Roofing, donated their skills, equipment, and materials to re-roof the home of a disabled war veteran who lives in Keizer, Oregon. The small army of volunteers was re- sponding to a call for assistance from the non- profit Oregon Military Support Network, which in turn was following up on an appeal by the Wounded Warriors Project to help an injured Army National Guard soldier. The soldier, who under the program re- mains anonymous, was serving a third tour of duty in Afghanistan when he injured his lower pelvis jumping from a helicopter that was un- der mortar attack. The injury required multi- ple surgeries, leaving him permanently disabled. It just so happens that Glenn Shuck, a retired ex- ecutive director of Labor’s Community Service Agen- cy, now volunteers for Ore- gon Military Support Net- work. When the call for help came in, Shuck knew just where to go. “We got a call from Glen last winter explaining the situation,” said Russ Gar- nett, business manager of Roofers Local 49. Garnett and Local 49 Pres- ident Travis Hopkins went to the home to as- sess the job. They determined that, indeed, a new roof was necessary. The men patched some leaks and then, for the next five months, solicited contractors and suppliers for dona- tions to re-roof the entire home. On Saturday, June 22, a crew of 15 union roofers did just that. After completely tearing down the old roof, they replaced several sec- tions of plywood sheathing that had sustained water damage before re-shingling the home. A smaller crew returned on Monday, June 24, to wrap up the punch list. All told, the volunteers put in nearly 200 man-hours, with all of the labor and materials donated. Garnett estimated the value of the work was more than $10,000. Union members volunteering were Russ Garnett, Travis Hopkins, Darrel Hopkins Sr., Local 49 Recording Secretary Sean Maybee, Frank Rudea Jr., Frankie Rudea, Mike McGlinn, Jon Losli, Dave Hughey, Rick Samson, Jose Ceja, Robert Strother, Boris Mitusiv, Ivan Ribac, and Santos Castro. The signatory roofing contractors, along with Malarkey Roofing Products and Wood- feathers Roofing Materials donated all the material and equipment for the job. Workers at Malarkey are members of Steelworkers Lo- cal 1689. “It was an amazing sight to witness. The veteran and his wife and family were so ap- preciative ... overwhelmed, really,” Shuck said. 7th annual Machinists’ Guide Dog Dash Aug. 24 The 7th annual Guide Dog Dash motorcycle poker run will be held Saturday, Aug 24. Starting this year, the event will be re-named the Richard Martin Memorial Guide Dog Dash in remembrance of the longtime union Machinist who died last year. The Guide Dog Dash is sponsored by Machinists Lodge 63 and IAM District W24. Registration is at 9 a.m. at the IBEW Local 48 Union Hall, 15937 NE Airport Way, Portland. The last ride out is at 10:30 a.m. The ride will finish at Lewisville Regional Park, 26411 NE Lewisville Hwy, Vancouver (Ponderosa area). Registration is $25 per rider and $10 per passenger and includes a T-shirt, food after the ride, and raffle prizes. All proceeds benefit Guide Dogs of America. For more information, contact John Hall at 503-449-0969 or go online to www.iamw24.org. NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 3
