IN MEMORIAM
G ERRY G REER , a retired grand lodge
representative for the International As-
sociation of Machinists (IAM)
and a former president of the
Marion, Polk, and Yamhill
Counties Central Labor Coun-
cil, passed away May 29. He
was 71.
Before going to work for
the international union, Greer
was a business agent for then-
Machinists District Lodges 163 and 24.
G ERALD “G ERRY ” L. G REER was
born on Jan. 13, 1943 in New York City.
He moved to California’s East Bay as a
young boy, then to Clovis, New Mex-
ico, and finally to Salina, Kansas, before
enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. After his
discharge from the service he returned
to California and formed a rock and roll
band. The band joined the American
Federation of Television and Radio
Artists, and from 1964 to 1970 traveled
across Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Wash-
ington and Oregon.
After the band dissolved, Greer
worked as a bartender and later as a
vice president for the restaurant chain
Mr. Steak. After three years on that job,
he and his wife at the time, Mary Jo,
moved to her hometown of Salem,
Oregon. There, Greer found a job as a
welder at a Caterpillar lift-truck plant
in nearby Dallas. He joined Machinists
Local 1506 and became active in the
union.
Gerry and Mary Jo divorced in
1980.
Greer was hired as a business agent
for IAM District 163 representing the
members of Local 1506. When the
IAM merged District 163 into Port-
JUNE 20, 2014
land-based District Lodge 24, Greer
was appointed administrative assistant
to then-directing business rep-
resentative George Miller.
While with District 24,
Greer was elected to represent
the Salem-based labor coun-
cil’s three counties on the Ore-
gon AFL-CIO Executive
Board, and later was elected
first vice president of the state
labor federation.
It was also while working out of the
District 24 building that Greer met his
second wife, Annie, who was the man-
ager of the union’s financial office.
In 1989, Greer was appointed by
the IAM as a grand lodge representa-
tive — an international rep — and as-
signed to Phoenix. He later took an as-
signment to the IAM’s 13-state
Western Regional Headquarters in
Sacramento, California.
After retiring in 2005, the Greers re-
turned to the Northwest, making their
home in Washougal, Wash. Gerry
transferred his membership to Vancou-
ver Local 1374.
Greer was inducted into the North-
west Oregon Labor Council Retirees
Association Labor Hall of Fame in
April 2007.
Greer is survived by his wife of 32
years, Annie; sons Douglas Weaver of
Kansas, Sean Smith of Beaverton, Erin
Smith of Happy Valley, and Joel Greer
of Salem; daughter Jeni of Chicago;
nine grandchildren; and one great-
grandchild.
At his request there will be no serv-
ice. A Celebration of Life will be held
at a later date.
ORGANIZED LABOR TOOK PART IN THE PORTLAND GAY PRIDE MARCH, with an entry
sponsored by the Oregon AFL-CIO and its constituency group Pride at Work. About 80 union members and
supporters and their families turned out June 15, including contingents from Oregon AFSCME, Painters District
Council 5, Letter Carriers Branch 82, UNITE HERE, Service Employees, American Federation of Teachers,
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, and Industrial Workers of the World. They marched behind an ATU Local
757 minibus driven by Local 757 President Bruce Hansen.
Laborers #483 elects Askin business manager
In mail ballots counted June 12, Er-
ica Askin was elected business manager
of Laborers Local 483, receiving 71 per-
cent of the vote and outpolling chal-
lenger Gannon Sorg.
Askin is the first female business
manager at the largely male local. Lo-
cal 483, a public sector local of the La-
borers International Union of North
America (LIUNA), represents munici-
pal workers in Portland, Silverton and
Gervais and at the Metro regional gov-
ernment. Membership ranges from 900
to 1,100 because Local 483 represents
many seasonal workers.
Askin, with a law degree from Rut-
gers University in New Jersey, was
hired by Local 483 in 2010, and was ap-
pointed to replace business manager
Richard Beetle in February 2014 when
he retired.
Over the course of her three-year
term, Askin says she will continue Lo-
cal 483’s fight against employers using
low-wage temporary, part-time and sea-
sonal workers to do work that could be
done by full-time year-round permanent
employees at a living wage. She also
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
to
wants
strengthen the
network
of
union stewards,
and get more
members in-
volved. She’ll
carry forward a
not-yet-public
campaign to or-
ganize
new
E RICA A SKIN
members. And
she’ll be respon-
sible for negotiating contract terms for a
group of 24 City of Portland park
rangers who joined the union after over
a year of legal obstruction by the City.
Local 483’s biggest collective bar-
gaining agreement is with the City of
Portland, for about 585 members. The
local is part of the seven-union District
Council of Trade Unions (DCTU).
Local 483 has several pending griev-
ances against the City over outsourcing
members’ work. In a case that will go
before an arbitrator in August, Local
483 accuses the City of using prison la-
bor to operate a street cleaning machine.
Another grievance alleges that the City
failed to notify the union before out-
sourcing homeless camp cleanup.
Askin also has contracts to renegoti-
ate for 450 employees of Metro at the
Oregon Zoo and regional parks like
Oxbow and Blue Lake; 85 seasonal
maintenance workers at City of Port-
land parks; 15 maintenance workers at
the City of Silverton; and four police of-
ficers at the City of Gervais.
Askin ran on a slate with six other
candidates, all of whom were elected.
Scott Gibson and Kevin Stampflee out-
polled two other candidates to win two
at-large seats on the Executive Board.
And four other members of the slate ran
unopposed: Wesley Buchholz, presi-
dent; Kassey Diaz, vice president; Ben
Nelson, secretary-treasurer; and Jennie
Bert, recording secretary.
Also running unopposed were Will
Tucker, sergeant-at-arms; and Tom
Henn, auditor. Farrell Richartz, for-
merly recording secretary, outpolled
one other candidate to win election as
Local 483’s delegate to the District
Council of Laborers.
PAGE 7