ATU buys
National Labor
College campus
WASHINGTON, D.C. (PAI) —
Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) has
purchased the 46 acre campus of the
National Labor College in Silver
Spring, Maryland for $31.4 million.
The international union will move its
headquarters there from Washington,
D.C.
The campus, which was purchased
by the AFL-CIO about 42 years ago,
closed due to financial reasons after this
year’s class graduated. The NLC was
the nation’s only college dedicated to
labor-related studies, such as collective
bargaining, organizing, mobilizing and
grievance handling.
“Today the ATU has stepped up and
assumed a greater leadership role in the
molding of minds, values and progres-
sive reform for both Canada and the
United States, where we represent more
than 190,000 workers,” ATU President
Larry Hanley said. “The state-of-the-art
conference and training center will
again be a hub of activity for ATU and
the entire labor movement.”
ATU has trained more than 10,000
members this year and plans to do so at
the NLC campus in Silver Spring, Md.
It will also make the campus available
to other unions and progressive groups.
The college “represents a new be-
ginning in terms of our capacity to train
not only our leaders and members, but
also those who work every day to im-
prove the life of our society,” Hanley
said.
“The campus has been the preemi-
nent training facility for organized la-
bor over the past 40 years,” Hanley con-
tinues. “ATU will build on and expand
that legacy to educate and train new
generations of workers and activists
across North America and the world
who share our values.”
Machinists Guide Dog
Dash slated Aug. 23
The 8th Annual Guide Dog Dash
benefiting Guide Dogs of America
will be held Saturday, Aug. 23.
Sponsored by Machinists Lodge
63, the motorcycle poker run starts at
IBEW Local 48 Union Hall, 15937
NE Airport Way, Portland, and ends
at Machinists District W24 Hall, 25
Cornell Ave., Gladstone.
First riders depart at 9:30 a.m.
Registration is $25 per rider and
$10 per passenger. Registration in-
cludes a T-shirt, barbecue lunch, and
music featuring The Mike Branch
Band.
This year’s ride will be held in
honor of Chuck Drake, who had the
original idea for the ride/fundraiser.
Drake passed away last December.
All proceeds benefit Guide Dogs
of America.
For more information, or to regis-
ter, go online at www.iamw24.org/,
or call John Hall at 503-449-0969 or
John Kleiboeker at 503-863-7304.
PAGE 18
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
AUGUST 15, 2014