Washington AFL-CIO
re-elects leadership
SEATTLE — Washington
State Labor Council, AFL-
CIO, announced the results of
leadership elections Dec. 8.
The state labor federation has
over 600 local union affiliates,
totaling about 400,000 rank-
and-file union members.
Johnson
Leadership elections occur
every four years. This year
there were no contested seats,
so all candidates ran unop-
posed.
Incumbent WSLC Presi-
dent Jeff Johnson, a member
of Office and Professional
Employees Local 8, and Sec-
Dodson
retary-Treasurer Lynne Dod-
son, a member of the American
Federation of Teachers, were re-
elected, and so were 14 of the 18 Exec-
utive Board members. The WSLC Ex-
ecutive Board is divided into six
geographic districts, which at one time
corresponded to Washington’s Con-
gressional districts. (Because of popu-
lation growth and redistricting, the state
today has 10 Congressional Districts.)
To be a candidate for WSLC office, an
individual must be nominated by five
affiliated unions. In Northwest Wash-
ington’s Second District, only one can-
didate met that requirement, so there
are two vacant seats that will be filled
by appointments. There were also two
AFSCME’s Dharmarajah
appointed to Oregon
Council on Civil Rights
Yaju Dharmara-
jah, a union repre-
sentative for Oregon
AFSCME Council
75, has been ap-
pointed by Labor
Commissioner Brad
Avakian to the Ore-
gon Council on
Civil Rights, the Oregon Bureau of La-
bor and Industries announced Dec. 9.
The Council advises the labor com-
missioner on civil rights enforcement.
During the 2013 legislative session, it
supported the passage of legislation
protecting the civil rights of unpaid in-
terns.
Dharmarajah, who is from Sri
Lanka, has a master’s degree and law
degree from University of Oregon. He
was active with the UO Graduate
Teaching Fellows union, worked as an
organizer for Service Employees Inter-
national Union in Massachusetts and
Oregon, and has worked in Oregon AF-
SCME’s Bend office since 2010. He
chairs Central Oregon Jobs with Jus-
tice, and helped set up the Central Ore-
gon Social Justice Center, an office
space shared by JwJ, Oregon AF-
SCME, United Food and Commercial
Workers Local 555, and several com-
munity social justice groups and immi-
gration law firms.
PAGE 6
new Executive Board mem-
bers: David Myers and Paul
Parmley.
For District 3 in Southwest
Washington (Clark, Cowlitz,
Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason,
Pacific, Skamania, Thurston
and Wahkiakum counties), the
vice presidents are: Bob
Guenther, lobbyist for
SeaTac-headquartered IBEW
Local 77; David Myers, inter-
national representative for
IBEW Ninth District (replac-
ing organizer Tim Pfeiffer of
the Association of Western
Pulp and Paper Workers); and
Shannon Walker, member,
Machinists Lodge W56.
Local 16 Members,
Officers, and Staff Wish Everyone
a Safe and Happy Holiday
OFFICERS
STAFF
RIC OLANDER
President
JOHN CANDIOTO
Business Manager/FST
DELBERT BROWN
Business Representative
ART HIMM
Vice President
MATT O’ NEILL
Recording Secretary
RON HERGENRADER
Warden
RUSS BENTON
Business Representative
ROBERT RIEHL
Business Representative
DENNIS DOVER
Business Representative
JOE HARRIS
Organizer/Conductor
VANESSA STEWARD
Organizer
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Darrell Alcorn,
Devin Hosking,
Joel Hutchinson,
Charlie Johnson,
Seth Kerner,
William Willman
TRUSTEES
Ed Dawes,
Tom Harding,
Brian Noble
Sharon Allen, Office Manager
Emmy Keever, Secretary
Ana Miranda, Receptionist
DECEMBER 19, 2014