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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 2015)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | November 6, 2015 | PAGE 9 ...Union Manor facelift From Page 1 tems and greatly improved en- ergy efficiency, fire safety, ac- cessibility and seismic resist- ance and the addition of 18 American Disabilities Act units. Walsh Construction is the general contractor under an all- union project labor agreement. The renovation is expected to create approximately 290 union construction jobs and 180,00 work hours over a 22-month construction period. The AFL-CIO Housing and Investment Trust (HIT) is pro- viding $26 million of financing for the project using union pen- sion funds. The HIT is a socially responsible fixed-income in- vestment company with a focus on affordable housing and other projects that generate employ- ment for union members in the construction trades and related industries. The HIT hosted an apprecia- tion lunch for the construction crew on Oct. 20. (See photo on Page 1.) The ULRA, with the help of nonprofit consultant Housing Development Center, also as- sembled funding to preserve long-term affordability for the low-income seniors at the manor — projected to be worth $144 million over 40 years. The average annual income of ten- ants at Westmoreland Union Manor is $18,500. Residents are being temporarily relocated dur- ing portions of the construction, with no increase in rent. “The renovation will improve the lives of building residents and prepare the property for decades of additional service,” said ULRA Board President Larry Kirkland, Earl’s son. “Just as important, the funding re- sources we’ve secured will en- able these 300 homes to remain affordable to very-low-income residents for the next 40 years.” Other key funding partners include Oregon Housing and Community Services, the U.S. Department of Housing and Ur- ban Development, PNC Finan- cial Services Group, and J.P. Morgan Chase. The ULRA and its entities operate six affordable senior housing projects in Oregon and Vancouver, Washington: Kirk- land Union Manors I, II, and III in Southeast Portland, Marshall Union Manor in Northwest Portland, and Kirkland Union Plaza in Vancouver. Westmore- land Union Manor was the first project developed by ULRA. paInters UnIon comes to the rescUe. Scott Oldham and apprentice Blake Holmes of Painters and Allied Trades District Council No. 5 prep a home in Northeast Portland for painting. The elderly homeown- ers were taken advantage of by a rogue nonunion painting contractor more than eight years ago. Janice Cram paid Nelson Painting $2,200 to paint her house and garage. Less than two years later the paint started flaking and cracking. She called the contractor, Richard Nelson (who had changed the name of the company to B. Nelson Painting), and he agreed to fix it for an additional $1,500. Cram paid Nelson upfront, but he never re- turned. Now 80, Cram has been chasing Nelson ever since, even while dealing with her husbands’ bladder cancer. She has won several court judgments, but Nelson has never appeared in court, nor has he paid a dime to the Crams. In fact, Nelson’s wife filed a harassment complaint against Cram, who was constantly calling to get her money. Despite winning in court, Cram said Multnomah County Circuit Court tells her it doesn’t issue contempt of court notices, and that she’s on her own to collect the judgments. Nelson also has been fined several thousand dollars by the Construction Contractors Board for various infractions. Meanwhile, apprentices and journeymen from Painters Local 10 have been spending weekends prepping and painting the house. Ap- prentices are learning to “brush paint” as part of their training, and journeymen are helping with lead paint removal. Oldham said Janice Cram walked into the union hall one day seeking information about B. Nelson Painting. “My father was a union man. I thought all construction workers were union,” Cram said. Her late father, Issac ‘Ike’ Williams, was a longtime member of the Boilermakers Union at the Portland shipyards. new joUrney-level paInters and tapers. The Oregon & SW Washington Painters and Dry- wall Finishers joint apprenticeship training committees held a graduation dinner for new journeymen and women and their families Oct. 28. Graduates received a completion certificate, along with a new Carhartt jacket. The apprenticeship consists of 6,000 hours of on the job training and an additional 432 hours of related classroom instruction. It takes approximately three years to complete the program. Pictured from left to right are: John Killin, executive director of Associated Wall and Ceiling Contractors, Sam Hardaway, Jeff Brooke, Local 10 Business Rep and JATC secretary, Erin Scott, Robert Graisbery, Daniel Vazquez, Dylan Stewart, Ryan Ely, Sabrina Guardado, Brisheida Betancourt, Michael Henson Jr., Cristie Hughes, Scott Hayes, Daniel Beaty, Joshua Caldwell, and Apprenticeship Coordinator James Phelps. Not present were Alberto Jimenez, Ethan Darcey and Martin Daniell.
