PAGE 10 | December 18, 2015 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
... Portland-based Letter Carriers celebrates 125th anniversary
From Page 1
presidents, and guests, including
State Rep. Lew Frederick, took a
peek in history through story-
telling and a PowerPoint photo
display.
Branch 82 has embraced its his-
tory. It maintains photographs and
detailed historical records dating
back to its formation in 1890 — in-
cluding ledgers containing minutes
of just about every union meeting
held for the last 125 years.
Over that timespan, Branch 82
has had 39 presidents. Seven are
still living, and three were at the
anniversary celebration.
Jim Falvey currently serves as
president. He became a letter
carrier in 1988 and was a long-
time chief steward at the Rose
City Post Office before retiring
in 2013. The NALC constitution
considers retired members to be
“members in good standing” for
the purpose of voting and run-
ning in elections, at membership
meetings and conventions, on
everything but the national con-
tract ratification vote. Falvey
was elected in 2014 to succeed
Jim Cook, who re-retired.
Falvey recently was re-elected
by acclamation to another two-
year term that expires in 2017.
Cook is the longest-serving
president in Branch 82’s history,
with 16 years. Next in line is
Charles N. Coyle, who was pres-
ident for 13 years, from 1945 to
1958.
Cook actually served three
stints at the helm—from 1988 to
1993 (in 1994 he went back to
delivering mail and to run a na-
tional campaign for NALC
safety director); from 1996 to
2001; and again from 2010 to
2013. Cook returned to work as
a letter carrier in 2002, and re-
tired from the U.S. Postal Serv-
ice in 2007. He served his last
two terms as a retired member.
Cook remains active in the la-
bor movement, serving as a
Branch 82 delegate to the North-
west Oregon Labor Council. He
chairs NOLC’s History Com-
mittee, and he’s a member of the
musical band General Strike,
which performs on picket lines
and at rallies.
Former president L.C.
Hansen set several “firsts” at
Branch 82. She was the first
woman elected to hold the office
of president (in 2002), and she
was the first woman elected to
sit on the Executive Board (in
1981).
Hansen worked as a Letter
Carrier for 29 years. After retir-
ing as president in 2009, she
went to college to earn a degree
in education. Today she is a sub-
stitute teacher in the Portland
Public School District.
LETTER CARRIERS BRANCH 82 PRESIDENTS PAST AND PRESENT: Jim Falvey (left), the current president of
Letter Carriers Branch 82 in Portland, with past union presidents Jim Cook (center) and L.C. Hansen. The three
are looking at a copy of the National Association of Letter Carriers magazine featuring the national convention
held in Portland in 1988. Branch 82 celebrated its 125 anniversary Dec. 2 at its union hall in Northeast Portland.
Other past presidents still liv-
ing are Peter Cherkes (1994-
1995); David Loprinzi (1980-
1987); Robert Funge (1976-
1980); and Nathan Gray (1971-
1973). Funge was the first full-
time president of Branch 82. The
union changed its bylaws in June
1976 to make the post a full time
job because many of the smaller
branches surrounding Portland
had merged with Branch 82, re-
sulting in a larger workload. The
workload continued to grow, and
by 1982 the office of vice presi-
dent was also made a full-time po-
sition. Gray and Funge later went
into postal management.
Over the years, the battle to
privatize the U.S. Postal Service
has grown. At the 125th anniver-
sary celebration, union leaders
and participants vowed to con-
tinue to fight for reforms that
protect and strengthen the postal
service— not destroy it.
“Letter carriers have been an
active part of their communities
from the beginning. That hasn’t
changed. That won’t change,”
said Linda Smith, a longtime
member who helped research
the union’s history.
IBEW
Local 280
Wishes
You and Your
Family a
Merry
Christmas