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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2017)
PAGE 2 | January 20, 2017 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS NORTHWEST Burns retires from Labor’s Community Service Agency LABOR PRESS (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) Established in 1900 in Portland, Oregon as a voice of the la- bor movement. Published on a semi-monthly basis on the first and third Fridays of each month by the Oregon Labor Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non-profit mutual benefit corpo- ration owned by 20 unions and councils including the Ore- gon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 120 union organizations in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Office location: 4275 NE Halsey St., Portland, Oregon Mailing address: P.O. Box 13150, Portland, OR 97213 Phone: (503) 288-3311 Web address: http://nwlaborpress.org Editor & Manager: Michael Gutwig Associate editor: Don McIntosh Office manager: Cheri Rice Printed on recycled paper, using soy-based inks, by members of Teamsters Local 747-M. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Individual subscriptions are $14 a year for union members, $22 a year for all others. Pay by credit card online at nwlaborpress.org/subscribe, or send a check to our mailing address (above) along with your name, address and union affiliation, if any. Group rates of $10.08 a year per person are available for 25 or more subscriptions; call 503-288-3311 for details. CORRECTIONS: See an error? Please let us know at editor@nwlaborpress.org or by phone at 503-288-3311. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT PORTLAND, OREGON. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: If you move, let us know at nwlaborpress.org/subscriber-services or by mail at our mailing address (above). Be sure to provide your old and new addresses and the name/number of your local union. Please allow three weeks for the change to take effect. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS P.O. BOX 13150 PORTLAND, OR 97213-0150 PLEASE SHOW OUR ADVERTISERS YOU APPRECIATE THEIR SUPPORT FOR THIS LABOR MOVEMENT NEWSPAPER! 140 Low Prices! Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9:30-5:30, Sun 12-6 Vickie Burns has retired as exec- utive director of Labor’s Com- munity Service Agency (LCSA). Burns has served in the post since May 2010. Prior to that she was the agency’s office manager. Her last day in the office was Jan. 20. LCSA is a non-profit organi- zation that operates under the auspices of the Northwest Ore- gon Labor Council and a 16-per- son board of directors. The agency works with an array of community-based and govern- mental organizations throughout Oregon and Southwest Wash- ington to provide education, in- formation, social service pro- grams, and referral services. More than half of the agency’s funding comes from United Way of the Columbia-Willamette. Other funding is through state and federal dislocated worker contracts, and from donations from unions and others. Burns, 62, is the fourth person — and first woman — to serve as director since the agency was founded July 5, 1974. Under Burns’ leadership, LCSA extensively promoted United Way’s annual fundraising campaign. She served for many years on United Way’s Cam- Vickie Burns paign Cabinet. As executive director, Burns also served as labor’s voice on workforce investment boards and dislocated worker programs for several regions. She was the “go to” person for statewide rapid response teams called to assist laid off workers transition into new jobs. Under her tenure, Burns re- vamped LCSA’s Helping Hands temporary hardship assistance program to make it easier for union officials to refer members in need; she launched the Team Labor! program to help union members and labor advocates volunteer for neighborhood and public service projects through- out the Portland metropolitan area. Unionists have helped re- pair homes, knit items for new- born babies, and more; and she grew the annual Presents from Partners toy drive and distribu- tion program. “We have buy in,” Burns said. “We have a huge volunteer base from labor. It’s not just ‘what can LCSA do for me and my mem- bers’ — unions and their mem- bers are a part of it. They’ve em- braced it, made it their own. To remain successful, that’s what it will continue to take.” There is no better example than the Presents from Partners toy drive. The annual event makes sure no child in need goes without gifts during the holidays. The program has grown by 20 percent or more each year since Burns took over the agency. In December it impacted 500 fam- ilies, with 120 volunteers from union ranks helping out. An Oregon native, Burns grew up in a union family. Her father was a member of Team- sters Local 162 at Cascade Con- struction and her mother was a member of Bakers Local 114 at Sunshine Bakery. After graduat- ing from Jackson High School she earned associate degrees in technical/professional writing and computers and office man- agement from Mt. Hood Com- munity College (MHCC) and Portland Community College. She held several office jobs before leaving the workforce to raise her three children. A di- vorce forced her back into the workforce. She was working as an ad- ministrative aide at MHCC’s Dislocated Workers Project in 1993 when newly-hired LCSA Executive Director Glenn Shuck recruited her to be his office manager. In that job she became a member of Office and Profes- sional Employees Local 11. Burns said the job opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time. Her 10 year old son had re- cently been diagnosed with Type I diabetes. The LCSA job was part-time, which allowed her to spend more time with her chil- dren. It also paid more than MHCC and provided much bet- ter health insurance. “I felt like I hit the lottery,” she said. “Right then and there, I was a labor person for life.” Turn to Page 5
