PAGE 2 | January 20, 2017 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
NORTHWEST
Burns retires from Labor’s Community Service Agency
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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.”
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