NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | March 17, 2017 | PAGE 7
IN MEMORIAM
LON IMEL
Nov. 4, 1929 - Feb. 13, 2017
CWA members at AT&T
Mobility rally for fair contract
Union members and community
supporters joined AT&T Mobil-
ity workers in Seattle March 9
to rally for a fair contract.
Communications Workers of
America (CWA) represents
about 21,000 AT&T Mobility
workers (formerly Cingular)
who work in customer service,
telesales, retail, technical sup-
port and other positions in 37
states — including Washington
and Oregon. They are covered
under an “orange contract” that
expired Feb. 11.
[CWA represents about
45,000 AT&T Mobility employ-
ees throughout the country who
are covered by different collec-
tive bargaining agreements,
based on their location.]
The Mobility workers cov-
ered under the orange contract
voted by a 97 percent margin to
authorize a strike if a fair con-
tract isn’t reached.
The last round of talks was
held March 8.
Key issues include company
takeback demands. One would
cut paid sick days from 10 to
five. Another would increase
worker share of health insurance
costs by 32 percent. The com-
pany also wants to change the
commission structure of sales
reps in order to cut their pay, and
outsource call-center jobs to
other countries.
While AT&T brings in more
than $1 billion a month, it has
shifted more than 60 percent of
retail jobs to third party dealers,
while cutting more than 12,000
call center jobs and sending
thousands more to Mexico, the
Philippines, the Dominican Re-
public, and other countries,
CWA said.
Kim Anderson, vice president
of CWA Local 7803 in Seattle,
said in her seven years at the
company, she has witnessed
AT&T downsize locations.
“Everyone is nervous about
losing their jobs. There’s a lot of
worry out there and that’s why
we’re fighting for a fair con-
tract,” she said.
The company is facing grow-
ing opposition for its actions.
More than 50,000 customers,
workers and community mem-
bers recently signed a petition
calling on AT&T CEO Randall
Stephenson to support good
jobs. Stephenson reportedly
made $25 million in 2015.
UNIONIZATION ] JAN-FEB 2017
The following is the only workplace in Oregon and Southwest Washington where workers voted
whether to be represented by a union in the months of January and February 2017 — based on
information from the National Labor Relations Board and the Oregon Employment Relations
Board. That’s the lowest level in any two-month period since the Northwest Labor Press began
regularly listing local union certification elections in 1999. The thumbs-up symbol means workers
will be union-represented.
Union election results
Employer (Location) Union
ColumbiaCare Services (Portland) Operating Engineers Local 701
■ 6 maintenance techs and housing specialists
Yes-No =
5-1
^
Lon Imel, a retired executive
secretary treasurer of the North-
west Oregon Labor Council and
former congressional labor liai-
son, died Feb. 13 after collapsing
in his home in Wilsonville, Ore-
gon. He was 87.
Imel was a longtime member
of what is now the United Food
and Commercial Workers
(UFCW) Union. He joined Food
and Drug Clerks Local 1092 in
1951 while employed as a super-
market clerk.
The local hired him as a busi-
ness agent in 1965.
Local 1092 merged with the
Meat Cutters and other unions in
to form UFCW in 1979. [In
1985, the UFCW locals in Ore-
gon and Southwest Washington
consolidated to form UFCW
Local 555.]
Imel served as president of
the then-Multnomah County
Labor Council from 1978 to
1980, when he was elected to
the full time post of executive
secretary-treasurer. Under his
leadership the council merged
with labor councils in Washing-
ton, Clackamas and Columbia
counties to create the Northwest
Oregon Labor Council (NOLC),
making it a political and com-
munity powerhouse.
Imel hired Judy
O’Connor as his
office secretary at
the labor council
in 1982. O’Con-
nor later served
four terms as ex-
ecutive secretary-
treasurer of NOLC — the first
woman to hold the post.
Imel stepped down in 1985 to
take care of his wife, Diane,
who had muscular dystrophy.
Diane’s doctor recommended
they relocate to Hawaii, where
the climate might be beneficial.
They returned to Portland
several years later, which is
when Imel began working as a
labor liaison. He worked for
U.S. Rep. Les AuCoin from
1988 to 1992, and for U.S. Rep
Elizabeth Furse throughout her
three-term career from 1993 to
1998.
In his years as a congres-
sional labor liaison Imel from
time to time took leaves of ab-
sence to assist in political cam-
paigns, including Bill Clinton’s
1992 and ’96 successful runs for
president.
L ON I MEL graduated from
Portland’s Roosevelt High
School and served in the U.S.
Coast Guard. He attended the
University of Portland and Port-
land State University.
During his union career he
served on many labor, civic and
government boards and com-
missions. He served 10 years on
the Oregon AFL-CIO Executive
Board and chaired its Finance
Review Committee. Gov. Vic
Atiyeh appointed him to the
Oregon Economic Develop-
ment Commission and to the
Governor’s Labor Advisory
Committee. He spent six years
on the United Way of the Co-
lumbia-Willamette board of di-
rectors, and on its executive
committee. And he also was
president of Labor’s Commu-
nity Service Agency while head
of NOLC.
On the J P Finley & Son Fu-
neral Home web page ‘guest
book,’ former Oregon governor
Neil Goldschmidt posted:
“Everything that Lon touched
got a little better. He fought for
the needs of Oregon’s working
citizens and likely never got the
credit he deserved for helping
engineer improvements to all of
our lives. Count me among the
lucky Oregonians who knew
Lon and got his help on many
occasions.”
Imel is survived by his wife of
56 years, Diane; daughter Jodi
Imel, son-in law Robert Bab-
cock, and two granddaughters.
A celebration of life was held
March 2 at Bethel Congrega-
tional UCC Church in Beaverton.