PAGE 10 | April 21, 2017 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
UNION DEMOCRACY
Sickles succeeds McKinnis as business
manager of Plasterers Local 82
A native of Sandy,
Kent Sickles has been
Oregon, McKinnis
elected business manager of
joined the union as an
Plasterers Local 82. He suc-
apprentice in 1987.
ceeds Calvin McKinnis,
He, too, worked for
who did not seek re-election
Fred Shearer & Sons
after serving in the post for
as a restoration/orna-
15 years.
Sickles defeated Cam-
mental plasterer.
He says he may go
eron Jordan in an election
back into the field, as
held April 5. All other races
Kent Sickles
for officers and Executive
there aren’t many
Board seats were uncon-
restoration/ornamen-
tested.
tal plasterers left. Un-
Sickles, 56, started as a
til he decides, McKin-
hod carrier and member of
nis will focus more
the Laborers Union. He en-
time on his 50-head
tered the Plasterers appren-
cattle ranch.
ticeship program in 1993
The Plasterers ap-
and has been active in the
prenticeship program
union since. A restoration/
will be taken over by
ornamental plasterer, Sick-
Craig Smith, the ap-
les has served as president Calvin McKinnis prenticeship coordina-
of the 145-member local for
tor for the Cement
the last 15 years. Prior to that he Masons.
sat on the Executive Board. He
The Plasterers and Cement Ma-
has worked for signatory union sons are under the same interna-
contractor Fred Shearer & Sons tional union, the Operative Plas-
since 1981.
terers and Cement Masons
“I just want to keep our mem- International Association. Local
bers busy working, and keep 82 and Cement Masons Local 555
everybody happy,” he said.
share an office building and train-
McKinnis, 52, has been with ing center in Northeast Portland
the union since 1987. He served with Bricklayers Local 1.
on the Executive Board for one
In other election results at Lo-
term, and as president for three cal 82, Kevin Carle was elected
terms (nine years). In that capacity president; Chris Leedham was
he planned the local’s 100th an- elected vice president; recording
niversary celebration in 2001.
secretary is Richard Almadovar;
McKinnis was elected business and Cory Depoppe was elected
manager in April 2002, succeed- sergeant at arms. Elected to the
ing Don McKinnon, who held the Executive Board were Ed Evans,
post for 18 years. McKinnis also Darrell Weatheral, and Rance
was apprenticeship coordinator Danielson. Executive Trustees are
for the plasterers.
Andrew Griffith and Chris Henry.
...Seminario
From Page 16
longstanding practices of falsi-
fying records of reported in-
juries. OSHA has very few in-
spectors, and they’re not in
workplaces regularly. But when
they do show up, the first thing
they do is look at the records
over a couple year period, be-
cause the records give a picture
of what has happened in the
workplace. And they sometimes
find that employers have not
recorded large numbers of in-
juries. They falsify their
records. They’ve misrepre-
sented safety conditions in the
workplace. Those are the cases
where OSHA has issued big
fines and penalties against those
employers with these wide-
spread practices. But if OSHA
can only look back six months,
six months from the time of the
injury, not the time of the in-
spection, they won’t be able to
hold employers accountable for
these egregious practices of fal-
sifying records and not report-
ing injuries.
Suppose you were put in
charge of OSHA. What would
you focus on? I would move
forward on a couple of major
rules that have been outstanding
for a long time, one of them be-
ing a rule on combustible dust,
which is a major hazard and
present in thousands of work-
places across the country. Also,
I’d move forward on better reg-
ulation on chemicals. Our expe-
rience is it’s these broad major
rules that significantly change
practice at the workplace.
—Don McIntosh
Sheet Metal Local 16 apprentices shine
at regional contest in Pasco, Washington
The International Association of
Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Trans-
portation Workers (SMART)
Northwest Region 12 held an
apprenticeship contest March
30-31 in Pasco, Washington.
Thirty-five apprentices from
11 locals in the U.S. and Canada
took part in the competition,
which had been on hiatus since
2012.
Four apprentices from Port-
land-based Local 16 competed
and placed in the top three in
each of four disciplines. Local
16 selected the contestants to
send to the competition based on
a review of their academics, said
Kevin Roth, training coordinator ABOVE: Local 16 apprentices show off their awards from SMART Northwest
at the Sheet Metal Institute. The Region 12 contest. From left to right are Jared Bonney, Chad Acheson, Train-
four represented the local well. ing Coordinator Kevin Roth, Stephen Serniotti, and Brandon York.
Leading the way was Bran-
don York, a 10th term (90 per- business agents, coordinators wards an associates degree.
Applicants must be at least 18
cent) apprentice who finished and instructors.
The Sheet Metal Institute in years old with a high school
first in architectural sheet metal.
Stephen Serniotti, a 7th-term Northeast Portland currently is diploma or GED. For more in-
(80 percent) apprentice, placed training 220 apprentices. The formation, call 503-257-1022 or
second in HVAC; Chad Ache- program is accepting applica- visit their website at: sheetmet-
son, a 10th-term apprentice, was tions for those who want to get alinstitute.org.
second in HVAC service techni- into the trade, Roth said. Sheet
cian, and Jared Bonney, an 8th- Metal apprentices are required to
Locals competing in the SMART Northwest
term (80 percent) apprentice, have 8,000 hours of on the job
Region 12 Sheet Metal Apprenticeship Con-
finished third in industrial/ training and 920 school hours in
test:
order to reach journeyman sta-
welding.
Local 8, Alberta, Canada; Local 9, Colorado;
Each apprentice was tested in tus. The program typically takes
Local 16, Oregon; Local 23, Alaska; Local 55,
shop fabrication, plans and five years to become a journey-
Pasco, Washington; Local 66, Western WA;
specs, drafting/sketching, plus a man. Apprentices are paid as
Local 103, Montana; Local 276, Vancouver
written test consisting of 150 they learn, and receive college
Island, British Columbia; Local 280, Burnaby,
questions. Each was timed and credit for classes taken in their
B.C.; Local 296, Saskatchewan, B.C.; and Lo-
judged for quality. Judges were apprenticeship through Mt.
cal 511, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
volunteer business managers, Hood Community College to-