NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | January 19, 2018 | PAGE 7
UNION DEMOCRACY
Plumbers & Fitters Local 290 members
elect Lou Christian as business manager
tion, and plans to appoint a com-
mittee of members to develop a
bylaws resolution about discrim-
ination.
Members of United Association
“We’re a brotherhood and sis-
of Plumbers and Steamfitters terhood, and everybody should
(UA) Local 290 elected Lou feel welcome,” Christian told the
Christian to a three-
Labor Press.
year term as business
Local 290 repre-
manager in ballots
sents about 4,300
counted Jan. 8. A for-
members in the west-
mer assistant business
ern two-thirds of Ore-
manager of the local,
gon, three Southwest
Christian outpolled in-
Washington counties,
cumbent business
and Humboldt and Del
manager Al Shropshire
Norte counties in Cal-
708 to 561. It was his
ifornia. Specialists in
third race against
the fabrication, instal-
Lou Christian
Shropshire; this time, he
lation and servicing of
campaigned alongside former piping systems, they earn $43.82
union representatives Dennis hour plus $28.58 an hour in ben-
Mask, Joe Neely and John Kim- efits under their contract with the
berling. Taking office Jan. 19, Plumbing and Mechanical Con-
Christian will appoint Mask as tractors Association, a coalition
assistant business manager, and of more than 250 union-signa-
Neely and Kimberling as busi- tory employers.
ness agents.
Christian, 60, is a resident of
Christian’s campaign centered Tualatin and 39-year member of
on stabilizing the local’s fi- the UA. Born in Springfield,
nances, increasing financial Christian lived all over Oregon
transparency, improving the ap- growing up as the son of a
prenticeship experience, and in- school teacher and a union mill-
creasing member involvement in wright at Weyerhaeuser. After
decisions about training. He also graduating high school in Cen-
pledged to take a strong stand tral Point, he studied welding at
against all forms of discrimina-
It was his third race against
incumbent Al Shropshire
Lane Community College and
became an apprentice at UA Lo-
cal 481 (which became part of
Local 290 in 1985.)
Over the years, Christian
worked as a steamfitter at paper
mills, medical facilities, facto-
ries, shipyards, and water filtra-
tion and nuclear power plants.
His most recent job was for
Harder Mechanical; his last day
there was Jan. 12.
He also served Local 290 as
vice president, president, trustee,
and delegate to AFL-CIO and
building trades councils. In
2001, he was appointed full-time
business agent by then-business
manager Matt Walters.
Local 290 members also elected:
President Robert Porter
Vice president Rick Two Bears
Executive Board John Foote, Region 1;
Shawn Mask, Region 2; Dominic DePiero,
Region 3
Examining Board Eric Fanning and Erv
Garrison, ACR: Bill Duke and Jim Eastman,
Metal Trades; Ed Burner and Pete Bakker, Oil
Burner; Randal Nelson and Ramon Ramon,
Pipefitter; Russell Hill and Josh Zimmer,
Plumber
Finance Committee Dave Hauth and Chris
McNicholas
Inside Guard Josh Rudzik
Bob Carroll (right), president of the Columbia-Pacific Building and Construc-
tion Trades Council, AFL-CIO, led the oath of office for officers Jan. 9. From
left to right are Steven Purdy, Nate Stokes, Geoff Kossak, and Willy Myers.
Terms of office are three years.
New officers at Columbia Pacific BCTC
Willy Myers was re-elected un-
opposed to a third term as exec-
utive secretary-treasurer (EST)
of the Columbia-Pacific Build-
ing and Construction Trades
Council. The CPBCTC repre-
sents approximately 20,000 con-
struction workers employed by
more than 2,000 signatory em-
ployers, in 25 crafts with juris-
diction in Multnomah, Clacka-
mas, and Washington counties in
Oregon, and Clark County,
Washington.
Myers, 48, is a member of
Sheet Metal Workers Local 16.
He was first elected to the post
in December 2013. EST is a
full-time paid position.
In other election results,
IBEW Local 48 business agent
Bob Carroll was re-elected pres-
ident; Mitch Ricker of Laborers
Local 737 was tapped for vice
president; and Sprinkler Fitters
Local 669 business agent Steven
Purdy was re-elected sergeant-
at-arms.
Russ Garnett, business man-
ager of Roofers Local 49, Geoff
Kossak, business manager of
Cement Masons Local 555, and
Nate Stokes, a union rep for Op-
erating Engineers Local 701,
were elected trustees.
All candidates ran unop-
posed. Terms are for three years.
Were you part of it
when it happened?
The Northwest Labor Press is look-
ing for stories of labor union mem-
bers who participated in the strug-
gle for civil rights, who helped win
racial justice improvements in the
workplace, or fought to make
unions more equitable and inclu-
sive. To share your story, call us at
503-288-3311 — or email us at
editor@nwlaborpress.org.
UNIONIZATION ] NOV-DEC 2017
The following are Oregon and Southwest Washington workplaces where workers have decided
whether to be represented by a union. The thumbs-up symbol means workers will be union-
represented. Thumbs-down means they’ll be on their own. The information comes from the
National Labor Relations Board and the Oregon Employment Relations Board.
Union election results
Employer (Location) Union
Yes-No
Frontier Rehab & Extended Care (Longview) SEIU Local 775
16-1 ^
■ 23 registered nurses and licensed practical nurses
Swire Coca-Cola (Wilsonville) Teamsters Local 162
25-28 %
■ 56 production employees
Legacy Emanuel Hospital (Portland) SEIU Local 49
20-0
^
■ 22 behavioral health assistants
Rightline Equipment (Rainer) Boilermakers Local 104
6-43 %
■ 48 welders, fitters, press operators at forklift attachment manufacturer
PeaceHealth Sacred Heart (Springfield) OFNHP/AFT 5017
■ 352 medical techs in 51 occupational classifications
221-64 ^