NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | August 7 , 2020 | PAGE 5
Union card gets $1 off beer
Subsidized child care helps parents enter building trades
By Noah Wass
For women and people of color
looking to get into high-wage ca-
reers in the building trades, con-
struction pre-apprenticeship pro-
grams can be a hugely important
first step. But the programs are
unpaid, and can last four to eight
weeks. For parents who want to
take part, finding childcare and
paying for it has been one of the
biggest barriers to entry. Now, a
program of Labor’s Community
Service Agency (LCSA) funded
by the Oregon Bureau of Labor
and Industries (BOLI) is elimi-
nating that barrier by providing
free and subsidized childcare.
Since April 2019, the Pre-Ap-
prenticeship Child Care Initiative
(PACCI) has helped 19 partici-
pants complete pre-apprentice-
ship programs, says LCSA Exec-
utive Director Eryn Byram, who
worked with International Broth-
erhood of Electrical Workers
(IBEW) Local 48 member
Christina Daniels to set up the
program.
PACCI is open to all, but
every participant to date has been
a woman or person of color.
Inez Merida says childcare made it possible for her to get into Local 290.
PACCI program director Jackie
Witt—also a member of IBEW
Local 48—helps each participant
find a childcare provider that
works for them, and PACCI pays
the provider directly.
Tiria Jones, a single mother
of six, says PACCI’s childcare
program was critical to her suc-
cessful completion of Oregon
Tradeswomen’s eight-week pre-
apprenticeship program in
March.
“Jackie got me signed up and
was able to get my children care
for morning and after school
programs while my youngest
one stayed home,” Jones said.
Thanks to PACCI, Jones is
now a steamfitter apprentice in
Plumbers and Fitters Local 290.
She wants to be a welder, and
she’s encouraging her daughter
to go straight from school into an
apprenticeship program, so she
can advance while she’s young.
Inez Merida says she would
not have been able to start her
eight-week pre-apprenticeship
program without Witt’s support.
With her partner working full
time, she was staying home to
care for her four kids, age 16,
13, 8 and 3. Adding childcare to
the cost of Portland rent for a
family of six would have ex-
ceeded her household’s single
income, Merida says. And with
class beginning at 7 a.m., find-
ing an early morning childcare
provider was a serious chal-
lenge.
Merida says Witt helped her
find a place that would work
with her schedule, and when she
graduated and was no longer el-
igible for PACCI funding, Witt
connected her with funding
from Oregon Tradeswomen Inc.
and helped her keep the same
childcare provider. Merida is
now enrolled as an apprentice at
Plumbers and Steamfitters Lo-
cal 290. Currently employed by
JH Kelly, she hopes one day to
start her own outfit (through the
union of course) and hire other
women to do residential plumb-
ing.
Six Portland bars and restaurants
are now offering a $1 discount
to patrons who show their union
card. All six venues are owned
by Portland restaurateur Josh
Johnston. The discount came
about after Johnston got to know
Operating Engineers Local 701
Business Manager Jimbo An-
derson when the two collabo-
rated on a St. Patrick’s Day
fundraiser for the Children's
Cancer Association. The six lo-
cations are:
▪ Cadillac Cafe, 1801 NE Broadway
▪ The Independent Sports Bar & Grill,
225 SW Broadway
▪ North 45 Pub, 517 NW 21st Ave
▪ Paddy’s Bar & Grill, 65 SW Yamhill St
▪ Produce Row Cafe, 204 SE Oak St
▪ Satellite Tavern, 5101 N Interstate Ave.
At Cadillac Cafe, a union
card gets $1 a mimosa or
Bloody Mary. At the other five,
it’s good for $1 off any beer.
There’s no limit to the discounts,
except patrons must be 21 or
over. “All restaurants are having
a hard time right now,” Johnston
said. “For people who want to
come out and have a meal and a
drink, the discount is a way for
us to say thanks to the union
community.”
Union Represented Staff: “Be Union, Buy Union.”
* with twice annual cleanings
Evening & Weekend
Appointments Available
Union and Independently-owned locations in Oregon and SW Washington
• Beaverton - 503.914.4003
• Chehalis - 360.639.3377
• Eugene/Springfield - 541.622.0602
• Gresham - 503.914.4005
• Longview - 360.639.3388
• Milwaukie - 503.821.0089
• Salem - 503.914.4007
• Vancouver - 360.639.3399
Contact Michael @ 206-380-1751 or email mike@sunrisedental.com