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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2021)
PAGE 4 | January 1, 2021 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS UNION DEMOCRACY Lou Christian re-elected as business manager of UA Local 290 Work is booming in the local, drawing over 700 travelers from other locals to meet demand. By Don McIntosh Lou Christian was elected to a second three-year term as busi- ness manager of 4,640-member United Association of Plumb- ers and Pipefitters Local 290, in mail ballots counted Dec. 15. Christian campaigned on con- tinuing to improve the local’s finances and promoting diver- sity, and outpolled challenger W. Paul Elder by 272 to 241. Christian said a proposed by- laws change is likely to go to members in 2021 that would put the local on better financial footing. The current dues struc- ture hasn’t been adjusted since 1989, and is based on wages, but benefits have roughly dou- bled since then as a portion of the total compensation pack- age. Right now most journey- men in Local 290 make $47.43 an hour plus $32.83 an hour in pension, health and other fringe benefits, for a total of $80.26 an hour. Lou Christian Christian, 63, has been a Lo- cal 290 member since Jan. 9, 1979, and has served the union as officer or staff since 1991. As business manager, he’s re- sponsible for negotiating and enforcing collective bargaining agreements and helping secure work for members, directing 13 business agents and seven sup- port staff at six locations around Oregon. Despite talk of a possible re- cession, Christian says the work picture looks good in the near future, and signatory con- tractors are still bidding on new projects. In fact there’s so much work right now that members (including over 600 appren- tices) are at full employment, and more than 750 UA mem- bers from other locals are working as travelers in Local 290’s jurisdiction. Local 290’s jurisdiction covers most of Ore- gon, three Southwest Washing- ton counties, and Humboldt and Del Norte County in Cali- fornia. Most Local 290 members are covered under a master agreement with the union-sig- natory Plumbing and Mechan- ical Contractors Association of Oregon (PMCA), which ex- pires March 31, 2023. Local 290 also represents members at the Portland shipyards and at smaller units where they main- tain facilities at the City of Port- land, Port of Portland, City of Vancouver, and a handful of other public employers. Because of COVID-19, Lo- cal 290 hasn’t had an official in-person union meeting since February 2020, though it has held informational meetings online. Besides business manager (Local 290’s top elected office), members also elected other of- ficers: President Bobby Porter outpolled Kevin Fanning 300-175 Vice President John Foote (unopposed) Recording Secretary Jacob Cooper Inside Guard Irais Gandarilla Finance Committee Robert Smithline and Chris McNicholas. (no other candidate was nominated, so the president will appoint a third member.) Executive Board Denny Tynan and Steve Rossetto, Region 1; and Brad Archuleta, Region 2. (No candidate was nominated for Region 3, so the president will appoint someone.) Examining Board Ashley Haysom and Bill Hannan (Pipefitting); Rebecca Greiff and Rob May (Plumbing); Eric Fanning and Erv Garrison (HVAC/R); Dave Rinaldi and Andrew William Hollenbeck (Oil Burner); and Ryan Garvey and Bill Duke (Metal Trades) Members also elected dele- gates to the UA international convention. Currently that’s scheduled for August 202 in San Diego. Washington AFL-CIO’s April Sims tapped for State Redistricting Commission Washington State Labor Coun- cil Secretary Treasurer April Sims has been ap- pointed to the Washington State Redis- tricting Com- mission. The an- nouncement was made April Sims earlier in De- cember by House Speaker Lau- rie Jinkins (D-Tacoma). The Redistricting Commis- sion is tasked with redrawing Washington’s legislative and congressional district bound- aries every 10 years following the completion of the U.S. Cen- sus. “I am honored to be the first woman of color and Black per- son appointed to serve on Wash- ington’s Redistricting Commis- sion,” Sims said. “I look forward to working with my fel- low commissioners to develop a process that is fair, transparent, inclusive, and in line with the values of our state.
