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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 2021)
paGe 2 | February 5, 2021 | noRthwest laBoR pRess NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) Established in 1900 in Portland, Oregon as a voice of the la- bor movement. Published on a semi-monthly basis on the first and third Fridays of each month by the Oregon Labor Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non-profit mutual benefit corpo- ration owned by 20 unions and councils including the Ore- gon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 120 union organizations in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Office location: 4275 NE Halsey St., Portland, Oregon Mailing address: P.O. Box 13150, Portland, OR 97213 Phone: (503) 288-3311 Web address: http://nwlaborpress.org Editor & Manager: Michael Gutwig Senior staff reporter: Don McIntosh Office manager: Jill Lukens Printed on recycled paper, using soy-based inks, by members of Teamsters Local 747-M. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Individual subscriptions are $15 a year for union members, $23 a year for all others. Pay by credit card online at nwlaborpress.org/subscribe, or send a check to our mailing address (above) along with your name, address and union affiliation, if any. Group rates of 48 cents an issue per member —$11.52 a year— are available for 25 or more subscriptions; call 503-288-3311. CORRECTIONS: See an error? Please let us know at editor@nwlaborpress.org or by phone at 503-288-3311. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT PORTLAND, OREGON. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: If you move, let us know at nwlaborpress.org/subscriber-services or by mail at our mailing address (above). Be sure to provide your old and new addresses and the name/number of your local union. Please allow three weeks for the change to take effect. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS P.O. BOX 13150 PORTLAND, OR 97213-0150 CORRECTION local 701 is part of the columbia pa- cific Building trades too! In our Jan. 15 issue, a list of unions affiliated with Colum- bia Pacific Building Trades Council left out In- ternational Union of Operating Engineers Local 701. We strive for accuracy at the Northwest Labor Press, and regret the error. Hours: Mon-Sat 12-6 pm Closed Sunday ...tough as nails From Page 1 has only positives to say about the experience. “There was a lot of love be- tween everyone,” Nichols said. “You had a bunch of very com- petitive people. But we always hugged it out at the end.” Keoghan, the show host, was funny, genuine, and easy to talk to, Nichols said. “This is a passion project of his. His grandfather was a tradesperson, and he just has a lot of respect for the industry. He wanted to showcase these jobs that people don’t know exist. These are essential jobs.” “It’s great that people see you don’t necessarily have to get on that college track,” Nichols said. Nichols would know. After a childhood in Waltham, Massa- chusetts, she went to Hampshire College, and graduated in 2006 with an English degree, and about $30,000 in debt. “I graduated with no idea how I was going to make a liv- ing,” Nichols said. She worked in landscaping, and loved it, but wages were low. After moving to Portland with her future hus- band in 2011, she found Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. and its pro- gram introducing women to ca- reers in the skilled trades. “They opened my eyes to la- bor unions. I ended up joining the Cement Masons and within a couple years I had paid all that debt off. I had health insurance. I own a house now. I just can’t preach enough.” Nichols loves sports and heavy lifting and was drawn to the cement mason trade by the physicality of it. The local saw something in her too. “The guys at the hall said, ‘We’ll put you to work Monday if you want to do this.’ I said, ‘Sign me up!’” The next Monday she was out pouring station platforms for Stacy & Witbeck on the Mil- waukie light rail project. The $17 an hour apprenticeship wage—55% of journeyman pay—was the most money she’d ever made. Within a month, health insurance kicked in, after she’d been eight years without health insurance. Now she hopes to inspire oth- ers to join. On the set of Tough as Nails, she brought her Local 555 baseball hat, and wore it every chance she got. “It was so fun,” Nichols said of the show. “It was really a once in a lifetime experience.”
