PAGE 2 | December 3, 2021 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
NORTHWEST
LABOR
PRESS
(International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X)
Established in 1900 in Portland, Oregon as a voice of the
labor 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 ben-
efit corporation owned by 20 unions and councils includ-
ing the Oregon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 120 union or-
ganizations 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:
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Editor & Manager: Michael Gutwig
Senior staff reporter: Don McIntosh
Office manager: Jill Lukens
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CORRECTIONS
In an article in our Nov. 19 issue about new
leadership at AFSCME Local 88, we incor-
rectly listed the trustees as Shirley Bailey,
Gordon Long, and Jeanne Ramsten. Those
were the local’s previous trustees.Local 88’s
newly elected trustees are Jamie Chris-
tianson and Darlena Hale.
Hours: Mon-Sat 12-6 pm Closed Sunday
UNION DEMOCRACY
New leadership at Machinists District Lodge W24
Wayne Thompson has retired,
and Brandon Bryant and Will
Lukens are the new top officers.
By Don McIntosh
Machinists District Lodge W24
has a new set of top leaders fol-
lowing recent retirements. Head-
quartered in Gladstone, Oregon,
the lodge serves 12 locals total-
ing 8,800 members, from
sawmill workers to automotive
and aerospace machinists.
Wayne Thompson retired Nov.
19 as the lodge’s top officer,
president and directing business
representative, and was suc-
ceeded by Brandon Bryant.
Business representative Will
Lukens moves up to succeed
Bryant in the number two posi-
tion, assistant directing business
representative. That followed the
installation of Local 63 treasurer
John Hall as W24’s secretary-
treasurer, to succeed Caryn
Kaufmann, who retired. All the
new officers will serve until the
next union officer elections,
scheduled for December 2022.
District Lodge W24 was cre-
ated in 2011 via the merger of
Machinists District Lodge 24
and Woodworkers District
Lodge W1.
Brandon Bryant, 51, comes
In 2014 he came on staff at the
from the woodworker side. In District Lodge as a full-time busi-
1993 he got a summer
ness rep, handling con-
job at the Simpson Lum-
tracts in Washington and
ber Company mill in
later Oregon. When
Tacoma. Born and raised
Thompson became pres-
in Tacoma, he’d earned
ident of District Lodge
associates degrees from
W24 this February, he
North American Baptist
appointed Bryant as his
College in Edmonton,
number two.
Alberta, and from
Bryant lives in Fed-
Tacoma Community
eral Way, Washington,
College. His goal was to Brandon Bryant and will stay near Glad-
become a teacher.
stone during the week.
“My plan was for it to
As a leader he plans to
be a temporary job while
stay the course, and em-
I finished up school,”
phasize organizing, and
Bryant says. “But the
serving members.
union benefits paved the
“I want to support
way to a great life. I got
other people to develop
married and stayed on
as much as they can. My
working there for 23
job is to help everybody
years. It helped provide
else, all the way down to
Will Lukens
a great life for my fam-
local presidents.”
ily, raised two kids on a good
As top officer, Bryant will rep-
union salary.”
resent the Machinists on the Ore-
Urged on by a steward, Bryant gon AFL-CIO executive council.
showed up to a union meeting He’ll also chair a union health
and got active as a steward and trust and two pension trusts.
bargaining team member in Lo-
Will Lukens, 52, is from the
cal W-9, which later merged into machinists side, and joined the
W-157, and again into W-130.
union in 2003 when he got a job
“I realized that by getting in- at Auto Truck Transport. Encour-
volved I can have a big effect on aged by union rep Bob Petroff, he
other people and help their lives.” became a steward and bargaining
team member in Local 63. In
2010 he came on staff and
worked as an organizer. Over the
next seven years, he learned first-
hand how stacked the deck is
when workers try to unionize and
employers violate the law with
impunity. At Eugene hunting bow
manufacturer Bowtech, man-
agers threatened to outsource to
China. At airport baggage han-
dling contractor ABM, the com-
pany fired the lead union sup-
porter. And after a union win at
aircraft painter CAPS, Boeing
cancelled its contract and the op-
eration shut down. Lukens did
have wins as well, including the
Bradken Foundry in Chehalis and
a nursing home in Sunnyside,
Washington. In 2016, he was
named organizer of the year for
the Machinists’ western territory.
After seven years, he moved
into serving as a business rep, re-
sponsible for negotiating and en-
forcing contracts.
He lives in Gresham with his
wife Jill, who works as office
manager of the NW Labor Press.
Both Bryant and Lukens have
undergone extensive training at
the William Winpisinger Center,
the national union’s training cen-
ter in Maryland.