Issues

Agent Accountability: 

Right now the members feel strongly that the Business Agents and Organizers are not providing the services needed to enforce the contract, protect your rights on the job, fight for our work jurisdiction, and organize the non-union in the industry.

The Business Agents and Organizers will be more productive when there is a goal oriented plan in place to achieve success. Elect me as Business Manager and their roles will be clearly defined. They will all be trained in contract administration, trade jurisdiction, organizing, communication, and membership services.

Sound simple? Well it’s not rocket science; however, it does require a leader willing to work hard on your behalf.

Member Training:

Training is an important investment that pays huge dividends. I believe that every dollar of our training budget for apprentices and journeyman comes back to us tenfold.

Our local is well-prepared to take training of the trades to the next level. We have large training centers in Portland and Eugene as well as several satellite training centers throughout our jurisdiction. First and foremost, we need to explore new ways to expand our training programs. The Local 290 Pilot Welding Program is a great success. We should all be encouraged by what can be accomplished with a good idea and the willingness to try something new.  I believe we should expand this model to other areas of the trade as well as other areas within our jurisdiction. UA Weld testing needs to be more convenient and accessible for our members statewide. Welders should be able to obtain UA Certifications or Continuity without having to miss work or travel to Portland if they live or work out of the area. What is better for the industry? Pay a Contractor Rep. and Training Instructor overtime or have several welders take a day off work to keep their certifications updated.

I also think our Job Steward Training needs to be greatly enhanced. I would propose sponsoring a Local 290 Steward School. Take two days once a year and go through our contract. We should encourage everyone interested in working as a Job Steward, Foreman, or General Foreman to attend. It would be a great opportunity for all the members to ask questions and obtain a uniform understanding of our Contract and Trusts.

Negotiating our next Master Labor Agreement:

As most of us are aware, our current Master Labor Agreement expires 3/31/09.  The negotiation of this agreement will be challenging – and is certainly impacted by the current state of the economy - but we are due for a significant wage increase and have lagged behind the other UA Locals in our region.

Our members are among the most productive in the nation – I continually get calls from other UA Locals around the nation whenever a Local # 290 member travels to a project out of our jurisdiction.  Skills and work ethic like ours deserve a better wage.

If elected, I will be forming a statewide negotiating committee to represent all the members of our Union. This will be first on the agenda. There is nothing as important as negotiating this Master Labor Agreement. You will need a strong leader at the table. Ask yourself, do I want Al Shropshire looking out for me or a repeat of the last agreement.

Now is the time to take a stand and negotiate a fair wage.

Pension Plan Benefits:

Unless you’re one of our retired members, you may not know this: Our retired members, living on a fixed income, have not had a cost of living adjustment in many years, while the cost of living has increased significantly. Meanwhile, the cost of their health care plans increased. The cost of food, energy, and gas increased. 

We need to remember that our Local Union and the industry we enjoy today is in no small part due to the efforts of our retirees.  We need to think outside the box to come up with solutions in spite of the state of the stock markets. Our current Business Manager has chosen to avoid the controversy on this issue and has done nothing to remedy this situation. This is wrong! I am willing to face the tough issues. Together we will come up with a progressive solution that the membership will vote on. I trust the membership to do the right thing! Remember that one day you will be retired too!

This website will have updates from time to time. Email me at als290@comcast.net and I will be glad to notify you of updates.