Employees of the Royal Oak charcoal plant in Oxley, Arkansas,are now proud members of Local Union 1017 after ratificationof their first contract on September 16th, 2015.

The contract committee never backed down from the company’sthreats of cutting their pay and taking away other benefits. They heldthe rest of the crew united in the fight for justice on the job.“Negotiations were a long difficult process after we won union

recognition through the National Labor Relations Board election,”explains employee Donald Stapleton. “But we never gave up and westayed strong.”

“After we voted the union in,a lot has changed here atwork,” says Chief Steward B.C.Branscum. “We have a voicenow in the plant when itcomes to safety. The differenceis like night and day.”“The employees at Royal

Oak have a contract now that they can improve on each time we goback to the table. Getting the first contract was our number one goalbecause it’s always the hardest,” says CIC Organizer Lane Barnes. “They now have seniority rights with layoff and recall, a bidding

procedure, a grievance and arbitration procedure, better languagefor sick leave and funeral leave, plus improved safety,” explainsBarnes.“We won union stewards in the factory and union representative

visitation rights in our contract,” states Jesse Greenway. “Having thismeans a secure future for us all.” “The company had eleven NLRB charges against them for unfair

labor practices. Two former employees received financial settle-ments for being wrongfully discharged. Also, after we voted to formthe union, the company tried to buy their way back on our good sideby giving us all a 3.5 percent pay raise at the beginning of the year,”explains Greenway.“We accepted that pay increase as a downpayment. In negotia-

tions, we got another 1 percent, so that is 4.5 percent of pay increasewhen you add it all up. Because of the union, we won more money,but more importantly, with this union contract, we won more rightson the job, too. It’s hard to even put a price on having rights and avoice in the workplace. It’s priceless. We are really a union now,” saysAshley Fendley.

By Gordon Taulbee,Recording Secretary Local 2501, Louisville, Kentucky

December 10th was a year tothe day. That day in 2014, I wassitting outside my first inspec-tion, when my supervisorcalled. Within an hour, I was ina little conference room beingtold I was no longer employedfor an infraction they said Icommitted, and no explanationI could give would change that.I was terminated effective im-mediately. My steward droveme back to my personal car, as Iwas no longer allowed to drivecompany-owned vehicles. Hesaid he would be in touch, “Staystrong, brother. We’ll get thegrievance started.”I went home to my wife and

two young daughters — unem-ployed fifteen days beforeChristmas. My wife had alreadybought gifts for our children.That night we talked about re-turning those gifts. It was a hardconversation, and one I will al-ways remember. The grievance wasn’t an easy

one. It lasted months, and my

employer didn’t exactly playfair. After more than fourmonths of fighting the em-ployer, though, the union wonmy grievance. I was to be fullyreinstated to my job: full backpay, full benefits, and fullrestoration of everything thatwas taken away. The unfair dis-cipline was removed from mypersonnel file like it never hap-pened.It wasn’t like it never hap-

pened, though. It happened tome, my family, and my brothersand sisters in the local union. Ifelt vindicated, but I also feltchanged. I knew I had to get ac-tive in the union cause.Prior to my termination, I

was pro-union. I gladly paid mydues, and I wouldn’t hesitate totell my union officers “thankyou” for the work they did, but,by no means, could I say I wasinvolved. Now I’m different. Iserve as the Recording Secre-tary for my local. I produce ourlocal union newsletter. I offermy assistance wherever I can. Ilike to think the local doesn’thave to ask me for help – that Iam just there if they need me.

When I hear people talkabout how unions are no longerneeded or how the economywould benefit from “right towork” legislation, I think of howI needed the union. The unionnever abandoned me. Theunion was there to encourageand protect me in a way no HRDepartment or a “right-to-work” employer ever would.The union said to me, “You dohave the right for your work tonot be taken away without justcause!” The time when unions were

necessary has not passed. Thetime for the unionization isnow. I know just how meaning-ful collective bargaining andunion representation is. I lostpride in myself that day I wasterminated over a year ago. Ithank the union for giving methat pride back. The time forunions, for me, will never end.Now that my grievance is overand I have had some time to re-flect, I can say I am truly glad ithappened. Not only did it firmlycement into my mind the value

Vol. 79, No. 1 Portland, Oregon Winter 2016

WHAT’SINSIDE?

ORGANIZED: Royal Oak employees from left to right are B.C. Branscum, Matt Wilson, Jesse Greenway,Donald Stapleton, with CIC Organizer Lane Barnes.

Local 2501 Recording SecretaryGordon Taulbee

Regional Reports• Eastern See Page 3• Western See Pages 4-5• Midwestern See Pages 8-9• Southern See Pages 10

CIC Education ScholarshipGrants See Page 2

Donald Trump: Union BusterSee Page 7

Children’s CommitteeEducates Future WorkersAbout Union

See Page 8

Meet Becky Wilson,CIC Organizer

See Page 9

Corporate Mergers, A Threatto Workers

See Page 11 (Turn to Page 11 )

FirstFirstUnionUnion

Contract!Contract!

That Day: A Year LaterTerminated Local 2501 Member Celebrates Grievance Victory

2 • WINTER 2016 UNION REGISTER

The CIC Education Charitable Foundation awarded nine “R. Denny Scott”grants for the 2015-16 school year. This is the second round of grants for thisFoundation and, due to the generosity of CIC Local Unions and businessesand consultants that work with the council on health plans, pension funds,legal advisors and others, the Foundation was able to increase the amountsawarded for the 2014-15 school year.

KRISTIN MOUSER is studying business administrationat Grand Canyon University through an online program.She loves to bake and hopes to someday open her ownbakery. Her father is Tony Sturman, a log-scaler and mem-ber of Local 2197. “Education is expensive and this schol-arship grant is a big help. It means I won’t have to take outso much in student loans,” said Mouser. The grant for$1,500 was the second awarded to Mouser.

ELIZABETH BARBER is the daughter of Dennis Barber,an officer of Local 2016 in Maynard, Arkansas. This grantprovided a little bit of good news to the members of Local2016 who were reeling from the announcement from theiremployer, Darlington Store Fixtures, that the plant wouldbe closed in October 2015. Barber is studying at the BlackRiver Technical College to become a registered nurse. Eliz-abeth was inspired to become a nurse many years agowhen she saw the care her great grandma received while in

a nursing home. This is the second education scholarship awarded to Eliza-beth. She received $1,500.

CORY GEASE is from Big Lake, Minnesota. He received asecond round grant of $1,500 to help him finish an auto-motive engineering course of study at Hennepin TechnicalCollege. His father, Brian Gease, is a member of Local 1865and works at LSI Corporation, which makes plastic lami-nated casework. “This grant is extremely helpful because Ihave to purchase a set of automotive tools that can runanywhere from $1,000 to $1, 500,” Cory said.

AMBER LIPSCOMB grew up in Kalamazoo, MI and iscurrently in her third year in nursing. She transferred fromFinlandia University to Gogebic Community College forthis last year of study because it does not have the highcosts associated with Finlandia. When Amber was consid-ering whether or not to attend college because of the ex-pense and limited family resources, her father Darrell Lip-scomb told her, “You’re going. We’ll find a way!” Darrell isan officer of Local 2776 and works at the Interkal stadium

seating plant. Amber received a second round grant of $1,500.

PAULA EDMONDSON is a victim of a plant closing.When the Snokist cannery in Yakima, WA. closed in 2013Paula made the difficult decision to go back to school andstudy accounting. She is earning a degree from Yakima Val-ley Community College and is aiming at employment in asmall investment consulting firm where she now workspart time. “This grant was such a wonderful surprise. Itwill allow me to complete my classes and earn a degree inDecember 2015,” Paula commented. A second round

grant of $2,000 was awarded to Edmondson in March 2015.

SHANNON BOUSHON, a few years out of high school,enrolled in a medical transcription course but quickly de-termined that this work just didn’t suit her. Now, 21 yearsafter high school, Shannon has returned to school to studya subject she cares deeply about—biology and wildlifemanagement. She is now enrolled at the University of Wis-consin, Stevens Point. Shannon is a busy mom, but whenshe has time for hobbies it is no surprise that she goescamping, fishing, kayaking, biking or hiking. She also vol-

unteers at the Humane Society. Shannon’s father, Dan Boushon, is a mem-ber of Local 1733 in Marshfield. WI and works at a door manufacturing plantowned by Masonite. Shannon received a first round grant of $1,250.

HAILE-ANNE MCKEEN is a senior at the University ofWashington, Tacoma, Washington majoring in urban stud-ies. She is interested in how cities work for their citizensand hopes to become a city planner. She credits her father,Dave McKeen, with engendering in her a desire to be activein the community — just as he is active in his union. DaveMcKeen is a member of Local 2761, and works at MasterMillwork in Puyallup. WA. Haile-Anne received a firstround grant of $1,275.

BASTIAN MCKEEN is a history major with a special in-terest in the holocaust, genocide studies and religion. He isa sophomore at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma. WA.Between working two jobs and his studies, Bastian enjoysworking out, staying fit and eating healthy—in fact he’s re-cently lost 20 pounds. In his application he wrote, “Myhard work and ability to persevere has given me the confi-dence to change myself, inspiring me to follow my dreamsand be the best that I can be.” Bastian’s father is Dave Mc-

Keen, a member of Local 2761 who works at Master Millwork. Bastian re-ceived a first round education grant of $1,275.

CLAIRE MARKHAMwill be attending D’Lacreme Schoolof Cosmetology. Her father, Timothy Markham, is a mem-ber of Local 2927 in Martel, CA and works in the millowned by Ampine. “This scholarship has helped me in-crease my knowledge of unions and how my dad’s unionhas affected my life. It has also opened my eyes as to howhard my father works,” Markham wrote in her application.She received a first round grant of $1,250

Attention Dislocated CIC Membersand Children of Members:

How to Apply for CIC Education Foundation GrantsIf your plant or department has been permanently closed and you are

enrolled or planning to enroll in a retraining course, you may be eligible fora grant from the CIC Education Charitable Foundation ranging from $1,000to $3,000 to help with expenses during your continuing education. If you have a child that plans to attend college or a trade school in the fall

of 2016 that child may be eligible for a $1,000 grant from the CIC EducationCharitable Foundation. For an application form for either of these two grant categories contact

the Foundation at 503-228-0235 or email us at tjohnston@cic-ubc.org. There is no deadline for submitting a “dislocated member” grant applica-

tion. Those applications will be reviewed as they come in. For the grants tothe children of members, applications must be received no later than July15, 2016.

CIC Education Scholarship Grants Awarded in 2015

UNION REGISTER WINTER 2016 • 3

Local Union 2786 members ratified a newthree-year contract on January 6, 2016 withtheir employer General Doors Corporation inBristol, Pennsylvania. The company has madegarage doors for over two generations. “The new wages are a good improvement,”

says William Mack, proud member of LocalUnion 2786 and union steward.Chris Montoro and Pablo Carbero both

served on the negotiating team. Pablo has beenan employee of General Doors for twenty-oneyears and presently works as a forklift operator.Pablo also serves as a CIC Delegate of Local2786. Chris Montoro has worked for GeneralDoors for less than one year. Chris works in thenew Flush Door Department. “This was my first time being in negotia-

tions,” explains Brother Montoro. “Even thoughI wasn’t that familiar with collective bargaining,by serving on the committee and participatingin the negotiating process I really gained a bet-ter understanding of the contract.”“The negotiating committee did a good job,”

says CIC Council Representative Dottie Shoff.Since the previous contract was negotiated,

General Doors Corporation in Bristol hadstarted a new flush garage door department.The flush garage doors used by General Doors

had previously been manufactured at anotherLocal 2786 unionized plant, Mel-Del Corpora-tion, which closed in the Spring of 2015. Mostof the union members at Mel-Del Corporationretired or moved on to other jobs when theplant closed. Under the terms of the new contract with

General Doors, Local 2786 members received aone dollar ($1.00) pay increase over the threeyears of the new General Doors contract. Therewere additional pay step increases for workersin job classifications negotiated for the newflush door department. Other contract improvements include an in-

crease in the Life and Accidental Death and Dis-memberment insurance by $8,000. The acci-dent and Sickness short-term disability benefitspaid by the company also increase to $400 perweek.Thomas Crowder, a bander operator, and

Myron Kettle, a material handler, both statedthat “the overall pay increases to the contractwere acceptable.”Both Crowder and Kettle are close to retire-

ment age and urged that “union brothers andsisters should continue to push for more moneygoing into the pension in the future.”

Most timber land in the U.S. is privately-owned. In Canada, on the contrary: most ofthe timber is owned by the Canadian gov-ernment. The Canadian government sellstimber from public “crown” land and sellsthat timber far below market rates to Cana-dian companies that produce lumber, ply-wood, and other wood products. Thesehuge subsidies in timber supply give Cana-dian companies a big business advantageover U.S. competitors that produce thesame products but are paying a muchhigher rate for timber. The unfair trade pol-icy has been damaging to U.S. workers inthe wood products industry, as well as U.S.timber suppliers and manufacturers.The U.S.-Canadian Softwood Lumber

Agreement (SLA) expired in October 2015,

and at the time of publication of this issueof The Union Register, no successor agree-ment has been reached. The SLA betweenU.S. and Canadian governments went intoeffect in 2006, putting to rest over 20 ongo-ing unfair trade complaints and legal dis-putes. In 2006, the agreement was passed toregulate Canadian imports to the U.S., withthe stated purpose of reducing the unfairadvantage of Canadian wood product pro-ducers, and protecting against or at leastminimizing the harms caused by unfairtrade advantages.However, over the course of the SLA, the

Carpenters Industrial Council was a part ofseveral complaints against Canadian“dumping” of heavily subsidized lumber,including a complaint over Canadian com-

panies misclassifying their lumber grade toavoid restrictions. The arbitrators ruledagainst the CIC in every complaint. Welearned the arbitration process under theterms of the SLA was horribly flawed and re-strictions almost unenforceable. “Left unchecked, Canadian trade prac-

tices would yield ever increasing marketshare for Canadian products displacing U.S.producers, workers, and landowners, oreven allowing Canadian mills to take overU.S. assets,” stated a press release this Oc-tober by the U.S. Lumber Coalition.The union and the U.S. Lumber Coalition

remain open and hope to work with the U.S.government to renegotiate a more enforce-able and reasonable agreement withCanada. However, the Coalition has also

stated, “If no agreement is reached, the U.S.industry will eventually have no choice butto assert its rights under U.S. trade laws tooffset the unfair advantages provided toCanadian industry.”Everything could change further if the

U.S. Congress were to pass the Trans PacificPartnership Free Trade agreement, whichcurrently included 11 countries, covering 40percent of the world’s economy. Under theinvestor state provisions of the Trans PacificPartnership, Canadian and other foreigncorporations could sue the U.S. govern-ment for financial damages for any law re-stricting their potential profits, includinglaws restricting “dumping” of misclassifiedand unfairly subsidized lumber and ply-wood onto the U.S. market.

Local 2786 Wins PayIncreases at General Doors

Unfair Trade & Timber Supply: The U.S.-CanadianSoftwood Lumber Agreement Has Expired

Luis Ruiz casts a ballot.

Antoine Tramel (left), Bob Erickson (seated on the right) and other members of Local 2786review contract proposal at General Doors Corporation.

Pablo Carbero (left) and William Mack discuss the contractproposal.

4 • WINTER 2016 UNION REGISTER

Like many wood products companies tied to theconstruction market, during the 2008-10 economicrecessions, Boden Alexander’s business suffered.However, going into the 2015 contract negotiations,union members of Local 1017 could see the econ-omy was better and their employer was doing well.Union members were working lots of overtime to tryto keep up with customer demand. Yet the companystarted off contract negotiations asking for conces-sions.Members of Local 1017 at Boden Store Fixtures,

Inc., manufacture architectural millwork and storefixtures. The products produced by the skilled crafts-men and women of Local Union 1017 are sold to in-dustries, such as, retail apparel, grocery, food serv-ice, casinos, banks, offices, and not just in the PacificNorthwest, but all across the United States. “These union craftsmen and women do incredi-

ble work,” says CIC Representative Jerry King. “They

Local 1017 Membership Ratifies New Pactwith Boden Alexander Store Fixture

The members of 2927 in Martell, California were con-cerned and cautious when the sale of the Sierra Pine par-ticleboard facility where they worked was announced.Sierra Pine informed the CIC that this was going to be an‘asset sale,’ a situation that in certain circumstancescould void an existing contract or threaten union recog-nition. The buyer, Timber Products, required unionmembers to undergo job interviews and drug testing be-fore being rehired. Timber Products raised several issuesto the union about changes the company wanted tomake in pension, health insurance, arbitration, and newprobationary periods for all employees.Local 2927 has a culture of unity and good communi-

cation with members, one-on-one. The local has a his-tory of strength: It is not afraid to stand united and strikewhen their rights or way of life is threatened. Their unitywas forged during a short strike in 2012 that broughtmembers together into a very close-knit and unitedforce. Yet, by 2015, three years after the most recentstrike, a large segment of the members were new. Withthe ownership changes announce, the local union lead-ers and stewards went the extra mile to reach out to eachnew member so they would understand the history ofbargaining and the importance of sticking together.The CIC gathered all the facts relating to the potential

sale, researching Timber Products ownership, opera-tions, and employment practices. The Council identified

potential problems with the proposed transaction asthere was evidence of common ownership ties betweenSierra Pine and Timber Products. The Council advisedthe local union and filed an unfair labor practice chargewith the National Labor Relations Board, complainingthat the employer was attempting to escape obligations

under the existing labor contract.The union had at least two strong points of persuasive

power. First, Local 2927 had evidenced their willingness

to strike, and their capacity to communicate with theirmembers. Secondly, the Council’s legal strategy exposeda conceivable weakness in the proposed sale and em-ployer liability. These two items strengthened the bar-gaining committee’s position. In October, the union bargaining committee of Local

2927 — President Tony Garcia, Vice President Phil Hart-nett, Warden Wes Schultz, member Jim Winship, andCouncil Representative Jerry King met with Timber Prod-ucts near the mill. Negotiations yielded a complete re-hiring of members, no reduction in wages, a significantlyreduced probationary period, continuation of the Bled-soe Plan and no premium share for current health insur-ance, substitution of a matching 401(K) program for theexisting defined benefit pension, and a $300 signingbonus. In addition to some minor language changes, cancel-

ing some but not all past practices, the Council agreedto drop the pending unfair labor practice complaint. Themembership voted to ratify the agreement as membersturned out in droves to hear about the deal and decide.A successful coupling of local union strength and

Council support eased what could have been a muchmore difficult transition to new ownership for our mem-bers. The union will meet again with the new employerin 2016 to bargain a new agreement.

CIC Secures Union Contract for 2927 Members After Changes in Ownership

President Tony Garcia explains tentative agreement tomembers prior to ratification.

When Boise Cascade management in Elgin,Oregon hired on millwright Rick Hoskins, theystarted him at eighty-eight cents ($0.88) above thecontractual millwright wage scale in the collectivebargaining unit. Six months later, the companymanagement decided they wanted to take that 88cents away, claiming the company had been pay-ing him the incorrect rate. A grievance was filed.The union presented evidence during the Step Twogrievance meeting that Mr. Hoskins was told dur-ing the hiring process that he would be paid thehigher rate.On June 1, 2015 ,the company decided to with-

hold Mr. Hoskins contractual wage increase. Again the Union filed a grievance and presented

their case that Mr. Hoskins was hired at the higherrate and the company is bound contractually tocontinue paying him that rateplus any contractual payraises. The union fought forBrother Hoskins at every stepof the grievance procedure.Before arbitration, the com-pany finally conceded andgranted the union’s grievance.Brother Hoskins received hisfull pay increase.

“This is a good example of why we need theunion,” says Local 2780 Vice President Noe Rojas,“Being in a union means we have more rights andthe union really has your back if the company doessomething unfair. Having a grievance procedure tosettle disputes in the workplace is one of the ad-vantages of working under a collective bargainingagreement.”“Communication is the key, urging members to

talk to their shop stewards any time they have aquestion about their rights under the contract oran unfair company action,” said Council Represen-tative Todd Gorham.“The Plant Committee did an outstanding job

following through on this grievance and finding theevidence to ensure their members are treated fairly.This is a victory for our union!”

Grievance Victory for Local 2780 Member

“This is a good example ofwhy we need the union…Theunion has your back when thecompany does something un-fair” says Local 2780 VicePresident Noe Rojas.

From Left to Right: Local 2780 Vice President Noe Rojas, PresidentRandy Burgess, and Trustee Willy Green of the Local 2780 stud millplant committee.

make beau-tiful archi-tectural millwork and displays of the highest level of expertise andprecision.”The Local 1017 negotiating committee at Boden included three

Master Journeyman or Journeywoman cabinetmakers: Chief Stew-ard Tony Hagel, Gary Behnke, and Nancy Kuhn. The union held in-formational meetings in the company lunchroom to keep membersinformed during the whole negotiations process.“I thank the negotiating committee. They asked members what

was most important to them and really listened closely. They did athorough job of studying company proposals and they really kepttheir co-workers informed,” says CIC Representative Jerry King.“The company knew they couldn’t get anything over on us. We

went into negotiations with the facts and numbers about the 401Kand other issues. That really helped,” explains Chief Steward TonyHagel.In October, Local 1017 members at Boden Store Fixture in Port-

land, Oregon ratified a new three-year contract. Terms of the contractsettlement include wage increases of 2.5 percent in year one, 2 per-cent in year two, and 2 percent in year three. Union members won a25 cents per hour increase in company contribution to the 401(K)plan, raising the total employer hourly contribution to 75 cents forevery hour worked. There were no changes to the medical plan.Thanks to changes in contract language around paid time off,

members are no longer restricted to using time off only if they givemore than two weeks advance notice. “Members were very happy about the PTO change. We got back a

lot of the things we’d lost in a prior negotiation when we were stucknegotiating a contract in the middle of the recession. We’ve madewage improvements this negotiation and moved forward,” says ChiefSteward Tony Hagel. “The company did not want to give us increasesin retirement, for just one example, but we got them to improve it.Without the union, we would not have the protections of a grievanceprocedure. We’d have no say, no retirement. We would not have whatwe have today if it were not for this union. I thank the union mem-bership here for sticking together and letting the company know wewouldn’t settle for less.”

Chief Steward Tony Hagel (l) and Tim Bain.

UNION REGISTER WINTER 2016 • 5

“The union members at Morton General Hospital are dedicatedto quality healthcare and serving their community. They deservedpay increases and because union members stuck together, we hadthe power to negotiate improvements,” says CIC Council Represen-tative Todd Gorham.Members of Local 2767 who work for Morton General Hospital in

Morton, Washington voted to ratify a new labor agreement with thehospital in December. The settlement calls for a 1 ½ percent wage in-crease for the first six months of the contract, a 2 percent wage in-crease on July 1, 2016, and another two percent 2 percent wage in-crease effective July 1, 2017. The hospital proposed going back to the traditional July to July

contract as opposed to the November to November contract that co-incides with their fiscal year. A hospital spokesman said a July to Julycontract benefits both the hospital and its employees by developinga budget that ensures all financial obligations are met and unionmembers agreed.“Negotiations went smoothly,” according to committee member

Cindy Chapman. “After hearing about the last contract negotiations,I was a bit concerned, but the hospital’s counter proposal was rea-sonable and we brought it to the membership for a vote.” The hospital was experiencing financial difficulty leading up to the

previous contract negotiations. The Union membership was sympa-thetic to their position and agreed to a short term contract with asmall incremental wage increase. This time around, the hospital wasready and willing to reward the employees for helping in their timeof need. “The hospital admitted they were not happy either with the bar-

gaining session a little over a year ago and the management said theywanted to do the right thing,” said Council Representative ToddGorham. Administratively, small rural hospitals have had to adapt to

changes. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) also known as “Obamacare”has greatly impacted the way in which rural hospitals are run as moreand more Americans have access to medical care for the first time.Morton General Hospital is very important to the town of Morton andresidents of Lewis County. It is the only option for services withouttraveling to Vancouver or Tacoma, Washington. With the passage ofthis contract the employees can focus on their work and serving thehealthcare needs of their rural community.

Cool October weather brought out more than coatsand gloves in McCleary, Washington as communitymembers dressed up in costumes for Halloween. Local2761 continued their annual Trick or Treat event to meetneighbors, introducing themselves and their local unionto the community. Local union vice president Dave McKeen and his

daughter Haley again dressed in full costume to enter-tain the young folks of the McCleary, Washington neigh-borhood. Kids lined up to have photos taken with thescary duo and each child received a full-size candy bar.Members of the Local donated some three hundred

and fifty candy bars in a wide assortment. The Local also

distributed children’s identification kits to parents andincluded a finger-printing area for parents to documenttheir children’s information. This was a big hit with par-ents who appreciated the Local’s interest to help protectchildren. Heaven forbid, if any of those children comeup missing, the recorded information will be readilyavailable. When talking to Vice President McKeen and his

daughter about why they participate in this event, theirreply was simply “It’s all about the kids.”Dave added, “It’s also about getting the Local Union

2761 name out there in our community.”Local 2761 President Vincelle Calica agreed with the

importance of showing community support and to ed-ucate other workers that there is a union presence in Mc-Cleary. “I believe that goodwill is an important factor in fam-

ily and the community. I am sure many will return to theLocal 2761’s door step again next year to enjoy the goodtime. Local 2761 is known as an important part of thiscommunity,” adds President Calica. “If workers havecomplaints at their non-union workplace, and want toform a union to win more rights and better pay and ben-efits, they already know our union and where to find us.”

From Left to Right: CIC Representative Jerry King, Derrick Bartunek, Greg Bartunek, Sid Stimac,Grigory Polyakov.

Local 1017 Christmas Pizza Party at Truax Building SupplyTruax Building Supply in Portland, Oregon specializes in high-quality windows and doors. The com-

pany sells and delivers a variety of brands; Local 1017 members at Truax also custom fabricate woodor metal doors and windows. They also do all window and door repair work, including glazing andhardware.“The Union is a good thing. Because of the union we have good benefits, pay, and pension for re-

tirement,” says Grigory Polyakov.“I’m getting close to retirement,” says long-time union leader and Steward Sid Stimac. “Thankfully,

I’ll have both my union pension and Social Security to look forward to when I retire. So many peopleworking today don’t have any pension whatsoever. You have to worry for them. How will they ever re-tire? If more people had a union, there’d be more Americans with pensions.”

For Father and Son, BeingUnion is a Family TraditionWe had some medical issues in our

family that would have bankruptedother families that don’t have our goodBledsoe Plan union medical insurance.For a surgery, we had a $65,000 hospitalbill, but we only had to pay $800,” saysGreg Bartunek.“Growing up, Dad talked at home

about the benefits of his union. He wasright. There are better benefits, andgood union wages, too,” says DerrickBartunek.“The Union benefits are absolutely fantastic. With a wife and two children, those benefits have al-

ways been very important to me,” says Greg Bartunek. “And because of the union, we’ve been able tonegotiate decent union wages with cost of living increases.”

Local 2767 Members RatifyMorton General Hospital Contract

ANNOUNCEMENTMarch 4th CIC Western Region Caucus The Western Region bargaining caucus is scheduled for Friday, March 4,

2016 in Lincoln City, Oregon at the Chinook Winds Casino Resort. The agendais specific to 2016 bargaining issues for Western Region locals. The caucuswill convene at 9 a.m. on Friday and will conclude at the end of business thatday.

We encourage your local to participate in this caucus and have yourbargaining representatives in attendance.

Talk to your local union officers or Council Representative for furtherdetails.

Local 2761 Reaches Out to Community through Halloween Event

6 • WINTER 2016 UNION REGISTER

Last June, U.S. manufacturing workerssuffered a set-back when the Fast TrackTrade Promotion Authority law was passedby Congress and signed into law by Presi-dent Obama. Under the terms of this “FastTrack” agreement, any U.S. President cansign any “free trade” bill for the next sixyears. The U.S. Congress still has the powerto vote over any proposed trade agreementnegotiated by the President, but only a strictup or down vote; Congress has its handstied and is not allowed to make any amend-ments to any part — even the worst parts— of any proposed “free trade” agreement.The good news is that “Fast Track” only

passed in the U.S. Congress by six votes. Wecan still stop the Trans Pacific Partnership(TPP) “Free Trade” agreement in Congress.The TPP would be worse than NAFTA onsteroids. Thankfully, we can stop it. Do yourpart. Your union needs you. To protect U.S.jobs, you need to vote in the 2016 elections.And if the TPP “Free Trade” bill is headed to

a vote in Congress, we will need you to callyour Congress person to demand they voteagainst it.

Here are the 28 Democratic Congresspeople who stabbed U.S. ManufacturingWorkers and Organized Labor in the back tovote with Republicans in favor of the “FastTrack” Trade Authority:

Ron Kind (Wis.-3rd District)Gerry Connolly (Va.-11th District)Earl Blumenauer (Ore.-3rd District)Don Beyer (Va.-8th District) District)Suzanne Bonamici (Ore.-1st District)Eddie B. Johnson (Texas-30th District)Kurt Schrader (Ore.-5th District)Henry Cuellar (Texas-28th District)Suzan DelBene (Wash.-1st District)Ruben Hinojosa (Texas-15th)Derek Kilmer (Wash.-6th District)

Beto O’Rourke (Texas-16th District)Rick Larsen (Wash.-2nd District)Terri Sewell (Ala.-7th District)Jim Cooper (Tenn.-5th District)Gregory Meeks (N.Y.-5th District)Ami Bera (Calif.-7th District)Kathleen Rice (N.Y.-4th District)Jim Costa (Calif.-16th District)Brad Ashford (Neb.-2nd District)Susan Davis (Calif.-53rd District)John Delaney (Md.-6th District)Sam Farr (Calif.-20th District)Jim Himes (Conn.-4th District)Scott Peters (Calif.-52nd District)Jared Polis (Colo.-2nd District)Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.-23rd

District)Mike Quigley (Ill.-5th District)

Here are the 13 Democratic Senators whovoted with 60 Republican Senators to stabU.S. Manufacturing Workers in the back bypassing the “Fast Track” Trade PromotionAuthority:Ron Wyden, OregonBill Nelson, FloridaPatty Murray, WashingtonTim Kaine, Virginia Maria Cantwell, WashingtonMark Warner, VirginiaTom Carper, Delaware Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Chris Coons, DelawareHeidi Heitkamp, North DakotaDianne Feinstein, CaliforniaMichael Bennet, ColoradoClaire McCaskill, Missouri

Call your U.S. Congress person and Sen-ator now to tell them you oppose the TransPacific Partnership (TPP) “Free Trade”Agreement!Telephone 1-202-225-3121 and ask to

speak to your Congress person and Senator.

“In politics, always reward yourfriends, and punish your enemies.”

—SAMUEL GOMPERS, 1901

“I urge other local union officers and stewards tojoin our local and do a full voter registration drive in your local.Let’s get every single unionmember registered to vote!”

—LOCAL 1865 PRESIDENTJOEMARTINEZ

LOCAL 1865 PRESIDENT JOE MARTINEZ:“We are asking every Local 1865 member to

register to vote. We are using a list from theCIC of who is not currently registered to vote.Our union stewards and union officers in eachshop will talk to those unregistered membersand help them fill out a voter registration card. “Why? Because politics affect all of us! Our votes have power.“It is very important that we have 100 percent of our union members registered to vote so they

can use their voices in 2016. I urge other local unions to join our local and do a full voter registrationdrive in your local … 100 percent voter registration means more power for all of us. Together, let’svote to stop the attacks on workers’ rights.”

“The Trans Pacific Partnership [Free Trade Agreement] is an … assault tomaximize profit and domination, and to set the working people of the world incompetition with one another so as to lower wages and increase insecurity.”

—PROFESSOR NOAM CHOMSKY, MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OFTECHNOLOGY

Despite ‘Fast Track Trade Promotion Authority,We Can Still Stop the TPP Free Trade Agreement

TAKING ACTION: Local 1865 President Joe Martinez, Trustee Eric Knutson, Warden Todd Baierl and Conductor Ted Fitch.

Local 1865 Leaders Gear Up For Voter Registration

A.J. TRIEBOWTOWSKI, LOCAL 1865 TRUSTEE:

“The 2016 elections are a huge deal!” says Treibowtowski. “Wisconsin, the state right nextto us in Minnesota, just went ‘Right to Work.’ It’s an attack on our union security and our bar-gaining power. In 2016, we need to vote for the pro-labor candidates! Our local executive boardjust set up a political action committee. We are going to get our voter registration numbershigher and get out the vote this year. We need to vote for the candidates who will vote againstthe Trans Pacific Partnership “free trade” agreement. That TPP trade deal would only sendmore of our U.S. jobs overseas. We need to stop it and that’s why every vote is important.”

VOTER REGISTRATION IS

PRIORITY #1“Local CIC political committees are seeking sup-

port from members to promote political involve-ment, voting registration, and getting out the votefor the 2016 elections,” says CIC Political Director

Cliff Kerce. “This winter, voter registration is priority number one. The CIC can geteach local the information about who’s not yet registered in each shop, so local unionleaders can focus in on who to ask to register to vote,” explains Brother Kerce.

To find out more about how you can increase voter registration at your local union, contactCIC Political Director Cliff Kerce at ckerce@cic-ubc.org or cell 812-267-4321.

UNION REGISTER WINTER 2016 • 7

Donald Trump: PresidentialCandidate and Union-BusterThere is an old truth that actions

speak louder than words. DonaldTrump has not only spoken againstunions, he’s actively fought his em-ployees in their demand for unionrecognition and a fair contract.Over 500 Trump Hotel Las Vegasemployees are seeking to unionizeso that they can negotiate morerights on the job, better pay, andbenefits for themselves and theirfamilies. The majority of workers at the

hotel voted in favor of union repre-sentation in a December 5th, 2015National Labor Relations Board election, yet Trump management re-fuses to recognize the workers’ union and has hired a high-dollar lawfirm to fight the union.Trump hotel employee Marisela Olvera told reporters, “He says he

wants to make America great. Well, he should start here in his ownhouse, his own business. He always brags about how he has millionsand millions and millions of dollars, but he pays his workers less thanmost in Las Vegas.”

EDITORIALFIGHT SCAPEGOATING:Racism and Anti-Immigrant HysteriaOnly Weaken Our Labor MovementBy Jeremy GoodinIf you have been watching the Republican Party presidential candi-

dates debate, you have heard a lot of hateful remarks about immi-grants and minorities. This plays right into the hands of the company owners and bosses

that are exploiting our labor. They want us fighting over who has thebigger pile of crumbs, so we don't realize that rich folks we work forhave eaten the whole darn cake. Corporate America uses scapegoatingin order to keep us divided by sex, religion, race, geography, age, jobtype (production vs. maintenance), and education. Workers need to wake up and realize that this is our world. We

should refuse to allow the wealth that we create to be stolen from us.Our unity as workers, regardless of race, ethnicity, or country of originis our only chance to have to power to get what we deserve.For the Labor Movement to succeed, to have power to negotiate

more, we’ve got to stand united with all workers in our industry, regard-less of their race or accent when they speak. Instead of fighting eachother, we need to stick together. White, Black, Hispanic, Asian — aworker is a worker is a worker. It’s all of us, the workers, not Wall Streetor the CEOs who create all wealth. It’s time we started acting like it.Say “no” to anti-immigrant scapegoating and race-baiting. When

workers unite, we have the power to tell Corporate America, "We re-fuse to fight over the crumbs. We want our fair share of the cake."

By Lauren McCauley Common Dreams News Agency

A new study shows our nation's wealthiest 400 people—who include Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey, andheirs to the Wal-Mart fortune—own more wealth than thebottom 61 percent of the country, or 194 million people."America’s skewed wealth is one of the most critical is-

sues of our time," stated Chuck Collins, senior scholar atthe Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) and co-author of the re-port “Billionaire Bonanza: the Forbes 400 and the Rest ofUs.”What's more, the study compares the Forbes list of 400

richest Americans with other segments of the population,showing great disparity in how this wealth is distributed.

For example, the combined net worth of the Forbes 400roughly equals the wealth of the entire African Americanpopulation, plus a third of the Latino population.As Collins notes, this staggering gap in wealth has wors-

ened since the global recession and has proved problematic— even in cases where the billionaires are generous philan-thropists."Concentrating wealth to this extent gives rich donors far

too much political power," Collins explains, "including thewherewithal to shape the rules that govern our economy."He cites the recent New York Times report which found thathalf of all political contributions in the 2016 presidentialcampaign came from just 158 families.The study follows numerous other recent reports that

suggest the world, and particularly the United States, has

reached what Collins refers to as "peak wealth inequality."Collins and report co-author Josh Hoxie, who heads the

IPS Project on Opportunity and Taxation, put forth a num-ber of solutions to reverse this trend, including closing off-shore tax havens and tax code loopholes, which they say thewealthy frequently exploit. Further, the report calls for there-institution of progressive income tax policies, whichwould both "break up the concentration of wealth and gen-erate trillions of dollars in new revenue to invest in wealthbuilding opportunities for working families."Among the report's other recommendations to help

spread the wealth: raising the minimum wage and over-hauling campaign finance, to stem the influence of moneyon politics.

Mind-Blowing Inequality: America's 20Richest Own More Than Bottom Half

UNITY IS OUR STRENGTH

“Having a Union meant strength… The opportunity to fight again for further gains with united and multiplied power… to resist injustice, and to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters.”

—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Local 2704 MembersAlready Active in2016 Election CycleLocal 2704 Financial SecretaryBarb Neiers and President KeithHartman in Dyersville, Iowa, areboth actively campaigning fortheir preferred presidential can-didate before the February 1,Iowa Caucus. The party primaryelections to determine both theDemocratic Party and Republi-can Party candidate begin in Iowaand continue in other statesthrough the middle of June 2016.

8 • WINTER 2016 UNION REGISTER

By Gordon Taulbee, Member, Local Union 2501The Carpenters Local 2501 of Ken-

tucky is proud to announce the suc-cessful completion of negotiations be-tween the union and Louisville MetroGovernment. Contract negotiationslasted approximately thirty months, butended by members approving a seven-year agreement. Contract negotiations were long and

difficult, made especially intense notonly by the fact that there were multipleLouisville Metro work groups alreadyrepresented by the Carpenters Indus-trial Council, but also because of con-tinuing organizing efforts to bring newmembers into the local. In order toachieve a worthwhile contract, mem-bers of the negotiation team, includingCouncil Representative Cliff Kerce,went all the way to Louisville’s politicalleaders. They met with members of theLouisville Metro Council and even metwith the Mayor’s office to make the casefor the collective bargaining agreement

improvements.Union members voted in favor of the

contract in October, including thenewly organized members who werecoming under union contract for thefirst time. “It was a hard fought battle for the

contract, mainly due to all the new jobclassifications that needed to be imple-mented and ensuring our new brothersand sisters were brought to a livingwage,” stated Matt Gallagher, formerpresident of the local and negotiatingteam member. “With that said, I thinkthis is the best contract we have hadsince I have been here.”This newly approved contract will

also bring new members into the ranksof the local. Several new work groupswere organized during the life of theprevious contract. The new groups in-clude workers in License and Permits,Alcohol Beverage Control Officers,Housing Rehab Specialists, Solid WasteOfficers, and other Louisville Metro de-partments.

Not only did these new groups signon to the local, and win union recogni-tion from their employer, but many willreceive a substantial increase in pay asa part of the new contract. Union recog-nition and this new contract changesthe lives of many City of Louisville em-ployees, moving them from poverty-level salaries to a living wage. For exam-ple, ABC Investigators, who as swornofficers wear a badge and carry afirearm for their duties, were transi-tioned to the higher pay scale of CodeEnforcement Officers.“With this raise in pay, my wife and I

will have the means to start a family,”Robert Roby said. Roby works forLouisville Metro as an Investigator forthe Department of Alcoholic BeverageControl. “Everyone has to stay withintheir means, but with this bump in pay,we won’t have to struggle the way wedid. That’s a great feeling.” “The whole experience has been

very rewarding for me,” stated Local2501 President Brad Silveria. “We

were able to negotiate a great contractfor our members. Also, from an organ-izing perspective, we were able to takesome of our new members frompoverty to a salary that will actuallypave the way for a better life. I can’t evenbegin to say how proud that makes meto be part of this union.”“It feels good to earn the money you

deserve,” ABC Officer Roby stated, “I’mhonored to be part of this union localand truly thank all the members of thislocal union who stuck together, and allthe members of the negotiating com-mittee for their hard work.”Local 2501 looks forward to the con-

tinued effort between Louisville MetroGovernment and the members repre-sented by 2501 to make Louisville agreat place to live and work. They arecommitted to the idea this new con-tract aids in that effort.

Big Improvements in Contract for Local 2501 Members at City of Louisville

Local 1488 Ratifies Contractwith Lincoln Wood“This is the best pay increase we’ve ever negoti-

ated,” says former Local 1488 President SteveSchultz. “We were not going to back down. We letthe company know that we were ready to strike.They could tell we meant it.“Local 1488 members approved a two-year con-

tract at Lincoln Wood Windows in Merrill, Wiscon-sin. Under the terms of the settlement, workers willreceive a 40-cent raise in each of the next two yearsalong with an additional five cents to the pensionplan each year. In addition, the employee medicalinsurance premium share actually went down. Theexact savings varies depending on which plan theemployee selects. The union also was able to get a$50 increase in the weekly benefit for short term

disability benefits. The Union also was able to ne-gotiate a 30-minute orientation time for the Unionto explain to new hires about the benefits of beingin the Union and signing up new members.Bargaining Committee members included Pres-

ident Steve Schultz, Rick Kautz, Vice President/Chief Steward Jerry Leopold, Bill Herdt, ShawnTom Ajcik, and CIC Senior Rep Greg Coenen.“The way Lincoln Wood works is the company

wants to get rid of the union so they could then dowhatever they want to us. But people are smarterthan that. The company wanted to give us only a19 cent pay increase in year one, 1 percent in yeartwo. But because we have a Union, we didn’t haveto settle for that,” explains Schutz.“To be strong, workers need to stick together.

Every member of the union is important. That’sthe only way working people have the strength toget a fair deal,” says Schultz.

Local 1123 members rati-fied contracts for custodialwork in Toledo, Ohio atboth the Chrysler and Kukaautomotive plants. The union secured a new

one year contract for Local1123 members performingcustodial work at Chryslerin Toledo with new contrac-tor GDI Omni. Terms of thecontract settlement includ-ing keeping same level ofbenefits as the previouscontractor, and 20-cent perhour increases in the hourlyrate of pay. The one-yearcontract with IndustrialMaintenance Group forcustodial work at the Kuka

plant in Toledo includessimilar increases in wages,plus an additional em-ployer contribution to med-ical plan benefits, and anincrease in shift premiumfor night shift employees.In Michigan, a one year

contract with BHM Enter-prises was ratified by Local1123 union members em-ployed as custodians at theFord Michigan AssemblyPlant in Wayne. The con-tract settlement included a2.2 percent across theboard pay increase. Otherbenefits and conditions ofemployment stayed thesame.

We have all heard the old saying “ittakes a village to raise a child.” Whileshort and simple there is a lot of truth inthat old saying. A child's developmentdepends on and is greatly influenced bythe actions they observe and lessonsthey learn from the people they en-counter as they are growing up. Family members make up the over-

whelming majority of people that makethe most lasting impressions duringchildhood development, and while werefer to our fellow union members asBrother and Sister, far to often our chil-dren are not included in our idea of the

Union Family. Our children may attend a picnic or

party once a year, but do they knowwhat the union is, what its does for themor why it is important? As current mem-bers we must involve our children andteach them about the importance of thelabor movement and what has been ac-complished by working people through-out history. When we raise the next generation

with a close connection to the Unionand the righteous causes of the labormovement we improve their lives andthe lives of future generations by provid-ing them with strong memberships andpotential leaders.

At Local 1155 Children’s Committee Educates Future Workers about the Union

Local 1123 membersemployed at Kuka:Back row from left toright; Anthony Gaston,Ron Johnson, AaronGowing Front row leftto right Toni Villarreal,Katie Winters

Local 1123 Ratifies Contracts forToledo and Wayne Custodial Work

UNION REGISTER WINTER 2016 • 9

At Local 277646-Year Member Honored

Becky Wilson: Newest Organizer

Wisconsin Sistersin the BrotherhoodThe CIC Wisconsin Sisters in the Brotherhood

committee was formed in July 2015 and has beenvery busy. Currently, the Wisconsin SIB committeeincludes Sheila Crouse, Kath Detert, Helen Pratt,Michelle Popp, Lacey MeGinn, Jessica Montonya,Crystal Crouse, and Amery Little of Local 1435 outof the Conwed plant in Hawkins, Wisconsin. Thenew SIB committee is already active in the com-munity and within the local union. They have been holding fund-raisers for the

wife of a co-worker who is critically ill withleukemia. They are making meals for the familyto take for the weekends while at the hospital.They will be holding a spaghetti supper fund-raiser early in 2016.They have obtained a list of female workers at the Jeld-wen factory in Ladysmith, Wiscon-

sin, another Local 1435 factory. The SIB volunteers are making house-calls to women at Jeld-wen to recruit some of them to join the Wisconsin SIB Committee and also to increase unionmembership in the Jeld-wen plant. Wisconsin SIBs will also be doing a mailing to all the sis-ters at the Ladysmith plant with information regarding upcoming Wisconsin SIB committeeprojects.Before Christmas, the CIC Wisconsin SIB committee made a $100 donation to Rusk

County “Shop With A Cop” program. This program accepts a number of children betweenthe ages of 9 and 14 to go Christmas shopping with law enforcement officers. “We thought it was an excellent first step in introducing ourselves to the community,”

stated Chairwoman Sheila Crouse.

Local 2776 mem-ber Danny Adamsretired in 2015 after46 years of service.Brother Adams wasemployed at In-terkal, a bleachermanufacturer inKalamazoo, Michi-gan, since March26, 1969. Heworked many jobsover the years,most recently onthe paint line. Local 2776 Rec-

ording SecretarySantos Rincones who worked with Brother Adams on paint line says, “Dannywas a good, long-time union man and he will sure be missed around here!”In retirement, Brother Adams plans to enjoy more time with his family.

Danny said, “I’ve spent a lot of time with my Union Brothers over the yearsin the factory. Now, it’s family time!”Danny Adams saw the value of union representation during his career,

as the union won many grievances to protect the rights of co-workers. Andbecause of the unity of union members, they raised their standard of livingin wages, medical benefits, paid vacation, and retirement. “I’m thankful we had a union because a lot of Brothers wouldn’t have

made it around here and the union has kept the treatment fair and kept thewages and benefits up through collective bargaining,” says Adams.“Brother Adams may be retiring from the factory, but he’s not retiring

from the union,” says CIC Representative Darrell Robertson. “Danny’s madeit clear that he’ll always be a union Brother.”

In November, CIC Executive Secretary Treasurer TonyHadley appointed Becky Wilson to work full-time as thenewest organizer for the Carpenters Industrial Council.Readers of The Union Register may already know Wilsonfrom previous articles detailing the activities of the Bedzfor Kidz community service program she started inLouisville, Kentucky in conjunction with the KentuckySisters in the Brotherhood Local 2501.

In regards to Wilson, Tony Hadley said, “Becky has anatural ability for organizing and a passion for improv-ing working people’s situation. She will be a very big as-set to the CIC. She knows the value of union represen-tation and has a very impressive work ethic.”“Wow, what a year this has been!” Wilson stated. She

has spent much of the year starting the Kentucky Chap-ter of the SIBS and holding a fundraiser. Also, she over-saw the delivery of beds to children in the greaterLouisville area and worked on two organizing cam-paigns. She did all of this while working as a Code En-forcement Officer for the Louisville Metro government,which is represented by Local 2501.

WILSON’S HOME LIFEIn addition to working as a Code Enforcement Officer

for the past four years, Wilson has had a busy and re-warding home life. She is the mother of a seventeen yearold son named Dalton. She has also worked as a hair-stylist for 32 years. At one point, she even owned herown salon with 14 employees. She also owned and man-aged rental properties.In 2010, she survived a serious aneurism and made a

full recovery, “At that time, I decided I needed a job withgood union benefits.”Alerted to the Code Enforcement position by some

friends, she thought the job would be a good fit. “Withmy previous experience of owning rental property, I canlook at a building and tell you everything wrong with itand how much it will cost to repair it. This helped getmy foot in the door to get a job with Louisville Metro,”Wilson explains.

JOINING THE UNION FAMILY“During your probation time with the city, you have

six months to pass your certification test. I failed the testand lost my job, but because the union spoke for me,management promised me a position once I passed thetest,” Wilson states.After seven months of help from the Local 2501, Wil-

son returned to employment in code enforcement. “Mylocal got together and gave me the money to pay for thetest and pushed management to get me the books Ineeded to study. My union brothers and sisters even

helped me study and prepare. Trust me, I owe all ofthat to my union family.”

SISTERS IN THE BROTHERHOODWilson was also pivotal in starting the Kentucky

2501 Chapter of the Sisters in the Brotherhood. “When I was told about the Sisters in the Brother-

hood program, I jumped at it because it was a way Icould give back to the union,” says Wilson. “When ourSIBS committee formed and we discussed what wewere going to do, we presented it to Tony Hadley. Hegraciously gave us the money to start the committee.”Wilson organized a golf scramble to raise money

for charitable giving. Also, the scramble served as anopportunity to bring city workers, management, andleaders together.

BEDZ FOR KIDZ“When I returned to working as a Code Enforcement

Officer, I was assigned to the Section 8 inspections work-ing with low income housing. That is when I saw a needfor beds.”While doing housing inspections, Wilson would wit-

ness children sleeping on a pile of clothes or a blanketon the floor instead of a bed. “It just tore at my heart,”she says.Wilson sprang into action and began raising funds to

provide beds to these children in need. With the assis-tance of the union, she has delivered over 30 beds todate. “I thank Local 2501 union members and all the CICdelegates who have donated to the Bedz for Kidz pro-gram from the bottom of my heart. With their generousdonations, union delegates improved many lives inLouisville.”

BUILDING THE UNION, ONE PERSON AT A TIME“I have never been part of a union. I had no family

members who were part of a union either. What does aunion mean to me? Family is what it means. Familysticking together to better our communities,” stated Wil-son. While continuing to work as a hair stylist, Wilson

would share the values of union membership with hercustomers. One of those customers was an employee atChevron Oil, who approached Wilson about organizingthe workers at the station. Wilson worked with Local2501 President Brad Silveria and Mike Pieti, beginningher first organizing campaign. The vote was a tie, butworkers report working conditions at the station haveimproved. “As a union, we were still successful in improving the

working conditions that needed to take place,” she ex-plains.

ALWAYS AN ORGANIZER“Since I have a big mouth and talked about the Car-

penters Industrial Council to my friends, several of themwho worked for the Floyd County, Indiana governmentcame to me to organize them,” she states. These countygovernment workers have not received a raise in 12years. This campaign is on-going and, at this point, 68percent of workers have signed cards. Wilson is currentlywaiting for the judges in the four courts to allow theiremployees to join in this effort. The decision shouldcome shortly.“During this campaign, I have had a priceless educa-

tion, and now I have the honor of being on staff with aunion that practices what it preaches. It is an honor, andI’m very grateful to have this opportunity to improve thelives of others. After all, isn’t that the reason we are on thisearth? It is to help our brothers and sisters,” she says. “If I can organize, I think anyone can. Every brother

or sister out there can do the same. We have to stand to-gether to unite workers in the country again.”

READY TO MOVE FORWARDWilson believes it is her and every union member’s

duty to bring others into the union family. She believeswe must educate and bring as many as possible into theunion family. She asserts this will bring the country backto the right path.“We have to let the big corporations know we are

here, and we are not going away. They must know eachand every man and woman deserves a living, fair wage,health benefits, and safe working conditions,” she says.“As a union, this is the time to stand up for this countryand let the government know laborers are the founda-tion of this country. We will not put up with this anylonger, so I challenge each of you to organize.”

UNION BROTHERS: Local 2776 President DaveMontague, Mr. Danny Adams, Local 2776 Vice Presi-dent and CIC Delegate Darrell Lipscomb.

Wisconsin Sisters in the BrotherhoodChairperson Sheila Crouse presents acheck to County Sheriff Jeff Wallace topay for children’s Christmas gifts in“Shop With A Cop” program.

Becky Wilson and her son Dalton.

10 • WINTER 2016 UNION REGISTER

Local 2285 Community Service for Breast CancerAwareness and Domestic Violence AwarenessMembers of Local 2285 employed at Batesville

Manufacturing in Vicksburg, Mississippi do a lot toserve their community and look out for each other. “These people did a good job supporting breast

cancer awareness, and being there for fellow em-ployees and management effected by breast can-cer,” explains Local 2285 President and CIC Execu-tive Board member Pearldene Williams. “Because so many of us have family fighting can-

cer or have lost family members to cancer, this isour third year of fund-raising support. On the 23rdof October, we all wore purple and pink as part of

breast cancer awareness and also domestic vio-lence awareness and prevention. Our union broth-ers and sisters and management both participatedin this event together,” explains President Williams. “This is a great example of a local union doing a

community outreach effort to make the publicaware of the need to be checked for breast cancer.The domestic violence education effort is to try tomake more people aware and try to help prevent itby letting victims know there are resources avail-able to help them if they find themselves in a badsituation,” says Williams.

CIC Local 1751 memberswork at the BlueLinx distribu-tion center in Fort Worth, Texas.In addition to building productsdistribution, they also operate amillwork shop to produce cus-tom molding and other prod-ucts for the housing industry.BlueLinx is a leading nationaldistributor of building material. There were serious concerns

at the start of negotiationsabout the financial status of thecompany. Company stock hasnot been performing well for anextended period of time.BlueLinx had also recently shutdown two smaller distributioncenters in Texas.During negotiations, the

employer proposed changingfrom the current PPO Healthand Welfare plan that the mem-bers had for years to very highdeductible Health Reimburse-ment Account plans, with a bigincrease in the maximum out-of-pocket. The local committeewas very vocal in their opposi-tion. The company had alreadyoffered reasonable wage in-creases, but the increases in theHealth and Welfare would havenullified any increase. A united membership voted

to soundly reject a company fi-nal offer. In addition, memberson the shop floor in each de-partment let their supervisorsknow that they would take jobaction before ever accepting the

big cuts to their medical planbeing proposed by the com-pany.Within days, the company

made a compromise offer ofPPO plans similar to the planthe members had previouslyhad. After sharing the details ofthe plans with members, the lo-cal negotiations committeetook a tentative agreement tothe membership, who ratifiedthe new six year contract.Other terms of the agree-

ment include: wage increases of2 percent to 2.5 percent in eachyear of the agreement, depend-ing on the job classification.There is also an increase in thecompany match for the 401(K)plan. And there is also im-provement in the language gov-erning seniority and vacation.“I am very proud and appre-

ciative of the local union nego-tiating committee, James Blandand Gersain Moreno. This wasthe first negotiations for both ofthem. Due to retirements, themembers of the past negotia-tion committee were no longerworking at Bluelinx. Theseyoung men stepped up to theplate and represented their co-workers very well. Their voicewas heard and they carriedthemselves with class and dig-nity,” says CIC RepresentativeGregory Carter.

Negotiations were concluded and con-tracts ratified by the fall of 2015 for threeseparate bargaining units of public em-ployees in Florida: St Johns County, theCity of St Augustine, and the City of Fer-nandina Beach.For St Augustine public employees,

members of CIC Local Union 2038, a newone-year agreement includes the right toadditional job stewards, and an additionalmember to the grievance committee,strengthening workplace representation.Other improvements include: across-the-board 2 percent wages, an additionallongevity pay increase for longer term em-ployees who’d suffered some prior yearswithout pay increases, an increase to thework boot allowance and, importantly,the addition of “on call” pay. Local 2038member Leonard Smith noted that “thisnew contract gives senior employees likeme about a 6 percent pay increase.”Local 2044 members employed by the

City of Fernandina Beach ratified the newone year contract. Terms of the agreementincluded improved seniority bumpingrights in layoffs, increases in “working outof job classification” pay, bonuses for em-ployees that complete specific state li-censes, increases in paid time off benefits,

and potential wage increases of up to 6percent (depending on evaluations). Inaddition, employees at the maximum payrates for their positions received a lumpsum bonus upon contract ratification.“This is the best contract we’ve everhad,”stated Fernandina Beach employeeMike Floyd.For St Johns County employees, mem-

bers of Local 2044 the one year contractsettlement included a general wage in-crease of 1.6 percent for all employees,with the potential of an additional 2 per-cent based on job evaluations. The con-tract also includes changes in job biddingprocedures to give more frequent oppor-tunities for advancement, clarification ofovertime assignment procedures, addi-tions of brother and sister in-law underthe bereavement policy, modification ofwork rules to give additional disciplinesteps and reduced punishments for manyinfractions. St. Johns County employee, John Long,

expressed that “There were compromisesfrom initial proposals, but we are happywith the negotiations’ outcome, especiallythe job bid changes. That was a big issuefor members.”

The membership of Local 2445 are em-ployed with Johnson Tombigbee Fur-

niture in Columbus, Mississippi. Mem-bers pride themselves on producing finewooden furniture for some of the largestmajor hotel chains in the United States. “Their Union Pride and Made in Amer-

ica attitude extends beyond the shopfloor,” states CIC Representative MichaelWarren. “Local 2445 recently signed off onthe U.S. Department of Commerce instrong support of the continuation of andanti-dumping order regarding woodenbedroom furniture from the People's Re-public of China.”In addition to weighing in on the im-

portant trade issue, Local 2445 held anopen house to the community last Christ-mas season to educate union membersand the public on trade issues like NAFTA,the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership(TPP) free trade agreement, and the threatof Chinese furniture imports. It was also achance to educate non-members about

the benefits of union membership.Local 2445 President Rosie Silvers ex-

plained, “I want us to do something forthe members, but I want the non-mem-bers to want to be part of what we are as aunion.”The open house was held on a Saturday

evening in December, at a hotel meetingroom in Columbus and was well attendedby union members, their families, somenon-union workers from JohnsonTombigbee, and some guests from thegeneral public. The local union providedfood, refreshments, door prizes, and mu-sic, with some guests providing their ownspecial culinary dishes, as well as presentsfor gift exchanges. “Everyone had a great time of fellow-

ship and a strong sense of solidarity wasdeveloped among all those in attendance.The local union plans to make this an an-nual event to promote their union and tobuild membership,” explained Warren.

Local 1751 Negotiating Committee at Blue Linx, from Left to Right:James Bland and Gersain Moreno.

New Local 1751 LeadersFight Concessions at

BlueLinx Distribution Center

Successful Negotiations Concludedfor CIC Public Employees in Florida

Local 2445Opposes UnfairTrade, HostsOpen HouseDiscussion inMississippi

UNION REGISTER WINTER 2016 • 11

Look For Us on FacebookCarpenters Industrial Council

The dangers of cor-porate mergers werepointed out in a recentNew York Times news-paper article, “HowMergers Damage theEconomy.” The authorsconcluded with theopinion “Markets workbest when there ishealthy competitionamong businesses. Intoo many industries,that competition justdoesn’t exist anymore.”The article points out

a recent study by econ-omists Jason Furmanand Peter Orszag whichshowed that corporateconsolidation has beena factor driving incomeinequality in the U.S.These economistspoint out that somecorporations dominat-ing their markets aremaking “super normalreturns.” Current prof-its of these mega corpo-rations are so high thatthey are three times thepercent of profit thatthey made during theeconomic boom in the1990s.What happened

since the 1990s? The governmenthas allowed too many corporatemergers. United Airlines andContinental Airlines, is just oneexample. Recently, Walgreen’sPharmacies announced it is buy-ing Rite Aid Pharmacies. Whatwill that do to prescription drugprices?The U.S. government has a re-

sponsibility to protect con-sumers and workers against toomuch consolidation of compa-nies in any one industry. The roleof government to protect con-sumers from business monopo-lies goes back to President TeddyRoosevelt in the early 1900s. Atthat time, business monopoliesor near monopolies were called“trusts.”As President, in his first

speech to Congress, Rooseveltspoke out in support of the rightsof workers and the importanceof organized labor, and thenasked Congress for more anti-

trust laws to curb the power oflarge corporations. PresidentRoosevelt went after monopolis-tic business “trusts” in railroads,steel, shipping, banking, wheat,meatpacking, and famouslybroke apart Standard Oil. Underhis administration, over 40 an-titrust lawsuits were filed and gi-ant, dominating corporationswere forcibly broken apart intosmaller competing companies,to great benefit of consumers.The remaining smaller corpora-tions competed against eachother for consumers by loweringtheir prices, and competed to at-tract workers by raising wages.In the private sector of the

economy, without competition,a for-profit company dominat-ing any vital service can raiseprices severely to maximize theirprofit, hurting consumers. Imag-ine if there was only one for-profit telephone company in theU.S. If that company suddenlydoubled the cost of monthly

service, what would youdo? If there was no alter-native to take your busi-ness to, would you gowithout telephone serv-ice completely or submitto the higher prices ofthe monopoly? For exactly that rea-

son, to protect con-sumers against businesstrusts, the U.S. Depart-ment of Justice in recentyears prevented AT&Tfrom buying the T-Mo-

bile cellular phone com-pany.Similarly, the Federal

Communications Com-mission intervened foranti-trust reasons to blockthe Comcast’s attemptedpurchase of Time WarnerCable. When you look atyour monthly cable televi-sion bill, you should knowthat if those companieshad merged, your billwould be much, muchhigher.In addition to hurting

consumers, the mergershave often hurt workers asemployers face less threatthat workers will quit andgo to work for a better-pay-ing business competitor in

the same industry. In that way,corporate mergers and consoli-dations have often hurt workersby putting the brakes on wageincreases.In the wood products indus-

tries, we have seen corporate ac-quisitions and mergers consoli-dating the industry in the pastdecade, especially acceleratedafter the 2008-09 recession.In November, Weyerhaeuser

and Plum Creek announced amonster merger to creat a $23billion timber company with 13million of prime commercialtimberlands in the west. Both ofthese companies had previouslyre-organized as Real Estate In-vestment Trusts (REIT) whichhad the effect of dramatically re-ducing federal income taxes. Astimberlands are tied up withfewer monopolistic owners,smaller companies that rely onopen market log purchases willhave a tougher and tougher timegaining access to timber at rea-sonable prices to keep their millsrunning.As voters and as citizens, we

have to power to demand thatour government act on its re-sponsibility to protect workersand consumers against toomuch consolidation in any in-dustry.

Corporate Mergers Often BadFor Workers and Consumers

Recent Examples of Mergersin the

Wood Products Industries• BMC West & Stock Building Supplymerged in

the summer of 2015, forming the third largest build-ing materials distributor in the United States.

• In late 2015, Weyerhaeuser andPlum Creek an-nounced their merger agreement to form a megacorporation Real Estate Investment Trust and thelargest private land-owner of timber land in the en-tire United States. In corporate press releases, thenew mega corporation estimates a $100 million sav-ings in the first year alone by eliminating duplicateadministrative services. To whom will those addi-tional profits go?

Recent Acquisitions in theWood Products Industry

• In 2014, Canada-based company Interforbought four Simpson Lumbermills: one in Georgia,one in South Carolina, and two in Washington State.

• In 2014, Canada-based company West FraserTimber Company bought Travis Lumber Com-pany’s sawmill and lumber manufacturing opera-tions based in Mansfield, Arkansas.

• In 2013, Boise Cascadebought Wood ResourcesLLCplants in Chester, South Carolina and Moncure,North Carolina. In 2015, Boise announced its agree-ment to purchase two of Georgia Pacific’s engi-neered wood products plants in Thorsby, Alabamaand Roxboro, North Carolina.

• In 2011, Masonite International purchasedMarshfield Door (CIC Local Union 1733) in Marsh-field, Wisconsin and Birchwood Best Door in Birch-wood, Wisconsin. In 2012, Masonite acquired Bail-largeon Doors and Lemieux Doors in Quebec,Canada; Algoma Hardwood (CIC Local Union 1521)in Algoma, Wisconsin; and Performance DoorsetSolutions in England. In 2014, Masonite acquiredDoor Stop in England. In 2015, Masonite Interna-tional acquired both National Hickman Companyin England and US Wood Door in New Jersey. Ma-sonite is now the first or second largest door man-ufacturer not just in the U.S.A., but in the entireworld.

• In late 2015, Timber Products CompanyboughtSierra Pine’sMartell, California Particle Board plantand Roseburg Forest Products bought Sierra Pine’sMedium Density Fiberboard plant in Medford, Ore-gon.

These cartoons depict business monopolies as agiant Octopus with its many arms stretching allacross and dominating the U.S. economy. In thecartoon on the right, President Teddy Rooseveltcan be seen fighting the monster. There weremany similar cartoons published during his Pres-idency about his campaigns against the corporate“trusts” as he became known as the great “Trust-Buster.”

of my union, but it taught mewhat another union membertruly means when he or shecalls me “brother.”

(Editor’s Note: Brother GordonTaulbee studied Literature andCreative Writing, earning bothBachelor of Arts and Master ofArts degrees in English from East-ern Kentucky University. Some ofhis favorite writers are Kurt Von-negut, J.D. Salinger, Franz Kafka,and Ernest Hemingway. He’s also

a big fan of Plato, Aristotle, andsome of the medieval writers likePeter Ramus. Brother Taulbee is aCode Enforcement Officer for thecity of Louisville Metro.

“As nerdy as I may be, I am notan elitist: I also love sinking myteeth into a novel by StephenKing or Neil Gaiman,” saysTaulbee.

The Union Register welcomesarticles and photos from all localunion members and we look for-ward to more great contributionsfrom Brother Taulbee.)

(From Page 1)

...‘That Day: A Year Later’

By Doug Parker and Don Staiton With the passage of Oregon

Senate Bill 454, Oregon becamethe fourth state in the nation topass paid sick leave legislation.Other states that currently havepaid sick leave laws include Cali-fornia, Connecticut, and Massa-chusetts.The new law requires that Ore-

gon employers with ten or moreemployees in Oregon must pro-vide their employees with up toforty hours of annual paid sickleave. The new sick leave law applies

to virtually all people working inthe state: full-time and part-timehourly, salaried, commissionedand piece-rate employees, as wellas home care employees who pro-vide hourly or live-in care to theelderly or disabled and who re-ceive money from the Oregon De-partment of Human Services.Only independent contractors,employees who receive paid sickleave under federal law, partici-pants in certain work-training orwork-study programs, and chil-dren employed by their parents,are excluded from coverage.Passage of sick leave legislation

applicable to all Oregon employ-ers follows local government ini-tiatives in Portland and Eugene.The Portland ordinance, enforcedsince January 1, 2014, requires em-

ployers of six employees withinOregon to provide paid sick leave,and employers with less than sixemployees to provide unpaid sickleave. That provision of the Port-land ordinance will remain in ef-fect. Portland employers mustcomply with the new state law inall other respects. However, thenew law prohibits any other localgovernment from imposing differ-ent sick leave requirements on pri-vate employers and instead re-quires adherence to the new statelaw. Consequently, the City of Eu-gene’s sick leave ordinance, whichwas to go into effect on July 1,2015, will now be preempted,meaning Eugene employers mustcomply with the state law only. Under the new Oregon law,

paid sick leave will immediatelybegin to accrue for current em-ployees on January 1, 2016 at a rateof one hour for every 30 hours ofactual work. Employees hired af-ter that date will begin accruingsick leave immediately upon hire(although they cannot begin usingit until the 91st calendar day afterthey begin work). Sick leave pay will be based on

the employee’s regular rate of pay.Employees paid on a commissionor piece-rate basis will receive sickleave pay at the current Oregonminimum wage. Salaried employ-ees exempt from overtime are pre-

sumed to work 40 hours per weekfor accrual purposes unless the ac-tual workweek of the employee isless than 40 hours, in which casesick time accrues based on the ac-tual workweek of the employee.Oregon employers will not be

required to pay out accrued sickleave balances when an employeeresigns or is terminated, but anyaccrued sick leave must be re-stored to an employee who is re-hired within 180 days. An em-ployee will not lose his or heraccrued sick leave if transferred toanother Oregon facility of thesame employer or upon the sale ofthe business to another employer.Employees are permitted to use

accrued sick leave in one-hour in-crements, which for the most parttracks allowable incremental timeuses under the Oregon FamilyLeave Act (“OFLA”). These uses in-clude leave taken for their own ora family member’s illness, injury orhealth conditions and/or medicaldiagnosis. Paid sick leave may alsobe used for any of the following

reasons:•To care for an infant or newly

adopted or foster child;•To care for a child who needs

home care;•To make funeral arrange-

ments, attend the funeral or grievefor a family member who has died;•To seek legal or law enforce-

ment assistance to ensure thehealth and safety of the employeeor the employee’s dependent;•To obtain, or to assist a de-

pendent in obtaining counselingfrom a licensed mental health pro-fessional or services from a victimservice provider, or to relocate ortake steps to secure an existinghome because of an experience ofdomestic violence, harassment,sexual assault or stalking; or•To deal with situations in

which the employee is excludedfrom the workplace for health rea-sons or because of the closure ofthe employee’s place of business,or closure of the school or place ofcare of the employee’s dependent,by order of a public official due to

a public health emergency.The new Oregon law also pro-

vides that employers may requireemployees to make reasonable at-tempts to schedule sick leavewhen it is least disruptive to theemployer and to provide reason-able notice of their intention totake sick leave when that leave isforeseeable. The employer mayalso require documentation onlyfor periods of sick leave of threedays or more. Under the new lawit will be illegal to deny, interferewith or retaliate against an em-ployee who has taken sick leave asprovided under the statute.The Commissioner of the Bu-

reau of Labor and Industries(BOLI) is charged with adoptingrules for implementation and en-forcement of the new law. Employers should examine

their sick leave policies now to de-termine whether they will need tomake changes to bring them intocompliance before the law takeseffect on January 1, 2016.

12 • WINTER 2016 UNION REGISTER

Is your mailing address current and correct?It is important to let us know if the address shown on your Union Register should bechanged. If the label is incorrect, please complete the form below and return this form toUnion Register. If possible, attach the mailing label.

Local Union___________________________________________________________

Member Name ________________________________________________________

Mailing Address _______________________________________________________

City, State, Zip_________________________________________________________

Clip and return this form to:Union Register

12788 S.E. Stark Street, Portland, Oregon 97233

Or e-mail your address change to tjohnston@cic-ubc.org

ISSN 0274-970XOFFICIAL LABOR NEWS PUBLICATION published quarterly for the Carpenters Industrial Council UBC and its Affiliates_____________________________________________________________

Periodicals Postage Paid at Portland, Oregon, and additional offices. Subscription Rate $9.00 per year, Advertising Rates on ApplicationPUBLISHED THE FIRST FRIDAY QUARTERLY.

By the Union Register Company, an Oregon Corporation All Copy must be received by third Monday, prior to publication date._____________________________________________________________UNION REGISTER COMPANY OFFICERS

Tony Hadley, Secretary-Treasurer• Jerry King, President• Dan O’Donnell, Editor

Editorial and Business Offices:12788 S.E. Stark St., Portland, Oregon 97233 • Telephone (503) 228-0235 • E-mail: tjohnston@cic-ubc.org

Carpenters Industrial Council Offices: 12788 S.E. Stark St., Portland, Oregon 97233 • Telephone (503) 228-0235_____________________________________________________________

The UNION REGISTER (ISSN 0274-970X) is published quarterly the first Friday, for $9.00 per year by the Union Reg-ister Company, 12788 S.E. Stark Street, Portland, Oregon 97233. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, Oregon andadditional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to UNION REGISTER, 12788 S.E. Stark Street, Portland, OR97233.

Printed with Union Labor

NOTICE TO NEWS CORRESPONDENTSAll mail correspondence should be sent to: 12788 SE StarkStreet, Portland, OR 97233 or FAX to: 503-228-0245.

CALL CONGRESS NOWYOU CAN SAVE U.S. JOBS!

The Trans Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement

is like NAFTA on steroids

and would cost U.S. workers millions of jobs.

Pick up the phone now!

Call 1-844-335-4343

Tell your Congressman:

“Keep manufacturing jobs in the USA!

Vote against the TPP free trade deal

or I will vote against you in November.”

Oregon Becomes Fourth State to Pass Paid Sick Leave Law

REGISTER TO VOTE!It’s your right. It’s your duty. Use your voice.

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION, (Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685) the Union Register Date of Filing:September 21, 2015.

Frequency of issue: Quarterly (4 issues published annually) annual subscription price $9.00Complete mailing address of known office of publication: 12788 S.E. Stark Street, Portland, Oregon 97233Complete mailing address of headquarters or general business office of the publishers: 12788 S.E. Stark Street, Portland, Oregon 97233Names and addresses of publisher, editor, and managing editors: Publisher, The Union Register Co., an Oregon Corp., 12788 S.E. Stark Street,

Portland, Oregon 97233; Editor: Dan O’Donnell, 12788 S.E. Stark Street, Portland, Oregon 97233; Managing Editor, Angela Richardson, 12788SE Stark St., Portland OR 97233.

OWNER: The Union Register Company, An Oregon Corporation, 12788 S.E. Stark Street, Portland, Oregon 97233, stockholders in which areCarpenters Industrial Council, UBC&J, 12788 S.E. Stark Street,Portland, Oregon 97233, (a Labor Union Council, not incorporated)

Tony Hadley, 12788 SE Stark Street, Portland, Oregon 97233Jerry King, 12788 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97233Dan O’Donnell, 12788 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97233

Known bondholders, mortgages, and other security holders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages or other securities: none

The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of the organization and the exempt status for Federal income tax purposes have not changed during preceding 12 months.

Average No. Copies Single Issue Each Issue During Nearest to Preceding 12 Months Filing Date

A.  TOTAL NO. COPIES PRINTED (Net Press Run)............................................ 12,540 12,350B.  PAID CIRCULATION

1.  MAILED OUTSIDE-COUNTY PAID SUBSCRIPTIONS STATED ON PS FORM 3541..................................... 12,340 12,150

2.  MAILED IN-COUNTY PAID SUBSCRIPTIONS STATED ON PS FORM 3541 .................................... 0 0

3.  OUTSIDE THE MAILS INCLUDING SALES THROUGH DEALERS AND CARRIERS,STREET VENDORS AND COUNTER SALES ............ 0 0

4.  OTHER CLASSES MAILED THROUGH THE USPS ............................... 0 0C.  TOTAL PAID DISTRIBUTION

(Sum of 15b(1), (2), (3) AND (4).................................................................... 12,440 12,250D.  FREE OR NOMINAL RATE DISTRIBUTION ................................................

(By mail and outside the mail) ....................................................................... 0 04. FREE OR NOMINAL RATE DISTRIBUTION.............................................

OUTSIDE THE MAIL (Carriers and other means) ..................................... 100 100E.  TOTAL FREE OR NOMINAL RATE DISTRIBUTION ................................... 100 100F.  TOTAL DISTRIBUTION ............................................................................... 12,540 12,350G.  COPIES NOT DISTRIBUTED ...................................................................... 100 100I.  PERCENT PAID ......................................................................................... 99% 99%

Publication of Statement of Ownership: October 2014I certify that the statements made by the above are correct and complete.(Signed) Angela Richardson, Managing Editor