Who are you and how did you get to where you are?
I’m a Portland raised baby boomer, but the last (poorer) half of boomers, and had Portland parents. My grandfather was an immigrant, but never talked about that. I attended David Douglas High School and went on to major in biology at PSU. I never sensed any social-political beliefs from my parents, except that my mother voted in every election and in 1972, she told me that she voted for George McGovern for my sake, as she couldn’t decide between McGovern and Richard Nixon. My best qualities are probably ones that I got from my mother.
I was very young during the 60s, so it was Watergate that made me politically aware. I was worried about “The Greenhouse Effect,” pollution, war and Republicans. In 1983, I had two good friends who were working at the Central Library. My restaurant job couldn’t guarantee my hours and I would make $3.93 working for the Library – 60 cents above minimum wage! So I applied and was hired to work for the Library Association of Portland. It makes me sad to think about my start, as both of those friends have died. The Library Workers association went on strike in July of 1987.I hit the bricks all three days of our strike and that feeling of solidarity has never left me. In 1990 the Central Library became an official department of Multnomah County and we joined Local 88.I started as a Steward, and was first elected as one of the trustees in 1993. I was elected treasurer in 2005, 2007, 2011 and 2013. Treasurer is one of the hardest jobs in all of organized labor. When I arrived home after first being elected, my partner told me that I just got a couple of thousand bosses, as a union official works for all the members.
I am currently a delegate to the Northwest Oregon Labor Council.
What motivates you to be active in our Union? What does being a Union member mean to you?
An injury to one is an injury to all. We are all stronger together. Just as I found that I did want to work in the public sector, I also wanted to fight and protect our rights. I have not been the person who makes a rousing speech and can organize the work force, but the movement also needs those who show up, do the work, carry the banner, work the phone bank.As the song, Step by Step says, “Many stones can form an arch, Singly none.” I have been an active member of NOLC’s labor history committee. Researching the topics of our annual presentations I educated myself (and others) about Dr. Marie Equi and the 1913 Oregon Packers strike; the Centralia tragedy, and the Portland Newspapers Strike of 1959-1965. Besides labor history, I have a passion for protest songs of the movement.
What are you working on or what’s coming up that you’re looking forward to?
As much as it pains me to think of no longer working with my fabulous co-workers, I am thinking of retiring. At least retirement will let me attend more protests on the weekends. We need to take back our country. I may work on call for the Library, but at least I will join the retiree local.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Not only have I studied union history, I have been a part of union history. Thanks to Oregon AFSCME, I had a ride to Seattle for the 1999 WTO conference protest for the day focusing on Labor. Steel workers and Teamsters marching with Sea Turtles. During the rally, I especially remember Sweet Honey in the Rock singing, “Step by Step.” We joyously hit the streets, but the march captains kept telling us, “don’t go downtown, don’t go downtown.” We were rerouted, but still got near the conference hotel. Seattle was using city buses as a physical barrier between the masses and the ministerial attendees in the hotel. After the march, we ate Thai food, and returned by bus to Portland. Now, remember that this was 1999 – we all had answering machine messages, from friends (and our parents) asking us if we were alright.
Chicago 2006 was my first International convention as a delegate. It is usual for local dignitaries to speak on the first day. The MC that day was actor Jimmy Smits, who had just appeared as presidential candidate, Matt Santos, on The West Wing. The paper the next day ran a photo of both Smits and Illinois senator, Barrack Obama on stage, with the caption, “Next president of the United States?” That convention was also the birth of Next Wave and I got to meet Bill Lucy!
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