WORKING TOGETHER
We thank the membership
for their support and involvement in the election process. Now is
the time for all Teamster members to put the election behind us,
and work together to move our Local Union forward during the next
three years.
Your newly elected Executive Board is looking forward to making Local 690 stronger with expanded involvement of the membership.
We also want to thank Beth Thew, President of the Spokane Labor Council, for co-coordinating our election and ballot count. Her team of volunteers did a professional and thorough job of making the ballot count run smoothly and accurately. Their help was greatly appreciated. Other members of Beth’s team: Jennifer
Mackay, SPEEA; Ed Wood, Jr. and Marsha
Beck, Communication Workers of America 7818; Dave
Miletich, UFCW Local 21; and Tina Morrison and Kevin
Milligan, Musicians Local 105.
Much gratitude
is due to Project Learn Coordinator Ryan Beetham and
IBT Training Specialist Sally Payne for helping
us conduct another successful Stewards’ Training Seminar that
once again earned rave reviews from the attendees. Stay tuned to
find out the next step from Ryan in leading us into the future with
Project Learn.
1.) IT WAS A GREAT
MEMBERSHIP CHRISTMAS PARTY!
We had our annual Membership
Appreciation Christmas Party on December 19th at the Local’s
Union Hall. Your newly elected Executive Board was introduced to
the members and guests. Members of the Musicians Local 105, “The
Celestial Strings,” Kathleen Czoski, Manager,
provided the entertainment during the festivities. Many friends
and retirees attended and we want to thank Tom Nichols for
obtaining the prizes that were given away. A luncheon of chicken,
sandwiches, homemade soup, and desserts was served at the end of
the meeting.
2.) WITHDRAWAL CARDS
If you are off work due to
a layoff, illness or injury, you may take a withdrawal card. Dues
must be current. You will be put on an inactive status until you
return to work. The downside of a withdrawal card includes cancellation
of the life insurance, and you can’t attend Union meetings.
You can’t run for office without 2 years continuous membership
in good standing prior to the election.
3.) OFFICE HOURS
Local 690 is open from 8 a.m.
to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
4.) ADDRESS CHANGES
For receiving all 690 info, i.e., general
membership meeting, craft meeting, Local Union election, and other
pertinent information, contact the Local to make sure your current
mailing address is correct.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Thank you again for your
support and we hope all of you had a Happy Holiday Season, a Merry
Christmas, and a joyous New Year’s Day.
Local 690 Business Representative Ron
Vevoda and Butch McConnell celebrate the successful
prosecution and settlement of a grievance filed on Butch’s
behalf at AMR. Local 690 was able to have a 15-day suspension revoked
with full back wages. Butch is a new Shop Steward at AMR.
Local 690 Business Representative Ron Vevoda was
able to successfully resolve a grievance filed on behalf of Brad
Derting and all members at AMR. This grievance involved
the improper placement in the wage matrix of the contract and was
settled with full back wages for all affected members. This led to
the disbursement of nearly $10,000 in wages and bonus payments to
the membership. The payments were received December 17, 2009.
Public Sector bargaining units continue to be under pressure from
their respective employers to consider cost cutting measures including:
wage and benefit concessions, furloughs, layoffs. Stewards and bargaining
unit members are working to find creative means of addressing the
effect of budget short-falls. It is encouraging to see the unity
of members in these difficult times.
Congratulations to Amy Sullivan for
her fundraising efforts to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma and
myeloma. She recently ran in a marathon to raise funds for this
worthy cause. Amy is a dedicated attorney in the Spokane County
Assistant Public Defenders’ Of
fice Bargaining Unit. Her commitment to help others is commendable.
An excerpt from her webpage reads:
“I’m training to participate in an endurance event
as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS)
Team In Training All of us on Team In Training are raising funds
to help stop leukemia, Iymphoma, Hodgkins Iymphoma and myeloma
from taking more lives. I am completing this event in honor of
all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people are
the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross
the ultimate finish line — a cure! “
Amy Sullivan exemplifies the Teamsters’ spirit of giving of
one’s self to help others!
Pictured
to the right is Santa Claus, aka Rick “Mountain
Man” Robinson, leaving
from his home in the North Pole to travel to Newport so the kids of Newport
can have their picture taken with Santa. Rick is a retiree from Central Pre-Mix
and he and his wife Liza have opened their shop for the kids to meet and have
their picture taken with Santa for many years. Thanks, “Mountain Man” — oops,
we mean Santa — for giving back to the kids and community of Newport.
We would like also to acknowledge Mike Gladden, Shop Steward
for Shamrock Paving, for his many years of volunteering his time with the Sea
Scouts to give the kids in our community a chance to learn something about
sailing and possibly jump starting a career in the Navy or Coast Guard. Thank
you, Mike, for your unselfish dedication to the young people of our community.
Dolly Fox, pictured at right, is a UPS 32-year
UPS employee, officially she started in October 1977 as a peak hire, but was
not hired until January 1998. Dolly will be leaving UPS in the middle of January
2010 and officially retiring in March. Dolly has a good Union family. She has
been a Teamster for 32 years, her son Keith Gunderson was
a Teamster with Waste Management for a number of years and is currently with
the Operating Engineers, and Roni Fox, her daughter, works
with the State Liquor stores. Dolly is retiring from UPS under PEER 84 with
a full pension. She is reaping the benefits of a pension that is one of the
better pensions a part-time employee could ask for.
Dolly says she will keep busy but does not have any specific plans. She will
take the opportunities as they come, and wants to enjoy life. She will volunteer
and stay busy.
We will miss Dolly, and hope everyone that knows her will have a chance to
say good-bye to her before she leaves.
Local 690 congratulates Steve
Phelan, a forklift operator
at the Safeway Produce Warehouse in Spokane for the past 20 years. Steve retired
December 31, 2009 to the good life at his residence in Deer Park Washington. 
Clyde
Dickie, pictured at right, retired a second
time in December from Degerstrom. He worked in construction over 37 years, most
of the time with Degerstrom. He plans on continuing to raise cattle, do a little
traveling, and get to work restoring his ’59 Thunderbird. Congratulations
on your retirement. You’ve
earned it.
Eric
Johnson, left, newly-elected
690 Trustee who works for Waste Management, is pictured “at bat” in
a Superior, Montana Upper Men’s Slowpitch Tournament in July. Eric’s
Tournament batting average was over .700 and it is rumored the Mariners, who
are sorely in need of some batting punch, are offering him a tryout in Spring
Training this year in Peoria, Arizona. Good going, “Eagle Eye
Eric.”

Congratulations
are in order for Jeff, pictured at right, and Amanda
Thew. They
are proud parents of their newest addition, Emma. Emma was born on December
10, 2009. Jeff is a UPS Driver at the Spokane South/Valley Center. He has been
working at UPS for 11 years and has been a driver for the past 3 years.
LOCAL 690 OFFICERS ELECTION RESULTS
The positions and the elected members are
in Bold — and the vote counts tallied...
SECRETARY-TREASURER
Val Holstrom
594 VOTES
Bob Holman
398 Votes
|
PRESIDENT
Matt Tanner
597 VOTES
Phil Herman
397 Votes
|
VICE PRESIDENT
CAROL STONE
593 VOTES
Gail Anderson
396 Votes |
RECORDING SECRETARY
W. Terry Moser
597 VOTES
Rick Spurlin
393 Votes |
TRUSTEES:
Dick Southwick
651 VOTES
Eric Johnson
618 VOTES
Ryan Beetham
606 VOTES |
Dan Gillespie
419 Votes
Todd Kirwin
393 Votes |
|