Local 690 Election News:
Great Support For "Tried 'N True"

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.

Project Learn Progress
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.

Miscellaneous
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.

More Local 690 News Items
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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.