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Clay resigns as UFCW Local 555 secretary-treasurer

Ed Clay resigned as secretary-treasurer of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, effective Jan. 7.

Clay, 53, told the union’s Executive Board Jan. 6 that he planned to retire at the end of the year. His term of office expires Dec. 31. Clay has been a member of UFCW for 28 years and has served as secretary-treasurer of Local 555 since 1997.

After resigning at the board meeting, Clay accepted a position as assistant to the president for the remainder of 2005. The union’s Executive Board also appointed him vice president to complete the term of a current vacancy.

Lin Mayes, director of Membership Services, was appointed to fill the unexpired term as secretary-treasurer. Mayes will run for the post later this year.

City commissioner Adams hires part- time labor liaison

Sam Adams, newly installed Portland City Commissioner, seems ready to look past last year’s endorsement — by most local unions — of his opponent Nick Fish.

Last month, Adams hired Terry Richardson, an organizer for Communications Workers of America Local 7901, as a part-time labor liaison.

Since Adams won the Nov. 2 election, he has reached out to organized labor with visits to the Northwest Oregon Labor Council, the Columbia Pacific Building Trades Council, and the executive board of the largest city workers union, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 189.

AFSCME staff representative James Hester said his union bears no bad feeling toward Adams; its preference of Fish was based on his closer past relations with unions as a labor attorney.

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