Del French, a general vice president of the Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons International Association of the United States and Canada, will retire at the end of the year.

A 36-year member and former business manager of Portland-based Cement Masons Local 555, French went to work for the international union in 1990 where he covered Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska, Montana and Hawaii. He was appointed as a general vice president to the Executive Board in 1995.

French, 57, is a native Washingtonian, born in Vancouver and raised in Hazel Dell. He joined the Navy after graduating from Columbia River High School. He served in Vietnam on the USS Kitty Hawk.

He began his career as a union cement mason in Alaska. He returned to Washington in 1970, joining Local 555 — the same local of which his father, Lyle, was a member.

Five years later he was elected president of the local, and in 1982 he was elected business manager, succeeding Al Christianson, who retired.

It was under French’s leadership that the union negotiated one of the West Coast’s first “30-years-and-out” retirement policies for cement masons. This allowed cement finishers to retire at any age without a reduction of their pension.

“It’s a physically demanding job. Finishers take a lot of abuse. This allowed them to retire before they were completely broken down,” French said.

For the next nine years French worked closely with leaders of the building trades crafts as president of the Oregon State Building and Construction Trades Council and as president of the Five-Craft Heavy and Highway Construction Division.

“I’ve met a lot of great people and made a lot of lifelong friends,” French told the Northwest Labor Press.

A number of building trades colleagues attended his retirement party Oct. 28 in Portland. They included LeRoy Worley, retired general secretary of the International Iron Workers; Tom Worley, retired business manager of Portland Iron Workers Local 29; Jim McNanny, retired business manager of Bricklayers Local 1; Bruce Temple, retired business manager of Local 555; Jerry Krahn, retired business agent for the Carpenters Union, and Walt LaChappelle, a retired business agent for the Teamsters.

Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons General President John Dougherty and General Secretary-Treasurer Patrick Finley spoke at the event, praising French for his commitment to the labor movement.

The entire International Union’s Executive Board came to Portland to wish French well.

Masters of ceremonies for the event were Roger Bettermann, a former business manager of Seattle Cement Masons Local 528, who will succeed French as an international representative; and Calvin McKinnis, business manager of Portland Plasterers Local 82.

Other speakers included Bob Shiprack, executive secretary-treasurer of the Oregon State Building Trades Council; Byron Loney, a former superintendent with Hoffman Construction; Scott Gardner of Gardner Financial Group; and Billy Mitchell, a retired business manager of Iron Workers Local 29.

Family members in attendance were French’s wife of 36 years, Sheryl, his mother, Maxine, and two sons, identical twins Doni and Deni. Both are members of Plumbers and Fitters Local 290.