The Northwest Oregon Labor Council’s 25th annual Labor Appreciation Dinner honored union members for their work to support veterans, women, paramedics, and all workers.
The Heritage Award was given posthumously to Mark Sturbois of CWA 7901. Sturbois died of cancer on March 22 at the age of 74 after decades as a passionate union member and political activist.
“Mark was the kind of unionist who understood that showing up is everything,” Northwest Oregon Labor Council (NOLC) Executive Secretary-Treasurer Laurie Wimmer told attendees at the May 17 dinner.
IBEW Local 48 received the Del Ricks Community Service Award, which is given to a union member or group with a long track record of community service. Local 48 was honored for its support of fellow unions, including providing space for the NOLC monthly meetings for the past 21 years and sponsoring other NOLC events.
The dinner also honored six individuals and two bargaining teams:
- Frank Wilson, an International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local Lodge 1005 trustee and Navy veteran, was recognized for his work to support veterans through the Machinists union and through groups like Do Good Multnomah.
- Gabi Beamer, an instructor at the Oregon & Southern Idaho Laborers-Employers Training Trust, was commended for her work leading Women@Work, a LiUNA Local 737’s group for women laborers. Beamer has grown participation in Women@Work meetings and expanded the group’s volunteer and social events.
- Emily Horton, secretary-treasurer of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 28, was honored for her efforts to advocate for fellow workers, going far above and beyond her job duties to assist workers in need.
- Kim King, an Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 11 union officer and longtime social services case worker, was recognized for her efforts to get coworkers involved in the union. King has increased meeting attendance and decreased the union opt-out rate at the public sector agency where she serves as shop steward.
- Theresia Lloyd-Siemer was honored for her dedication to her union, AFSCME Local 328. Lloyd-Siemer worked as a health unit coordinator at OHSU for more than 25 years and served as a steward and on numerous labor boards, including the Oregon AFSCME Executive Board, Southwest Washington Central Labor Council, and the AFSCME Women’s Committee.
- Megan Conti, Witt Dumas, Kyle Knutson, and Aaron Owsley were recognized for their work bargaining a first contract for nearly 200 first responders employed by American Medical Response (AMR) in Washington County. Paramedics, EMTs and dispatchers unionized with Teamsters Local 223 in December 2023 and ratified their first contract 15 months later. Conti, Dumas, Knutson, and Owsley stayed united through the lengthy bargaining process despite being in a high-turnover industry with workers spread across different shifts and stations.
- Brandon Bryant, president of IAM District Lodge W24, and the IAM Boeing Negotiation and Strike Team — Eric Bitney, Dan Patterson, John Kleiboeker, Dan Bricker, Jeff Smith, Scott Lacey, Will Lukens, and Beth Lacey — were commended for their work organizing and advocating for workers in the 54-day Boeing strike that started in September 2024 and ended with significant contract gains after previous contracts that contained concessions.
The dinner also raised funds for Labor’s Community Service Agency, which provides safety net services for union families.
