A visionary. A role model. A shoulder to lean on. That’s how members of United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters (UA) Local 290 describe retiree Dave Stahly.
Stahly, 83, spent more than two decades as a volunteer helping Local 290 members when they’re out of work and encountering hardship.
What eventually became known as the Don Sallee Membership Assistance Program began around 2003 as a food pantry set up by members Don Sallee and Terry Schouviller. Stahly, who had recently retired, was drafted to help. Soon he was taking it to new levels.
“I can’t say I needed a project,” Stahly recalls. “My wife would find many projects for me to do if I needed one. But I just felt that it was time for me to give back.”
Stahly joined Local 290 as an apprentice in 1967. Early on, he struggled to provide for his wife and two children on the entry-level wages. But he kept going, and looking back he thanks his lucky stars that he saw the value of sticking to the union, including great retirement and health benefits, friendships, and variety in the work he got to do. In retirement Stahly was glad to be able to help fellow members who were struggling like he once was.
Before Sallee died in 2009, he tapped Stahly to lead the program.
“From that time on, I was basically the front person for members’ assistance,” Stahly said. “I didn’t do it alone. I couldn’t do it alone. I had people help.”
Switching from a food pantry model, program volunteers went grocery shopping for members who were out of work and couldn’t afford groceries. Then they mailed grocery store gift cards, or had grocers mail cards directly. Finally they shifted to digital gift cards sent via email.
Today the program provides $250 grocery gift cards to active members who have been out of work for more than a month. Members call the union hall to get the help.
“$250 isn’t much for groceries, and never was meant to be,” Stahly said. “But it helps free up money for other things. People make better decisions if they have food on the table.”
Stahly didn’t just send cards. He also called members who’d requested assistance, and listened when they talked about job losses, health problems, and financial struggles. And he worked to connect them with other resources, like Labor’s Community Service Agency.
Stahly also worked to secure funding. In the early years, the program relied on sporadic grants from the union, donations from individuals and businesses, and raffles Stahly would organize at union meetings. In 2016, Stahly appealed to the membership and helped pass a funding mechanism of 1 cent per work hour. That has since increased to five cents per hour. Raffles and other fundraising continue to supplement the fund.
In July, Stahly stepped down from running the program and passed the baton to Suzanne Scheans, who he recruited as a volunteer in 2010. Scheans says she’ll strive to maintain the personal touch that Stahly excelled at.
At Local 290’s Sept. 18 general membership meeting, Stahly was recognized for his service and presented with a blanket custom-woven with UA 290 insignia.
“The greatest gift of all was the trust that the membership put in me to do the right thing,” Stahly told the Labor Press.
“Dave Stahly is more than a program leader,” said Local 290 assistant business manager James King in a statement read at the meeting. “He’s a role model. A true example of what it means to be a union brother. Someone who looks out for others, who gives his time, and who works to make sure no one falls through the cracks.”
