Members of Floor Coverers Local 1236 have a powerful incentive to stay at the top of their craft. Those who use their spare time to take at least 24 hours a year of additional classes at the union training center are invited to a dinner gathering and walk out with serious prizes. Every awardee gets a bonus check for $599 and a bucket full of tools. And then a raffle sends three lucky members home with even bigger prizes: two checks for $2,500 and one for $5,000.
The annual event is known as the STAR Awards Banquet. STAR stands for Safety, Training, Awards, Recognition. This year it took place May 15 at the all-union Vancouver Hilton Hotel and Convention Center.
Local 1236 training center director DJ Rusk called up members one by one for honors.
“After long days … nobody looks at a free evening and says, ‘You know what sounds fun? more flooring education.’ Yet here you are,” Rusk told members and their spouses. “That says something. It says you care about your craft.”
To be a STAR awardees means a member took at least 24 hours of classes, but almost half took much more than that, said Local 1236 business rep Dave Winkler — some as many as 40 or 50 hours. That helps the local field the best-skilled workers in their industry. Local 1236 represents about 160 workers in Oregon and Southwest Washington who specialize in linoleum, carpet, and soft tile floor installation.
Local 1236 STAR award recipients this year were: Jackson Aho, Rodrigo Morales-Corona, Adam Daugherty, Matthew Findley, Tommy Ota, Andrew Sparks, Andrew Booth, Kyle West, Roberto Mendez-Luna, Edgar Diaz, Rogelio Ramirez, Dustin Watson, Mike Howell, Jason Souza, Aaron Selix, Clint Stone, Brent Tompkins, and Brian Marler.
MORE PHOTOS See more images of the Local 1236 STAR award event at nwlaborpress.org/iupat1236stars2026.
