In Memoriam

A former Democratic Party chair in Multnomah and Clatsop counties, he served unions and other groups as a convention parliamentarian.

A dedicated union worker, she had a lifelong commitment to Democratic politics and led campaign work for Northwest Oregon Labor Council.

A former Laborers Local 296 business manager, he helped build Portland in more than 30 years as a member of the union.

Oregon School Employee Association's first female president left a legacy of solidarity.

Jane McAlevey, a seasoned union organizer and prolific writer, died July 7 at age 59 after a battle with multiple myeloma.

She put her organizational skills to work for CWA, the Northwest Labor Press, and Oregon State Industrial Union Council.

The former IBEW Local 48 business manager helped move the union hall and set up the union's market recovery and flex benefits plans.

Richard Harmon, an influential community organizer and mentor to generations of organizers, died Feb. 6 in Portland.

Mike Sullivan was a tireless advocate for steel and paper mill workers and a dedicated proponent of universal health care.

The Eugene fire fighter and Lane County Central Labor Council leader helped pass Oregon’s public worker union law.

Former Plasterers Local 82 business manager Don McKinnon died Dec. 15 at the age of 79. McKinnon was business manager from 1984 to 2022.

He joined Bakers Local 114 in 1952, and led the union as executive secretary-treasurer for a decade before his retirement in 1992.

The retired union representative of Machinists District Lodge 24 died May 2 at the Portland VA Medical Center at the age of 76.

Training center director Aida Aranda, who died Feb. 27, was a proud Laborer and a dedicated advocate for apprenticeship.

Gillespie, a former president of Oregon AFSCME, served Oregon working people and Eugene residents for more than three decades.

Ralph Groener, a lobbyist for AFSCME for 28 years, had a knack for being in the right place at the right time.

Gay Lincoln, a retired union machinist who was long active in the civic life of Southwest Washington, died April 30 at age 82.

Victor T. Weekes Sr., a Nabisco worker and longtime officer of Bakers Local 364, died May 7 of multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer.

A retired AFT-Washington leader, he was active for decades promoting labor history and led the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association.

Trumka was the fifth person to serve as president since the AFL-CIO was formed in 1955, and was the first AFL-CIO president to die in office.