On Saturday, October 22nd, a hundred OFNHP members along with our friends and family came together for a festive party at McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale, Oregon. The event was a Unity Night organized by the Social Committee, which pulls together fun events that allow union members to get to know each other outside of workplace organizing. This was the first Unity Night since the pandemic began, and was a chance for us to finally come back together and celebrate our victories from the past two years.
“Thank you so much to all those who were able to make it to our first Unity Night since the pandemic!” says Niky Jones, the chair of the Social Committee and the key organizer that put this event together. It was a great time being able to reconnect with our members and I can’t wait to do it together again!”
With a great buffet dinner and a full bar, the party atmosphere was a great place to blow off some steam and get to know each other socially. We brought in a “casino night” where we handed out “OFNHP dollars” we had made that our members then traded in for chips so they could do a little gambling. Through our 50/50 raffle and a silent auction we raised hundreds of dollars for some local charities, including the Labor Community Service Agency, which supports union members in need and for which we raised $719.
Jones also awarded different steward leaders for awards identified by the staff that work with them, such as “Most Emails Sent,” “Most Contract Quotes,” and “Most Spirited.” We were joined by Graham Trainor, the President of Oregon AFL-CIO, to talk about what’s at stake for Oreogn’s labor community, why this election is important, and how the relationships we build at events like these are essential for winning great contracts and building power in the workplace.
We will be holding more social events in the coming month, so if you want to volunteer for the Social Committee reach out to Niky Jones at NJones@OFNHP.org and she can get you plugged in.