Join the Journey to Empower Oregon
A team united, with knowledge as their guide, dedication as their strength, and experience as their compass
In a galaxy not so far away, the future of Oregon AFSCME shines bright with five remarkable candidates ready to lead us into a new era. This is more than just a leadership campaign; it’s a call to action for every member of our community, uniting us in our mission to uplift Oregon’s workforce and foster a stronger, more equitable future. As we navigate through challenges and opportunities, these candidates are not just trailblazers—they are our allies in the pursuit of a better Oregon. With each candidate bringing their unique strengths and visionary ideas, we stand at the forefront of change, ready to harness our collective power.
With a cohesiveness and mutual respect forged in the shared trials of multiple successive “unprecedented challenges”, the Force 4 Oregon AFSCME is a team whose purpose is to thoughtfully and responsibly serve all of Oregon AFSCME, cultivating the common good of all affiliate locals and their members both present and future. They represent a wide range of Oregon AFSCME’s locals from various geographic regions and professional sectors. Between them, they have close to 100 years of experience serving at local, regional, state and international levels. Each member of the Force is exceptionally well qualified for the role they are seeking and, together in solidarity, they are stronger than the sum of their parts
Experience the Force of Unity
Join Our Galactic Campaign
Dive into the unique Star Wars inspired designs of our campaign that resonate with our values and vision for Oregon. At The Force for Oregon, we believe that just like the heroes of the galaxy, our candidates embody resilience, strength, and a commitment to serving the community. Each candidate's description highlights their individual strengths and the transformative impact they will have on AFSCME and our beloved Oregon community. Together, we can forge a brighter future, guided by the principles of unity and justice. Embrace the force with us and help shape a new era of leadership!
Empowering Change: Discover Candidate Platforms
At The Force for Oregon, we believe in the power of informed choices. Our dedicated section on Candidate Platforms and Vision offers you an insightful look into the aspirations and commitments of each candidate vying to represent Oregon AFSCME.
Fred Yungbluth for
OREGON AFSCME
PRESIDENT
We always put our focus on our customers. We want you to find the product or service that perfectly suits your needs, which is why we offer comprehensive consulting services to help you make an informed decision.What the Oregon AFSCME President does: In general, the President is the public face and primary member-representative of the organization. They are responsible for presiding at all Executive Board and Executive Committee Meetings. They are an ex-officio member of all Council Committees. They assign and support committees and they found and nature caucuses. They have specific fiscal responsibilities. They are the designated representative of Oregon AFSCME at all conventions and conferences. Of course, they have other related duties and functions that evolve with the needs of the times. In short, the President equitably serves and represents all Oregon AFSCME members and affiliate locals.
What makes Fred exceptionally well-qualified for that role: In a word, experience. Fred’s balanced and pragmatic leadership style was honed with the hard lessons learned over nearly 20 years of union member leadership. He’s proven, many times and over many years, that he’s got what it takes to weather the storms of change and come out stronger. He’s learned that the true limitless potential of Oregon AFSCME lies in the continuous development and empowerment of emerging member-leaders. It’s uncommon to have a conversation with Fred—any conversation---that doesn’t eventually lead to him talking about the future and about building a framework for the organization that fosters organizational growth that’s inclusive, responsive, and sustainable in the long term. The years ahead call for an experienced leader who knows the lay of the land. Fred’s experience is simply unmatched.
JoAnn GIlmer for
OREGON AFSCME
1st Vice President
What the Oregon AFSCME First Vice President does: When you ask most people what the Vice President does, the first thing they will mention is the need to maintain continuity of operations in the absence of the President. That is important. But, in actually, a Vice President rarely if ever needs to step into the role of President. That doesn’t mean they aren’t filling a vital role beyond that of being a being a “spare.” In Oregon AFSCME, as in many other organizations, the First Vice President works mostly behind the scenes to support and oversee all Council Committees, keeping them on track and ensuring that they are functioning in compliance with Council Policies and in accordance with Executive Committee/Executive Board directives. The relative anonymity of the role, in comparison to that of President, is especially helpful in strategies that require mobilization of leadership resources to implement goals.
What makes JoAnn exceptionally well qualified for that role: In a word, knowledge. JoAnn has spent the past 5 years intentionally developing the knowledge, and cultivating the relationships, to take on this role. She’s worked her way up from delegate, to Executive Board member, to Executive Committee Member, to VP candidate. Because she’s volunteered to serve on, and lead, committees at local, state and international levels, she’s familiar with policies, processes and people who can get things done. While JoAnn is a first-time candidate for the role of First Vice President, she’s approaching the role with based of knowledge that crosses every level of the organization. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more knowledgably candidate for this role.ot only provide professional advice before you order: We are also there to help you afterwards, serving as reliable support.
Charlie Pierson for
OREGON AFSCME
2nd Vice President
What the Oregon AFSCME Second Vice President does: Oregon AFSCME’s strength comes, in no small part, from its longstanding work in developing and leveraging political capital, helping labor-friendly candidates to get into office and supporting legislation that serves and protects workers and working families. This work is so critical that a specific position exists in the Oregon AFSCME Constitute to ensure that it gets the focused attention it deserves. The primary role of the Second Vice President is to serves as a liaison between Oregon AFSCME’s Political Action Committee (PAC) and its Executive Committee. The 2nd Vice President Chairs the statewide PAC and supports the work of Regional District Vice Presidents in facilitating political engagement activities within their respective regions.
What makes Charlie exceptionally well qualified for that role: In a word, commitment. When Charlie commits to something, it not only gets done it gets done well. That’s because commitment is expressed in Charlie in the form of a sincere regard for the kind of thoughtful and thorough deliberative process which produces superior, sustainable decisions. As proven by the countless hours he’s spent interviewing candidates for office and holding elected officials accountable for their campaign promises, Charlie’s commitment to the role 2nd Vice President is beyond reproach.
Meridith Hickman for
OREGON AFSCME
Secretary
What the Oregon AFSCME Secretary does: The Secretary is responsible for ensuring the institutional memory of Oregon AFSCME. While that can, and usually does, take the form of routine tasks such as recording and retaining meeting minutes and carrying out official correspondences on behalf of the Executive Board and Council, they are more than a “recorder”. Their work serves as an intellectual bridge that spans generations and connects the present-day work of our Executive Board to past and future Council 75 Board members, affiliate locals, and rank and file members in perpetuity.
What makes Meridith exceptionally well qualified for that role: In a word, dedication. Through some of the stormiest times in our Council’s recent past, when a role needed to be filled or a task need to be done to keep us moving forward, Meridith stepped in—again and again. Her leadership style is the embodiment of the “servant-leadership” style that values encouragement and collaboration over power and influence. It’s the kind of unwavering dedication Oregon AFSCME’s affiliate locals and rank-and-file members deserve from the office of Secretary
LaRece Rivera for
OREGON AFSCME
Treasurer
What the Oregon AFSCME Treasurer does: The Treasurer is more than a “designated check-signer.” They are the primary member-representative on all matters related to Oregon AFSCME’s fiscal health. Aside from their constitutional duties, they are charged in policy with developing and implementing financial education programs to be made available to Council 75 Locals
What makes LaRece exceptionally well qualified for that role: In a word, stability. Widely acknowledged as a “steady force” behind the scenes, LaRece has a well-deserved reputation for dependability through all manner of changing tides. Another word that describes LaRece is authenticity. She is exactly who she is, in any and every situation. It’s the kind of authenticity one sees only in someone who knows exactly who they are and what they stand for. And that’s the kind of unswerving stability Oregon AFSCME needs in the office of Treasurer.
©Copyright. All rights reserved.
We need your consent to load the translations
We use a third-party service to translate the website content that may collect data about your activity. Please review the details in the privacy policy and accept the service to view the translations.