The IAM Western Territory, including General Vice President Robert “Bobby” Martinez, the IAM Veterans Services Department, IAM District W24, Local 1005, Local 203, Local 2006, Local 63, and Local W130 participated in a “ruck march” to support local veterans on Memorial Day.
The march was organized by Do Good Multnomah, a Portland, Ore., veterans services group that provides vital support to veterans impacted by life’s struggles.
See photos from the march here.
“The funds we are raising here today help veterans here – in Portland,” said Frank Wilson, an IAM shop steward for Portland city government workers and vice chairman of the IAM Veterans Services Steering Committee. “I can go see it for myself and check on the veterans who may be in tough spots, and just need help today – not when a bunch of paperwork is all approved.”
Wilson, a U.S. Navy veteran, has been a strong advocate for veterans issues in the Portland area. His work and training with the IAM Veterans Services team has allowed him to grow his reach and impact for all U.S. military veterans.
Do Good Multnomah has run this Memorial Day ruck march for the past four years as an annual fundraiser. The IAM sponsored two teams with Wilson’s help, and he also spearheaded a team sponsorship from the City of Portland Veterans committee, which includes various workers and unions. Wilson was awarded a certificate for his efforts by the Northwest Oregon Labor Council before the event stepped off.
“We are extremely proud of Frank and the entire group of members who came out to support our veterans,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Robert “Bobby” Martinez. “Veterans are a vital part of the fabric of the IAM Union. The sacrifices they’ve made help us live in a beautiful country like this, help preserve our liberties, and most of all – protect our right to form a union in the workplace.”
Do Good Multnomah touches the lives of 70% of the houseless veterans in Portland. In addition to shelter, the organization runs weather response teams to seek out veterans during inclement weather, and the charity also works with the American Red Cross to give victims of house fires that are veterans immediate cash assistance.
The organization raised over $37,000 from this Memorial Day event, well over the initial goal of thirty-thousand dollars, but the non-profit organization could always accept more donations for their goal of opening a new veteran clean and sober shelter. Do Good Multnomah has provided over two hundred and twenty thousand meals in their facilities for veterans, and nearly four thousand self care and personal hygiene kits to veterans in need.
“It’s a worse issue than a lot of people really understand,” said Bryan Stymacks, Assistant Coordinator of IAM Veterans Services, who walked with General Vice President Martinez as a team on the six-mile ruck march for Portland’s veteran community. “They have a lot of unique struggles that can cause them to fall into tough times and it’s important to be there for them when they do.”
Veterans are 2.5 to 3 times more likely to experience homelessness in the northwestern U.S. housing market based on data from the Veterans Administration, where it takes an hourly wage of over $35 an hour to afford a two bedroom apartment. Do Good Multnomah believes there are roughly 1,500 houseless veterans on any given night in Oregon. They are using grants and donations to try groundbreaking solutions for this population. One solution is the “low barrier” shelter, which simply cuts the barrier requirements for shelter for a veteran that may be employed, but recently evicted, with a stop gap shelter until other housing becomes a solution.
Wilson believes that his work to raise funds and check on progress of veteran services in his community is an extension to his duty to our country. The world could use a lot more people like Frank.
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