Oral history interview with Ron Heintzman

Collection

Identifier: SR 11250

Staff Only

Digitized audio recording of interview

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Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Ron Heintzman was conducted by Jim Strassmaier in fourteen sessions, from July 15, 2011, to February 9, 2012, at the offices of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757 in Portland, Oregon. The interview was conducted for the Oregon Labor Oral History Program, which collects oral histories of individuals who have advocated for working people of Oregon, including public figures, union members, and workers.

In interview sessions one through eight, Heintzman discusses his early life and education, and his career in law enforcement roles with the U.S. Army, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, and TriMet. He speaks extensively about serving as president and business agent of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, and about ATU International vice president Mel Schoppert. He talks about Local 757's arbitration process, about the local's involvement in community programs such as Albina Head Start, and about his participation in contract negotiations. He discusses labor-friendly legislation, the inclusion of ambulance drivers and paramedics in Local 757, and his efforts to reform TriMet's board of directors. He speaks extensively about ATU’s relationship with the bus company Laidlaw International Inc., and about a three-year contract dispute with the Rogue Valley Transit District. He talks about ATU’s electoral system, and about his re-election as Local 757 president in 2000.

In interview sessions nine through eleven, Heintzman discusses his work as a vice president of ATU International from 2002 to 2010. He talks about his responsibilities, work travel, and contract negotiations in states with right-to-work laws. He speaks extensively about his negotiating style, describes how he was influenced by Mel Schoppert, and talks about his accomplishments during his brief tenure as ATU International president in 2010.

In interview sessions twelve through fourteen, Heintzman discusses his unsuccessful re-election campaign for ATU International president in 2010, and a complaint he filed with the U.S. Department of Labor about his opponent, Larry Hanley. He also talks about the political power of labor unions, particularly with regard to the 2012 U.S. presidential election.

Dates

Creation: 2011 July 15-2012 February 9

Creator

Heintzman, Ron J. (Ronald James), 1953-2018 (Interviewee, Person)
Strassmaier, James (Interviewer, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Biographical note

Ronald James “Ron” Heintzman was born in Ipswich, South Dakota, in 1953. He grew up in Rapid City, South Dakota; in Denver, Colorado; and in Seattle, Washington. In 1975, he earned a bachelor’s degree in police science from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Heintzman served two years at Fort Hood, Texas, as military police, then served in the U.S. Army Reserves for 15 years. In 1977, he moved to Portland, Oregon. He worked as a liquor agent for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission and attended police academy in Monmouth, Oregon. In 1982, he earned a master’s degree in criminal justice from Portland State University, and became a TriMet police officer. From 1988 to 2002, Heintzman was the president and business agent of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757. In 2002, he was appointed vice president of ATU International, and moved to Washington, D.C. He became president of ATU International in 2010, but lost re-election later that same year.

Heintzman married twice and had two children. He died in 2018.

Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information shared by Heintzman in his interview; Heintzman’s obituary in the NW Labor Press, April 17, 2018 (accessed July 11, 2025), https://nwlaborpress.org/2018/04/ron-heintzman-1953-2018/

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (29 audiocassettes (23 hr., 57 min., 29 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Ron Heintzman, conducted by Jim Strassmaier in fourteen sessions, from July 15, 2011, to February 9, 2012, for the Oregon Labor Oral History Program. Heintzman discusses his work as president and business agent for Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757 from 1988 to 2002, and as vice president of ATU International from 2002 to 2010. He talks about his brief tenure as ATU International president in 2010, and about his unsuccessful re-election campaign later that year.