Photo courtesy of Seattle 767M

John Bachler of Seattle 767M tries on the attire that was a gift from his local for his first post-retirement trip to North Dakota during a party in his honor.

Just as he looked forward to serving the members of Seattle 767M for 21 years, John Bachler looks forward to some well-earned leisure time.

"The job involved many days when I wouldn't get home until late in the evening," Bachler said. "So, I want to enjoy the time I have with my family."

Bachler said "it was an honor to serve my local union and the pension funds. It was a privilege to be able to serve on those funds and the GCIU General Board. And it was definitely an honor to serve the members of the local union."

He said the highlights of his career as a union leader centered around "being able to negotiate contracts and being able to make things better for the members of the union. Working to better the lives and working conditions of the members was very important to me, and I had high regards for the membership for allowing me to do that for them."

In a farewell to members in the local's newsletter, Bachler said that, when he joined the union, "I was very impressed with the benefits the union had bargained for the members, and I realized how much the union had done for the workers. . . . I have made many friends and established relationships with many fine people. I have also dealt with some very sleazy people called employer representatives who were hired by employers to drive down wages and working conditions and basically bring harm to working people."

Bachler said he feels good about "leaving things in the hands" of Brian Earl, his successor, and thanked the members "who have treated me so well over the years, to the executive board for their ongoing support, to the staff that has been very dedicated and committed to the organization, to the shop stewards who have given their time unselfishly to help their fellow members, and a special thanks to my wife who has stood by and given her support during the many difficult times."

Bachler began his career in the industry in 1966 as an air hammer stripper at Ridgeway Lithograph, where he joined the printing specialties union. He transferred to Lithographers Local 45L when he became a press tender. He later took the job of varnish machine operator at Ridgeway, where he worked until he was "permanently replaced" during a strike in 1971 by a scab. He then worked at United Graphics as a cutter operator until he became a full-time local officer.

Bachler served two terms from 1976 to 1981 on the executive board of the predecessor local union, Lithographers Local 530. In 1981, he was elected full-time executive vice president of the local. He was elected president in 1984 and served in that office until his retirement this year.

At the International level, Bachler served a term on the GCIU General Board from 1996 to 2000. He served as a trustee on the Inter-Local Pension Fund and the GCIU Employer Retirement Fund. He also served as an officer of the Pacific Regional Conference and as the western representative for the North American Newspaper Conference. He has attended every International convention since 1984.

Weighing these accomplishments, Bachler said he looked toward another goal he had set for himself. "I believe very strongly in taking advantage of the early retirement option," he said. "That's been a goal for many years to retire at 55."

Bachler knew what he wanted to do with his retirement freedom. "I walk, fish, hunt, and do a lot of my own maintenance around the house and on my cars," he explained.

He also plans to travel. When reached for this interview, he was already on the road – in North Dakota, where he was visiting his mother. He said that he and his wife Jean plan to spend time with their two sons, two daughters and two grandchildren. Bachler said he is proud of his children: "They all established themselves on different paths."

Bachler said he will miss the people most. "I've met and been associated with some great people in the past 20 years. But you get to the point where you just want to go in a different direction."