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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (July 6, 2006)
L ABOR What’s Happening Eastern Oregon profs drop strike plans, okay deal LA GRANDE — Faculty at East- ern Oregon University (EOU) voted June 13 to approve a no-raise eco- nomic package. The deal will take them to the end of their first union contract with the lowest wages of any public university in Oregon. “This is certainly no contract to celebrate,” said history professor Greg Monahan, the president of As- sociated Academic Professionals, Local 6200 of American Federation of Teachers-Oregon. EOU in La Grande has 3,500 stu- dents and is the only four-year uni- versity in Eastern Oregon. In Febru- ary 2003, a group of about 120 teaching faculty and librarians unionized by a six-vote margin, and it’s been tough going since. It wasn’t until June 2005 that their first union contract was signed. That was more than two years after they voted to unionize, and 11 months after fac- ulty reaffirmed the union 75-36 in a union decertification election re- quested by anti-union faculty. The first contract contained work- place rights, pay raises and a pay scale consisting of steps tied to expe- rience. [Health and pension benefits weren’t part of the deal because all employees in the state system of higher education get the same.] The contract ran from July 2003 to June 2007, with wages and other eco- nomic issues to be negotiated later for the second half of that period. Public employee collective bar- gaining law doesn’t allow union contracts to require that all employ- ees in a unit be dues-paying mem- bers, but two-thirds of EOU faculty belong. In contract bargaining for the sec- ond two-year period, Monahan said the union tried without success to win further raises. Faculty com- plained that they are the poorest paid AND in the state university system. At EOU, professor pay starts at $35,791 and goes up 1 percent for each year of service; full professors with 10 years experience earn in the low 50s. Members voted 90 percent to au- thorize the bargaining committee to call a strike. It was the first time they’d used such a threat. There has never been a strike by university fac- ulty in Oregon. But the EOU administration did- n’t budge. Members will still get the step increases listed in the original agreement, but no other raises. “We were dead last in the priority list,” Monahan said. “By the time we managed to get a contract, they re- ally were out of money.” Monahan said faculty backed off plans to strike in fall term because it could hurt the university and threaten enrollment, with no guaran- tee of a better outcome. The contract expires June 30, 2007, which means bargaining will begin again in April 2007. Monahan said next time faculty won’t settle for the same. Labor Day picnic planned at Bend by labor groups BEND — Union members in Cen- tral Oregon will host a “Labor Day Unity Picnic” starting at noon Mon- day, Sept. 4, at Pioneer Park. Union members and family and friends of labor are invited to enjoy free hamburgers, hot dogs, vegetarian choices, raw veggies, chips, dips, soft drinks and more. Participants are asked to bring a potluck dessert to share. Entertainment will include live music, games for kids and political speeches. The event is sponsored by the Cen- tral Oregon Labor Council, AFL- CIO, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Em- ployees, the Central Oregon Building Trades Council, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, the Oregon School Employees Associa- tion, Service Employees Local 503, Central Oregon Jobs with Justice, and el Programa de Ayuda. Zachary Zabinsky • Social Security • SSI - Disability Claims Personal Attention To Every Case Working For Disability Rights Since 1983 NEWS FR OM AR OUND THE P A C I F I C N O R T H W E S T Six decades with the Machinists Union Machinists District Lodge 24 honored longtime members at the 33rd annual dinner June 24 at the Milwaukie Elks Lodge. Recognized for 60 or more years in the union were Joe Hamm, John Hunter, Don Knispel, Norman Nicholson and Fred Williams, Local Lodge 63; James Grolbert, Ralph Holmes, Charles Janac, John Klinker, George Lively, Al Lokan, Nelson Smith, Fred Thompson Jr., Ralph Whitlock and Frank Wusz of Local Lodge 1005; and L.G. Hunsaker of Local Lodge 1311. Hamm and Nelson have 68 years with the union. Parking is limited at Pioneer Park. Additional parking is available at Bend Parks & Rec, 200 NW Pacific Park Lane. For more information, call Kathryn Wood at 541-385-8471. Oregon AFL-CIO Summer School slated July 28-30 EUGENE — The Oregon AFL- CIO Summer School is slated Friday through Sunday, July 28-30, at the Erb Memorial Union on the campus of the University of Oregon. The annual event is co-hosted by the Labor Education and Research Center of the UofO. The summer school opens with a dinner at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 28, followed by the opening session fea- turing Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain. Workshops will be held through- out the day on Saturday, July 29, fo- cusing on union building, grievance handling, employment law, labor K history and more. On Saturday evening a picnic will be held on the lawn at the university, followed by a social hour, a silent auction and “solidarity karaoke.” On Sunday morning, 25 union members will graduate from LERC’s Union Leadership Educa- tion and Development (U-LEAD) certificate program during a gradua- tion breakfast ceremony. For more information about the summer school or to register, call LERC at 541-346-5054 or visit its Website at http://uoregon.edu/~lerc/. Woodworkers notch organizing win in Bend BEND — Organizers in the Woodworkers division of the Ma- chinists Union scored an election victory last month in Bend that holds the prospect of bringing in additional members as the manufacturing facil- ity goes forward with plans to ex- pand production. Workers at Beko Membrane Technology, who make filters for dry air and air compres- sors, voted 6 to 1 for IAM represen- tation in a National Labor Relations Board election. A steady diet of in- creased work and frozen benefits at the facility fed the drive for change and a greater say in the workplace, union officials said. Labor Day picnic at Oaks Park on tap The Northwest Oregon Labor Coun- cil once again will host a Labor Day picnic. Oaks Park in Southeast Portland has been booked fro Monday, Sept. 4. Unions are reserving space for what is the largest Labor Day bash in Oregon. The Labor Council will sell food scrip for 25 cents each. Three scrip will get you a hot dog and chips, two scrip a soda pop, and four scrip a beer. A deluxe ride bracelet costs $8.25 and is good from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This year the roller rink will be open for those with ride bracelets. For more information, or to pur- chase scrip, call 503-235-9444. ramers/metro mailing service 3201 N.W. YEON PORTLAND, OREGON 97210 (503) 274-1638 FAX (503) 227-1245 THE ONLY UNION MAILER NO FEE WITHOUT RECOVERY IN OREGON 621 SW Morrison, Portland Visit our Web site at www.kramersmailing.com 223-8517 PAGE 4 P OLITICAL MEMBERS OF TEAMSTERS LOCAL 223 — Eric Brending, Owner — NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS JULY 7, 2006
