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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 2007)
AFSCME files for union election at PDC 7911 SE 82nd Ave. Portland, Oregon Spaces Available up to 35’ 503-771-5262 Quarry 8” Safety toe or reg. Gortex/Vibram. Black Try a pair on, you’ll like them. Tough boots for the Northwest. AL’S SHOES 5811 SE 82nd, Portland 503-771-2130 Mon-Fri 10-7:30 Sat 10-5:30 Sun 12-6 MARCH 2, 2007 never seen the Oregonian editorialize against workers who are trying to join a union,” Allen said at the Feb. 23 Ex- ecutive Board meeting of the Oregon AFL-CIO. “I think this type of edito- rial against workers sends a new mes- sage in our community. The Oregon- ian needs to stay out of our business.” Allen said he plans to put together a coalition of labor leaders to meet with the newspaper’s editorial board to dis- cuss their position. At the monthly PDC commission- ers’ meeting on Feb. 28, newly-ap- pointed Commissioner John Mohlis asked that the administration and man- agement remain neutral until an elec- tion is held. Mohlis, executive secre- tary-treasurer of the Columbia-Pacific Building and Construction Trades Council, said PDC staffers have con- tacted him and other commissioners asking for a commitment to neutrality. A flier produced by a core group of union supporters lists several reasons why PDC staffers should vote for the union. The list included: no cost-of- living increase in over eight years; no legitimate grievance procedure; vin- dictive and retaliatory managers and supervisors; unjust discipline; lack of promotional consideration; humiliat- ing, disrespectful and hostile supervi- sion; wages that lag behind compara- ble city and open market positions; personnel policies that are ignored; ex- cessive overtime without benefit of an agency-wide time policy for exempt non-supervisory employees; minority employees feeling disrespected and unvalued; and more. PDC’s annual budget of more than $200 million is funded by tax dollars. For years it operated under the radar, with little public scrutiny. Its former executive director and commission chair were under fire for allowing no- bid contracts to friends, inside deals with staffers and contractors, and lav- ish spending on meals and alcohol. Its free-spending drew the attention of the Portland City Club, which in 2005 re- leased a scathing report questioning PDC’s lack of public accountability. After Potter was elected mayor, he vowed to make the agency “more transparent.” He brought in Warner and appointed a new commission. ❖ Unlimited toll-free phone consultation with attorneys. ❖ A comprehensive will with yearly updates is included. ❖ Representation for traffic tickets, accidents, criminal, and civil suits. ❖ Coverage on IRS tax audits. ❖ Divorce, child custody, bank- ruptcy and many more benefits.* THESE LEGAL SERVICES ARE PROVIDED BY THE VERY BEST LAW FIRMS IN OREGON & WASHINGTON. * Some services not 100% covered For more information, call 503-760-2456 or toll-free at (888) 252-7930 www.prepaidlegal.com/info/randallnix Tel: 503-643-6635 www.wademccarthy.com Carpenters, Electricians, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofers, Asbestos Workers, Family, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers Electricians, Carpenters, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofer, Asbestos Workers, Family, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers Southgate Mobile & RV Park union. “We’d prefer to deal with em- ployees on a one-on-one basis,” he said. And, not three days after word got out about the union organizing cam- paign, the nonunion Oregonian news- paper — a staunch supporter of the PDC — weighed-in with a blistering editorial against unionization. The editorial and Warner’s com- ments prompted Portland City Com- missioner Randy Leonard to write a letter to the PDC director asking that he post a notice to all employees ac- knowledging their right to organize and pledging that the administration will remain neutral during the cam- paign. Leonard and colleague Erik Sten also drafted a resolution supporting PDC staffers’ efforts to organize. The Portland City Council passed that res- olution unanimously on Feb. 21. “I am heartened that the Portland City Council has spoken unanimously in support of PDC employees’ right to organize,” said Leonard, a former president of Fire Fighters Local 43. “I hope that the PDC management will choose to embrace the organizing ef- forts of their workers rather than fear them.” Oregon AFSCME Executive Direc- tor Ken Allen penned a response to the Oregonian editorial, but was told it wouldn’t be printed. “In my 20-plus years here, I’ve IBEW & United Workers Federal Credit Union Please join the Credit Union “Annual Meeting” Celebration 2007 Tuesday, March 20th at 7:00pm @ y -wa a - e iv es al g ttende i c e Sp all a to Sheetmetal Workers Local #16 2379 NE 178th, Suite 16 Portland, Oregon 97230 Gran d p at th rize draw e end ing meeti of the ng Prizes given throughout the served event Italian Dinner will be Dinner will be served Please bring your family and fellow union members For more information call (503) 253-8193 * (800) 356-6507 Electricians, Carpenters, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofer, Asbestos Workers, Family, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers Non-supervisory employees at the Portland Development Commission took a step closer to forming a union Feb. 23 when representatives from Oregon Council 75 of the American Federation of State, County and Mu- nicipal Employees filed for an election with the Oregon Employment Rela- tions Board. For the past two months organizers have quietly been meeting with PDC employees. The agency is the quasi- public development arm for the City of Portland. Its executive director is Bruce Warner, a former Oregon De- partment of Transportation bureaucrat who was appointed to the post a year- and-a-half ago by Mayor Tom Potter. “A group of employees from PDC came to us in December, and it’s just snow-balled from there,” said Organiz- ing Director Sue Lee-Allen. Lee-Allen told the Northwest La- bor Press that a majority of the 132 non-supervisory employees have signed union authorization cards. “This is a highly-educated, highly- skilled level of folks who like every- one else want to be treated with fair- ness and respect at work,” Lee-Allen said. All PDC employees are considered “at will” employees and can be fired without cause. Lee-Allen said it is one of the most fearful groups of employees she’s dealt with in more than a decade of or- ganizing. “The level of fear here is pretty pervasive,” she said. “They’ve worked at PDC for a long time, and they’ve just had enough with the way they’ve been treated by some man- agers.” An election won’t take place for an- other eight to 12 weeks, which is wor- risome, Lee Allen said, because union organizers know that leaves a lot of time for management to try to dis- suade workers from joining. State law prohibits employers from interfering with employees trying to organize a union. Warner has told re- porters his agency will stay neutral. However, Warner reportedly told staffers that he personally opposes the L EGAL P ROBLEMS ?? 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