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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (May 18, 2007)
Bend transit contractor drops appeal of ATU union election BEND — A May 12 Solidarity Rally for city bus drivers trying to form a union turned into a victory celebra- tion after their employer — Paratransit Services — announced it was dropping its appeal of a union election and rein- stating a pro-union employee it fired shortly after the election. Local Motion April 2007 Union election activity in Oregon and SW Washington, according to the National Labor Relations Board and the Oregon Employment Relations Board Elections held Union Location No Union Freightliner (Pre-Delivery Inspection) 4/3 Machinists District Lodge 24 Portland 12 2 Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the NW 4/10 SEIU Local 49 Portland 9 0 Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the NW 4/10 SEIU Local 49 Portland 8 1 Providence Home Services Division 4/19 Oregon Nurses Association Portland 85 28 First Student 4/19 OR School Empl. Assoc. Molalla 25 11 Oregon Housing & Associated Services/WHEELS 4/27 ATU Local 757 Salem 11 6 Kaiser Foundation Health Plan 4/27 SEIU Local 49 Portland 17 4 Beaverton 3 4 Haggen’s 4/13 Bakers Local 114 tion results with the National Labor Re- lations Board. An NLRB hearings offi- cer overruled the challenge and certified the union. But Paratransit appealed to the full NLRB in Washington, D.C. Waiting for a ruling there might have taken years. Bus operators and the union ap- pealed to the Bend City Council, which on April 19 sent a letter to Paratransit president David Baker asking him to drop the appeal and recognize ATU. The Central Oregon chapter of Jobs with Justice, working with area unions and community supporters, planned the May 12 Solidarity Rally featuring State Sen. Ben Westlund, Bend City Coun- cilor Linda Johnson, Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain and others. The unions also got Gov. Ted Kulon- goski, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and Ore- gon Labor Commissioner Dan Gardner involved. With pressure mounting, Baker, in an advertisement published in the Bend Bulletin May 8, announced that the company was dropping the appeal. Jon Hunt, president of ATU Local 757, said the night before the solidarity rally he negotiated reinstatement for Evans with full back pay and seniority. Hunt credited the “incredible soli- darity” of labor and community groups for the turnaround. ...Immigration reform a touchy issue for labor Results: Company Date Union On Jan. 29, Bend Area Transit em- ployees voted 19-15 to join Amalga- mated Transit Union Local 757. Para- transit Services, a non-profit corp- oration based in Bremerton, Wash., contracts with the city to provide bus service. The company has transit con- tracts with various unions in several other states. It was a hard-fought campaign, with Paratransit Services using all the typical anti-union strategies such as captive-au- dience meetings with employees and letters to homes. A month after the elec- tion, Russ Evans, a newly-elected shop steward, was fired. The company challenged the elec- (From Page 1) dents of some kind, and just under a third are illegal immigrants. Illegal im- migrants number about 12 million, and make up about 5 percent of the U.S. workforce. With the population of illegal immi- grants growing about 500,000 a year, Congress is under tremendous pressure to do something. Most Americans say they don’t have a problem with legal immigration, and U.S. embassies issue about 400,000 legal permanent resident visas a year. But Americans say they are bothered by illegal immigration — in an early-April poll by the Los Ange- les Times and Bloomberg News, 54 percent said they believe illegal immi- gration harms the economy. For the union movement, immigra- tion can be a touchy issue, said Bob Bussel, director and associate profes- sor of the Labor Education and Re- search Center at the University of Ore- gon. Some unions, like the licensed construction trades, aren’t affected much by illegal immigration, but oth- ers, particularly Carpenters, Laborers, Sheet Metal Workers, and Painters, compete against contractors who pay workers in cash, under the table. And how to respond to that has pro- voked fierce debate at membership meetings in recent months. “At the rank-and-file level,” Bussel said, “there is real heat about it.” Union leaders, for their part, are trying to be pragmatic, Bussel said: “They’re say- ing, ‘these folks are working in our in- dustries; if we don’t bring them in and build relationships, they’re going to un- dercut union standards.’” THE UNION PLUS ® MORTGAGE PROGRAM Provided Exclusively by Chase Home Finance Elections requested Company Union SEIU Local 49 Associated Field Representatives vs. OPEIU Local 11 Location # of employees Portland 6 Portland Community Tissue Services 10 Office & Professional Employees International Union Local 11 Newberg Newberg Police Department 29 Office & Professional Employees International Union Local 11 Oregon Housing & Associated Services Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757 Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of NW Service Employees International Union Local 49 Salem 15 Portland 30 Stayton Santiam Canyon Communications Center 12 American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees First Student Oregon School Employees Association City of Eagle Point (police ) Teamsters Local 223 Chase is backing union members with the Union Plus® Mortgage Program — a home purchase and refinancing program exclusively for union members, their parents and children. • FREE Mortgage Assistance Benefit If you are unemployed or disabled. • A wide variety of mortgages Choose from fixed-rate, adjustable-rate, and low- or no-closing costs options. • Special Lending First-time homebuyer and less-than-perfect credit programs. • Savings on closing costs Member-only savings on new purchases and refinance. It all adds up to more home-buying power. Contact your local Union Plus® Mortgage Specialist 866-729-6016 866-729-6016 Ext. 3016 Aurora 51 Eagle Point 11 McMinnville Yamhill County 208 Teamsters Local 223 vs. Yamhill County Employees Association PAGE 4 When it comes to mortgages, we’re taking a stand for Union members. Union Plus is a registered trademark of Union Privilege. Eligibility for mortgage assistance begins one year after closing on a Union Plus Mortgage through Chase Home Finance. This offer may not be combined with any other promotional offer or rebate, is not transferable, and is available to bona fide members of participating unions. For down payments of less than 20%, mortgage insurance (MI) is required and MI charges apply. All loans are subject to credit and property approval. Program terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. Not all products are available in all states or for all loan amounts. Other restrictions and limitations apply. ©2005 JPMorgan Chase & Co. All Rights Reserved. P-UP 104 2A-7604 10/05 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS MAY 18. 2007
