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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (April 3, 2009)
April 3, 2009:NWLP 3/31/09 9:46 AM Page 2 Providence nurses say ‘UNION YES’ A group of about 200 nurses at Providence St. Vincent hospital in Portland voted Feb. 13 to join Ore- gon Nurses Association, becoming part of an existing unit of 1,300. The tally was 94-19 — a pretty strong showing that the “resource nurses” want the benefits of a union contract. ONA staff attorney Alan Yoder said the economic downturn played a part in the nurses’ decision to unionize. Many health care facilities are seeing a reduction in patients owing to the severe recession, and the resource nurses, who don’t have a set schedule and substitute for reg- ular staff RNs, were concerned they might be targeted for layoffs. “Both groups of nurses realized they’d be much stronger working together,” Yoder said. Zachary Zabinsky • Social Security • SSI - Disability Claims Personal Attention To Every Case Working For Disability Rights Since 1983 NO FEE WITHOUT RECOVERY 621 SW Morrison, Portland 503-223-8517 b h m k Bennett Hartman Morris & Kaplan, llp Attorneys at Law More Steelworkers laid off at Cascade Rolling Mills McMINNVILLE — If there’s a re- covery on the way, it’s not yet visible at Cascade Steel Rolling Mills. The steel plant makes rebar, so it’s a good bellwether for the construction in- dustry. If these steelworkers are busy, odds are somebody on the West Coast has placed an order for materials used in construction, and building trades em- ployment can’t be far off. Right now, they’re not busy. About 75 Cascade steelworkers were laid off permanently in December, at which point United Steelworkers Local 8378 negotiated a “rolling layoff’for the 325 who remained: For three months, they worked two weeks out of four, and the company continued to pay for health coverage during the two weeks workers collected unemployment insurance ben- efits. Because the maximum unemploy- ment benefit doesn’t come close to their union wages, workers lost over a quarter of their income for the three months. But they kept their jobs. That deal ended March 28, and 75 more workers were laid off permanently. Of the remaining 250, most remain on temporary layoff until April 13. The union learned that 16 of the company’s nonunion employees were also laid off, out of about 150. Local 8378 President Joe Munger says company salespeople are starting to get inquiries from customers, but have no big orders yet. UNITE leaves HERE, joins SEIU PHILADELPHIA (PAI) — Dele- gates representing some 150,000 mem- bers of UNITE HERE voted March 21 to secede and affiliate with the Service Employees International Union. At a convention in Philadelphia, the 450 delegates elected Edgar Romney, executive vice president of UNITE HERE, as president of their new organ- ization — Workers United. They then voted to affiliate with SEIU, where they intend to organize food service and hotel workers, among others. UNITE, which represents apparel and laundry workers, merged with the larger Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union in 2004. The new 400,000-member UNITE HERE affili- ated with the Change to Win labor fed- eration, where Romney is a top official. Ironically, the leader of the secession movement, UNITE HERE International President Bruce Raynor (formerly of UNITE), will remain in that post until UNITE HERE’s convention in June. John Wilhelm, president of UNITE HERE’s Hotel and Restaurant Division, denounced the move, saying its consti- tution did not allow for secession. That issue is now before the courts. The UNITE HERE Executive Board has since voted to withdraw from Change To Win, where SEIU is the lead- ing member. E D H ALL Merkley appoints Hall labor liaison U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) has hired longtime Fire Fighters Union leader Ed Hall as a staff liaison to or- ganized labor, in order to strengthen outreach efforts to labor groups. Hall said he plans to attend local union and labor council meetings on Merkley's behalf to listen to union members and convey their concerns to the senator. His role would also be to meet with labor unionists when Merkley is in Washington, D.C., or oth- erwise unavailable. He is based at Merkley’s Portland office and is reach- able at 503-326-3386. Hall, 52, grew up on the South Coast in Brookings and is a lifelong resident of Oregon. Until Jan. 5, he was vice president and political director of the Portland Fire Fighters Association Lo- cal 43, but decided not to run for re- election. He retired as a firefighter March 7 after 31 years at fire depart- ments in Salem, Corvallis, and Port- land. He began his new job March 9. Oregon’s Full Service Union Law Firm Representing Workers Since 1960 Serious Injury and Death Cases • Construction Injuries • Automobile Accidents • Medical, Dental, and Legal Malpractice • Bicycle and Motorcycle Accidents • Pedestrian Accidents • Premises Liability (injuries on premises) • Workers’ Compensation Injuries • Social Security Claims We Work Hard for Hard-Working People! 111 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 1650 Portland, Oregon 97204 (503) 227-4600 www.bennetthartman.com Our Legal Staff are Proud Members of UFCW Local 555 PAGE 2 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS APRIL 3, 2009
