May 1, 2009 :NWLP
4/28/09
1:29 PM
Page 8
...Fred Meyer drags out
bargaining in The Dalles
(From Page 1)
to lower the cost of the bids, and
nine of the 10 contracts went to
nonunion competitors at roughly
half the wages and benefits.
Union electricians have done a
lot of work for Fred Meyer in the
past.
Angry about the shutout, several
local building trades union represen-
tatives have begun asking members
not to spend money at Fred Meyer,
and have distributed fliers outside
Fred Meyer stores asking the public
not to shop there.
The public is also starting to hear
from United Food and Commercial
Workers Local 555. At the Fred
Meyer store in The Dalles, Oregon,
where grocery workers have been
union for years, a group of about 50
non-food workers voted to join the
union in November 2007. They still
don’t have a union contract, even
though the company has numerous
non-food contracts at other loca-
tions. Bargaining has been going on
since February 2008, and a federal
mediator is now involved in the ne-
gotiations. One sticking point is a
well-established union bottom line:
“union security” i.e., whether dues
will be voluntary. Fred Meyer wants
to make it an “open shop.”
So far, Local 555 has placed sev-
eral ads in the Dalles Chronicle, cre-
ated a public campaign Web site,
treatusfair.com, and on April 23
held a rally and march in The
Dalles.
Meanwhile, Portland-area gro-
cery, meat, and central checkout
workers at Fred Meyer, Safeway,
and Albertsons have been working
under extended contracts since July
26, 2008. The grocers bargain
jointly as Allied Grocers Inc.
Negotiations were held April 28-
29, but the outcome of those talks
were not available at press time.
Letter Carriers’ annual Food
Drive set for Saturday May 9
Close to 3,000 letter carriers in Ore-
gon and Clark County, Wash., will help
“Stamp Out Hunger” on Saturday, May
9, part of the annual National Associa-
tion of Letter Carriers Food Drive.
Prior to that day, yellow, plastic bags
will be delivered to every household.
All you have to do is fill the bag with
nonperishable food items such as
canned meat, fish and soup, cereals,
pasta and rice, and leave it at your mail-
box on the morning of Saturday, May
9. (Please do not include glass items,
homemade items or previously opened
containers.)
Letter Carriers will collect the bags
and deliver them to drop points, where
volunteers will sort the donations and
forward them to the Oregon Food Bank.
Food collected in Clark County will
benefit Clark County hunger-relief
agencies.
The 17th annual Food Drive is the
largest one-day food collection of the
year in Oregon — and across the na-
tion.
Last year more than 1.6 million
pounds of food was collected in Oregon
— and a record 73.1 million pounds of
food was collected nationwide.
According to the Oregon Food
Bank, an estimated 200,000 people get
meals from emergency food boxes in an
average month.
Remembering workers killed on the job
A new Fallen Workers Memorial was dedicated by Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski April 28 at the State
Capitol Mall, where nearly 200 people gathered to honor workers killed on the job last year. The names of
62 workers and 11 soldiers were read aloud as a bell tolled in the background. Also speaking was Oregon-
OSHA Administrator Michael Wood. The Oregon AFL-CIO’s Safety and Health Committee has been
working for four years to erect a permanent memorial in Oregon. The idea started in 2005 with a resolution
passed at the state labor federation’s convention. Ground was broken the week of Feb. 23 and the memorial
was completed in time for this year’s observance. The memorial consists of a large boulder within a
landscaped sitting area in front of the Labor and Industries Building on the Capitol Mall. The boulder has
a bronze plaque attached to it with the inscription memorializing Oregon’ working men and women who
suffered loss of life on the job. Fundraising is still ongoing to pay for the all-union-built memorial. To date,
$37,500 has been collected. Total cost of the memorial is $49,765. Donations can be sent to: Oregon AFL-
CIO, Workers Memorial Fund, 2110 State St., Salem, OR 97301. (Photo by Don Loving)
The Marco Consulting Group
I NVESTMENT C ONSULTANTS TO
M ULTI -E MPLOYER B ENEFIT F UNDS
Please call Jason Zenk at 253-376-3391
Midwest Office
550 W Washington Blvd
Ninth Floor
Chicago, IL 60661
p: 312-575-9000
F: 312-575-9840
East Coast Office
1220 Adams St
First Floor
Boston, MA 02124
p: 617-298-0967
F: 617-298-0966
www.marcoconsulting.com
PAGE 8
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
MAY 1, 2009