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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (May 15, 2009)
May 15, 2009:NWLP 5/12/09 10:09 AM Page 7 Local Motion April 2009 Union certifications and decertifications in Oregon and Southwest Washington, as reported by the National Labor Relations Board and the Oregon Employment Relations Board Recognition elections Results: Name of employer Date Name of union Location Rogue Valley Medical 4/2 Oregon AFSCME Medford Mercy Flights ( DECERTIFICATION ) 4/10 Teamsters Local 962 Medford Albertsons 4/14 UFCW Local 555 West Linn REpower USA 4/16 IBEW Local 125 Goldendale Mercy Flights ( DECERTIFICATION ) 4/21 Teamsters Local 962 Union Union Yes No Medford 60 138 0 3 3 0 2 0 31 19 Requests for recognition election Name of employer Name of union Location Number of employees Alstom APCOMP Power Laborers Local 320 Troutdale 3 Pioneer Memorial Hospital (RNs) Oregon Nurses Association Prineville 50 Newport Lincoln County Transportation Service District 15 Lincoln Cnty Emp Assn vs Communications Workers of America ...Nursing home worker fired (From Page 8) tions. But more than that, she loved her job, her co-workers and the nursing home residents. “There’s this misperception that peo- ple who want to unionize are disgrun- tled workers,” Lehr said. “I was organ- izing because I love my job. I would never have done it if I didn’t love this place.” The union campaign slowed dramat- ically after Lehr was fired, organizers say. A drop-in union meeting, which had 27 workers the week before Lehr’s firing, had three attendees the week af- ter. Before the firing, 21 workers were serving on the union organizing com- mittee, each agreeing to communicate with five to 10 co-workers and act as the eyes and ears of the union drive. Two- thirds of them dropped away after the firing, and stopped returning what had been almost daily calls from staff or- ganizers. At work, managers patrolled the halls. Known union supporters were watched, and called in to meetings with managers. The shift in atmosphere was really noticeable, said certified nursing assis- tant Andrea Glaser, an organizing com- mittee member. Glaser said most work- ers she approached said yes to signing union authorization cards, before Lehr’s termination. Now most were declining to sign, and half of those told her it was because they didn’t want to lose their jobs. Local 503 organizer Guillermo Galarreta said 77 Laurelhurst Village workers have signed union cards, out of about 150 workers; so the union is right on the edge of majority support. Union campaigners decided it was time to shift the campaign’s focus from getting new signatures to getting Lehr’s job back. Supporters handed out a sort of open letter to management with names and pictures of pro-union work- ers calling for Lehr’s reinstatement. The union worked with Lehr and others to file a series of “unfair labor practice” charges with the National La- bor Relations Board. The union is seek- ing a court injunction ordering Laurel- hurst Village to reinstate Lehr and cease and desist from other violations of fed- eral labor law. The union turned for support to al- lies like State Sen. Rosenbaum and Story ignores Fire Fighters To The Editor: I am writing in response to your arti- cle “Retired Painter Named Firefighter of theYear,” which was published in the April 17, 2009 edition of the Northwest Labor Press. I appreciated the Labor Press taking the time to recognize union members and their contributions to the commu- nities they live in. As a labor publica- tion, I think that the article left out one important piece of information: Esta- cada Fire is a union shop organized by the International Association of Fire State Rep. Jules Bailey, whose legisla- tive districts include Laurelhurst Vil- lage. The two wrote letters to Laurel- hurst Village calling on the company to respect its workers’ right to unionize. The company gets most of its revenue from taxpayers, via Medicaid and Medicare. The union is also appealing to the community for support, calling on trade unionists and members of the public to contact company CEO Hannah Austin at 503-535-4861 or by e-mail at haustin@laurelhurstvillage.com and demand Lehr’s reinstatement. SEIU is organizing a community fo- rum to take place Tuesday, May 19, at 5:30 p.m. Columbia Heights Presbyte- rian Church, 2828 SE Stephens St. OpeN Forum Fighters Local 1159. I would assume that if the story were about a retired union firefighter volunteering to show up and paint for free on one of the Painters Local 10’s jobs, the story would have included that fact. Some communities benefit from having volunteer firefighters, but they do not replace the highly skilled and trained members of the International Association of Fire Fighters. Jason Hachmuth Tualatin Valley Fire Fighters Local 1660 Aurora Newport Lincoln County Road Department 15 Lincoln Cnty Emp Assn vs Communications Workers of America City of Ontario Ontario Police Assn vs SEIU Local 503 McMinnville Water & Light Employees of McMinnville Water & Light McDonald Wholesale Company Teamsters Locals 206 and 962 UPS Freight ( DECERTIFICATION ) International Association of Machinists Pacific Roofing ( DECERTIFICATION ) Roofers Local 49 Call for information on short sales, foreclosure & $8,000 FREE money Tax Credit. MAY 15, 2009 Ontario 23 McMinnville 9 Eugene 60 Portland 10 North Plains 9 Branch: (503) 233-8883 Direct: (503) 784-8326 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 7
