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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 18, 2009)
Sept.21, 2009:NWLP 9/15/09 10:34 AM Page 5 UNITE HERE Local 9 workers hit by Portland Hilton closures Just months after Benson and Paramount sign union contracts, Portland’s flagship hotel announces temporary partial shutdowns The hotel industry is in a slump along with the rest of the economy. Still, the Aug. 25 announcement of a series of closures at the Portland Hilton Hotel and Executive Tower came as a surprise to workers, mem- bers of Portland-based UNITE HERE Local 9. The Portland Hilton consists of a 23-story hotel and a newer executive tower across the street. The older structure will close Nov. 23-29, Dec. 17-31, Jan. 2-10, and Jan. 22-28. Local 9 leaders became media celebrities for a few days as local newspapers and television news pro- grams took the closures to be a sign of the times — Oregon’s largest ho- tel can’t keep its doors open every night. Local 9 was more concerned about what will happen to the work- ers, who will suffer temporary layoff by seniority. The fact that most of the closures are only a week long means workers won’t be able to collect un- employment during that time be- cause the Oregon Employment De- partment requires a “waiting week” before benefits can be issued. The closures could also cause workers — many of whom have had their hours cut already — to drop below the 80 hours a month the contract requires for them to qualify for health bene- fits. Local 9 staffer Eryn Slack said she respects that it’s management’s right to make the closure decision, but hopes that the two sides can ne- gotiate a way to prevent workers from losing health coverage during those months. Slack also wants to make it clear that the union is no longer boy- cotting the downtown Portland Hilton. “We need your business,” she said. Last year, Slack helped coordinate a boycott of the hotel, which ended when the Hilton agreed to a union contract workers could support. The boycott was so successful, it may have been a factor in getting contracts for Portland’s other two union hotels, the Benson and the Paramount. Local 9 represents about 175 workers at the Benson and 30 at the Paramount. Their contracts had expired July 2008, but workers rati- fied new ones May 1, 2009. Karly Edwards, UNITE HERE Local 9 deputy trustee, said union members at the Benson gained a measure of security when the hotel agreed to a successorship clause, which would preserve the union and the union contract in the event of a sale. The Benson has been on the market, so that was a worry among members. The hotel also agreed that it won’t contract out work done by members. Unlike workers at most nonunion hotels, Benson and Paramount work- ers have full family health coverage and paid vacation and holidays, and can’t be fired at will. Members agreed to a wage freeze in the first year of a three-year contract, with 20- and 25-cent raises in years two and three for non-tipped employees. Housekeeping wages will top out at $10.38 an hour by the end of the contract, while line cooks will make $12.20 tops. Tipped workers will make 50 cents above minimum wage. The employers also agreed to contribute $655 a month toward fam- ily health insurance coverage, while workers contribute $35. And the union was also able to get the Benson and Paramount contracts to end at about the same time as con- tracts with the Portland and Vancou- ver Hilton and several Seattle hotels — summer 2011. The union believes it will be in a better position strategi- cally if it can mount a simultaneous contract campaign at all the hotels. Local 21 Motion August 2009 Union certifications and decertifications in Oregon and Southwest Washington, as reported by the National Labor Relations Board and the Oregon Employment Relations Board Recognition elections 25 Eugene 9 Eugene Water & Electric Board (distribution engineers) 7/28 IBEW Local 659 Requests for recognition election Name of employer Name of union Location Number of employees Fred Meyer (decertification) United Food & Commercial Workers Local 555 Stimson Lumber Company (decertification) IAM-Woodworkers Local Lodge W536 Bend 50 Clatskanie 48 IAM’s Petroff to appear at jobs roundtable Bob Petroff, directing business rep- resentative of Machinists Lodge 24 and president of the Northwest Ore- gon Labor Council, will take part in a Sept. 24 panel discussion moderated by political consultant and former U.S. Senate candidate Steve Novick. The event, organized by the Demo- cratic Party of Multnomah County, is billed as “Employment in Today’s Economy: Roundtable and Resource Fair.” The panel will discuss where :RUNLQJ LQ 3$,1" 0RVW ,QVXUDQFH 3ODQV $FFHSWHG NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS 22 Location Number of employees Name of employer Date Name of union 3 528'/< 6 (59,1* 3 257/$1' : 25.(56 ) 25 2 9(5 < ($56 SEPTEMBER 18, 2009 Coos Bay Recognition by card check RI If your employer forces you to work in dangerous work conditions, you can make a CONFIDENTIAL report to OSHA by calling (800) 922-2689. Union Union Yes No Location Fred Meyer (decertification) 8/7 UFCW Local 555 7LUHG KnowYour Rights Results: Name of employer Date Name of union stimulus money is going, whether it’s helping the economy, and the employ- ment outlook for Oregonians. The panel will be followed by a “resource fair’ that will enable atten- dees to plug into job counseling, small business mentoring, retraining pro- grams, and union resources. 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