Northwest labor press., May 21, 2010, Page 5, Image 5

May 21,2010:NWLP
5/18/10
10:16 AM
Page 5
‘STAR’ painters and contractors
Seventy-eight union Painters (photo left) received $500 bonus checks May 14
at a Safety Training Awards Recognition (STAR) banquet hosted by Painters
and Allied Trades District Council 5 and the Signatory Painting Contractors
Organization. The painting industry involves work with hazardous tools and
material, oftentimes in extreme environmental conditions. Six years ago, the
union and its signatory contractors included a provision in their collective
bargaining agreement rewarding journey-level painters with cash bonuses if
they completed six classes, plus an additional 24 hours of skill advancement
training over a one-year period. Classes are held in the evenings and on
weekends at the Painters Training Center in Northeast Portland. “You don’t
see this kind of commitment from the average worker. They’re way ahead of
their field,” said John Kirkpatrick, chair of the labor-management health and
safety committee. In 2009, only eight lost-time injuries were recorded on
898,474 hours of work.
Randy Cornelius (right), safety
director for HCI Industrial and
Marine Coatings, receives the
2010 Excellence in Safety Award
from John Kirkpatrick, chair of
the labor-management health
and safety committee. It is the
first time the committee has
recognized a contractor for its
commitment to providing and
maintaining a safe workplace.
Five unfair labor practice complaints
filed against Portland French School
At a private school in Southwest
Portland, pro-union teachers and sup-
port staff encountered a management
backlash when they sought to join
American Federation of Teachers
(AFT)-Oregon.
Portland French School principal
Elimane Mbengue told one teacher he
would not renew her H-1B visa because
of her support for the union, and told
another she would not have her teaching
contract renewed — according to alle-
gations in five separate unfair labor
practice charges filed by AFT-Oregon
with the National Labor Relations
Board (NLRB).
To combat the union campaign, the
school hired attorney Nelson Atkin, and
held several workplace anti-union meet-
ings. At one meeting, a board member
at the non-profit school pleaded with
teachers not to unionize, and then re-
signed. Parents were invited to cam-
paign against the union.
AFT countered with a letter of sup-
port from a French teachers union, and
gathered over 300 signatures on an elec-
tronic petition protesting the employer
anti-union campaign.
The school, at 6318 SW Corbett, is a
French language immersion academy
that runs pre-K through middle school
and is certified by the French educa-
tional ministry.
A union election was held April 16,
but the results won’t be known until the
NLRB rules on three challenged bal-
lots. Two separate tallies were taken: In
the first, 26 teachers vote whether they
want to be in the same bargaining unit
with about 11 support staff; the second
determines whether either or both
groups want union representation. The
first tally was 10-12 against a combined
MAY 21, 2010
bargaining unit, but three of those bal-
lots were challenged.
A hearing is set for May 27-28, and
AFT-Oregon Executive Director
Richard Schwarz said he hopes to know
Election results too late for NWLP deadline
Oregon primary election night re-
sults were not available before this is-
sue of the Northwest Labor Press went
to press.
A full account of how organized la-
bor faired on election night will be re-
ported in the June 4 edition.
the results by mid-June.
“We believe the board will find merit
to the unfair labor practice charges and
issue complaints,” Schwarz told the La-
bor Press.
Local Motion
April 2010
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
Name of employer
Date
Name of union
Results:
Location
Union Union
Yes No
Fairview Transitional Health Center
4/12
Teamsters Local 962
Grants Pass
11
19
Coca-Cola Bottling Company (decertification)
4/28
Teamsters Local 670
Pendleton
4
14
Requests for recognition election
Name of employer
Name of union
Location
Number of employees
Kaiser Permanente (decert) (outpatient schedulers)
Service Employees International Union Local 49
First Student (decertification)
Oregon School Employees Association
Safeway Clackamas Bakery
Bakers Local 114
OR/SW Wash
78
Molalla
46
Clackamas
13
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
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