JAN, 21, 2011:NWLP
Inside
1/18/11
10:35 AM
Page 1
MEETING NOTICES
See
Page 6
Volume 112
Number 2
Jan. 21, 2011
Portland, Oregon
State, private contract bargaining abounds in 2011
A number of large union contracts will be coming up for
renegotiation in Oregon in 2011.
To defend their living standards, union members will need
to come together in support of their bargaining teams, as em-
ployers — both private and public sector — propose takebacks
in a bad economy.
Contracts covering around 25,000 state workers will expire
June 30. The two major unions representing state workers —
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 503 and
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Em-
ployees (AFSCME) — will have their hands full just holding
on. The state will be grappling with a projected shortfall of
over $3 billion during the next two year budget cycle.
Also expiring June 30 is a contract covering about 3,000
members of AFSCME Local 88 at Multnomah County. The
county budget isn’t in as bad shape as the state’s. Bargaining is
expected to start Feb. 1.
The state’s largest private-sector union, United Food and
Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555, will be trying a new
approach in pattern bargaining with its grocery employer
group. Contracts covering over 600 grocery workers in Eu-
gene expire Feb. 19. The Eugene units are the first in line in a
contract bargaining cycle that affects much of the region.
In the past, the big three unionized grocery employers —
Fred Meyer, Safeway, and Albertsons — have pushed for the
terms worked out in the Eugene contracts to be the model for
contracts in other units. This time, Local 555 will be inviting
representatives from all the other bargaining units to sit in on
the negotiations — since they’re affected by the deal reached in
Eugene.
All told, about 5,000 members in Vancouver, Longview,
Salem, Coos Bay, Newport, Medford, Roseburg, and Grants
Pass have contracts coming up for renewal, and thus a stake in
the Eugene negotiations.
Local 555 also continues to bargain a contract for 600-plus
employees at Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay and Lower
Umpqua Hospital in Reedsport.
United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters (UA) Lo-
cal 290 will be bargaining for 1,500 members employed by
members of the Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors Asso-
ciation. The current contract expires March 31.
The contract between Laborers International Union of
North America (LIUNA) and the local chapter of Associated
General Contractors will expire on May 31.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
Local 125 has been engaged in tough bargaining over a con-
tract covering 417 workers at PacifiCorp that comes up for re-
newal Jan. 25. PacifiCorp, parent company of Pacific Power, is
a multi-state electric utility and a subsidiary of Warren Buf-
fett’s Mid-American Energy Holdings Company. The com-
pany proposed a long list of takebacks, including: cutting the
percentage it contributes to health benefits; eliminating be-
reavement leave and three family sick days; and shifting a
group of older workers who still are in a traditional pension
plan into a 401(k) instead.
The contract between Cascade General and the Metal
Trades Council of Portland and Vicinity expires July 1. Cas-
cade General operates the Portland shipyard, one of the world’s
largest ship repair facilities, and employs between 300 and 600
union members at any one time. Eleven unions are party to the
contract. Bargaining is slated to begin in March.
At unionized hotels in the Portland-area, contracts cover-
ing about 400 workers will expire in June and July. UNITE
HERE Local 9 will be pushing for wage increases in the ne-
gotiations.
UA Local 290 and Fire Fighters promote home fire safety
Apprentices and
firefighters face
off for ‘broomball’
at Winterhawks
hockey game
Apprentices from Plumbers and Fit-
ters Local 290 battled members of Fire
Fighters Local 43 to a 0-0 tie in their an-
nual “broomball” hockey game to pro-
mote residential fire sprinkler systems.
The game was held Jan. 8 between
periods of the Portland Winterhawks-
Seattle Thunderbirds hockey game at
the Rose Garden. Local 290 and the
Portland Mechanical Contractors Asso-
ciation are sponsors of the Winter-
hawks. Each year they, along with Lo-
cal 43, promote fire safety through the
broomball event. In broomball, contest-
ants don tennis shoes and plastic
brooms and try to slap a foam ball into
the net. Local 290 is the defending
champion, having beat the firefighters
last year 1-0.
And though the event was meant for
fun and camaraderie, the more serious
issue at hand was promoting home fire
sprinkler systems.
According to a study by the Fire Pro-
tection Research Foundation, more than
8 in 10 fire deaths occur in homes, yet
the likelihood of someone dying in a
home fire is cut in half when sprinklers
are present.
Studies by the U.S. Fire Administra-
tion indicate that residential fire sprin-
kler systems can eliminate hundreds of
millions of dollars in property losses
and, of course, make it safer for fire-
fighters, too.
Members of Local 290 and their sig-
natory contractors are trained to install
home fire sprinkler systems.
“Local 290 provided classes on fire
sprinkler code, design, calculations, and
installation for well over 500 of our
members,” said Jed Scheuermann, as-
sistant coordinator at the training cen-
ter. “We have some 20 contractors well
qualified to do installations. They in-
clude approximately 10 in the metro-
Portland area, 10-plus in Astoria, Bend,
Coos Bay, Eugene/Springfield, Kla-
math Falls, Medford, and even Eureka,
California.”
As part of Local 290’s Winterhawks
sponsorship, the union promotes its
state-of-the-art apprenticeship training
center. For the past several years it has
held a “Local 290 Player of the Month”
contest, whereby fans vote via the Win-
terhawks website for the hardest work-
ing player for the month. The winner is
announced at a pre-game ceremony and
an apprentice is selected by the Local
(Turn to Page 5)
Plumbers and Fitters Local 290
apprentices retained the broomball
hockey trophy following a 0-0 tie
against a team from Fire Fighters
Local 43. Joining in the celebration
with Winterhawks mascot Toma-
hawk are, back row left to right:
Travis Henke, Shane Halifax, Carla
Braun, Perry Wright, Kurt Cronin,
David Allen-Schublin and Sean
Gustaveson. In the bottom row, left
to right are: Andrew Cheney, Zach
Reinhardt, Jimmy Myers, Akuila
Ramaqa and Zach Wright. More
than 10,000 fans watched the
broomball match between periods of
the Portland-Seattle hockey game
Jan. 8 at the Rose Garden.