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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2011)
MAY 6, 2011:NWLP 5/3/11 9:54 AM Page 10 ...Koch brothers own Georgia-Pacific (From Page 1) Georgia-Pacific paper mill in Wauna. The mill makes Brawny, Sparkle and Mardi Gras brand paper towels; Quilted Northern, Angel Soft and MD toilet pa- per; and Vanity Fair, Zee, Brawny and Mardi Gras napkins; as well as house la- bel products for retailers like Costco, Target and Safeway. Prescott says the main sticking point in bargaining is a management demand that employees pay “per-dependent” for health coverage, replacing the current one-size-fits-all model. GP pays for- profit United Health to administer its self-insured employee health benefit, and employees pick up 25 percent of the cost. That percentage wouldn’t change under the management proposal. “Going from a composite rate where everyone, regardless of family structure, is paying the same for health care to a system where people are going to be charged based on the number of children they have … that’s a sea change in the way our members absorb the 25 percent premium share,” Prescott said. “It’s my belief that per-dependent pricing is a Koch philosophical issue that has permeated bargaining,” Prescott said. “It’s not economic. It’s purely related to social engineering. It’s one of those lib- ertarian ideas where they want to drive home the costs of having children.” Prescott said the union repeatedly ex- pressed frustration with the proposal, but the company so far won’t budge. Mem- bers authorized a strike in votes tallied April 25. The next bargaining session is set for May 24. Meanwhile, workers at three GP warehouses in Portland have also au- thorized a walk-out. IBU, a division of the International Longshore and Ware- house Union, represents about 110 GP workers at three Portland warehouses. About 80 members at Front Avenue and Rivergate Industrial District warehouses work under a contract that expired March 2010, and 30 members at a Kel- ley Point warehouse work under a con- tract that expired March 2011. Bargain- ing for the former has been under way since February 2010. The two sides disagree on how to cope with investment losses the IBU’s multi-employer pension fund suffered during the financial meltdown of 2008. To preserve benefits, GP would have to make up for the losses by increasing its pension contribution 6 percent a year from its current $8.25 an hour. GP is proposing that the last two increases in the proposed four-year contract come out of employee wages. GP also wants an annual limit of 10 percent on how much more it will con- tribute to the health and welfare trust through which IBU members get their health insurance. This year, health care insurance rose 18 percent at the trust, and forecasts are for increases above 10 percent in coming years. Workers’ con- tribution to health insurance costs went from 0 to 25 percent over the last five- year contract and is now $276 a month for family coverage. IBU sent notice of intent to terminate the contract, meaning workers could strike at any time. In retaliation, IBU alleges, GP dra- matically cut how much product it ships through the Kelley Point warehouse. Normally, GP ships by barge from the Wauna mill to Portland warehouses. Now, IBU leaders say, 80 trucks a day from Wauna are heading to GP facilities in California. [The change began before an April 22 accident in which a cargo ship ran into and damaged the Wauna dock.] IBU has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) protesting the change — saying GP is punishing work- ers for the vote, causing them to fear fur- ther retaliation, and that the company didn’t bargain over the change. IBU also says GP tried to muzzle lo- cal leadership: On Dec. 2, GP forced bargaining committee chair Dave Franzen, under threat of termination, to sign a “last chance agreement” pledging to treat managers with dignity and re- spect or be fired without recourse to the normal grievance process. Nothing in the union contract allows a sanction of that kind. IBU protested, but GP refused to bargain over any aspect of the agree- ment, IBU charges in an unfair labor practice filing over the action. A third charge alleges that GP is fail- ing to bargain in good faith, instead adopting a “take it or leave it” posture that is not helpful to reaching agreement. The charges could give workers a lit- tle extra protection if they strike: em- ployers are allowed to permanently re- place workers in “economic” strikes, but not in strikes called to protest unfair la- bor practices. GP management has com- municated that its planning will make any work stoppage “invisible” to cus- tomers. Further bargaining is scheduled May 10 and 11 for the Kelley Point unit. E E FR BARGAIN COUNTER Free classified ads to subscribers DEADLINE: Friday prior to publication Published 1st and 3rd Fridays Now accepting e-mails Send to: Michael492@comcast.net Mail to: NWLP, PO Box 13150, Portland OR 97213 (Please include union affiliation) • 15-20 words • No commercial or business ads • 1 ad per issue • All lower case (NO CAPITAL LETTERS, PLEASE) • Ads MUST include area code or they will not be published A UTOMOTIVE S PORTING G OODS 8.2 LITRE ENGINE/tranny/front axels, new heads/valves, $600. 503-636-5532 PROTECT YOUR wheels, Gorilla wheel locks for 1/2-20 studs, 2 sets, $25. 503 761-0003 ’99 FORD F-350 Turbo diesel, 7.3 power- stroke, supercab dually, loaded, only 82k miles, $19,995 OBO. 503747-4302 ’95 MERCURY COUGAR, well main- tained, excellent condition, Let’s talk. 503 661-3813 ELECTRIC BIKE EV WARRIOR RED ap- prox 25 mph, 2 new batteries, like new. $775. 503-665-9297 ’03 WINNEBAGO ADVENTURER, 33’, 30k miles, Triton V10, 2 slide-outs, ex con- dition, $65,000. 503 285-8691 COUGAR TRAILER, 24’, like new, 8’ slide- out, all the bells and whistles, $10,999. 503 761-1133 1981 YAMAHA 650 Maxim, 4 cyl, $400 OBO. 503 866-8663 RELOADING DIES, 30/3, .270, 38/\.357. 503-829-2436 H OUSING ROCKAWAY ocean front 503-777-5076 http://home.comcast.net/~rockaway.beach 5 bdrms, 2 bath, call for summer rentals LINCOLN CITY vacation rental, 3 bdrms, 2 bath, $95/night, sleeps 8, wi-fi, 2 blocks to beach, 4 blocks to casino. 503-804-7976 ROCKAWAY beach rental, 3 bd, 2 bth, slps 10, Jacuzzi, 5 min to beach/shops, Vacationhomerentals.com/43026, 503- 754-6101 GOLF ANYONE? Bandon, OR vacation rental, 3 bdrms, 2 bath, 2 blocks to beach, wifi, full kitchen, $150/night. 541-391-9918 TWO – 200 ACRE parcels, take all or half, $775 per acre, terms. 1-541-468-2961 M ISCELLANEOUS AMANA REFRIGERATOR SxS almond color with ice maker 23cu, runs great, $175. 503-232-3685 3 –TON HAND Buget hoist w/trolley, $325. 503 643-6897 DELCO ELECTRIC motor w/3” dia ad- justable V pulley, $15 obo; Wilmar hydraulic jack, 6-ton capacity, $30 obo. 503-753-1714 SHARK STEAMER, gets out wrinkles in drapes, clothes, etc., $20. 360-513-9724 (after 7 p.m.) MUR RIDING mower, $200; small chipper, $75. 503-652-9028 DUKE BLUEBERRY bushes, approx 6' tall/50# each, dug and tied w/burlap, 20 yrs old, will produce this year, $38. 503-312- 1518 PAGE 10 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS W ANTED OLD WOODWORKING tools, planes, lev- els, chisels, handsaws, slicks, adzes, wrenches, folding rulers, leather tools, tool chests. 503-659-0009 MOTORCYCLES: running or not, scoot- ers, quads, cash paid, will pick up. 503- 880-8183 COLLECTOR PAYS cash for older and unique items. 503 703-5952 SILVER COINS, US and Canadian, union brother collector pays top money for all small or modest amounts. 503-806-6287 WWII GERMAN OR JAPANESE military items, helmets, uniforms, swords, daggers, rifles, pistols, etc. 503-852-6791 DISHWASHER, 503-252-4151 ‘American Made’ in the Northwest Mon-Fri 9:30-7:30 Sat 9:30-5:30 Sun 12-6 MAY 6, 2011
