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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 9:55 AM Page 12 Transit Union dispute with TriMet may not settle until spring 2012 A labor dispute between Amalga- mated Transit Union (ATU) Local 757 and TriMet may not get settled until spring of 2012, if not later. The union contract at TriMet — which covers 2,000 bus and rail opera- tors, mechanics, and support staff — expired Nov. 30, 2009. After bargain- ing over a required 150-day time pe- riod, an impasse was declared in July 2010. Under Oregon law, transit work- ers are prohibited from striking, and any contract dispute must be settled through binding arbitration. However, when the sides submitted their “last, best and final” offers to the arbitrator, TriMet’s proposal contained issues that the union alleges were never raised at the bargaining table. Local 757 filed an unfair labor practice (ULP) complaint with the Oregon Employment Rela- tions Board accusing TriMet of bad- faith bargaining. A few months later the union filed a second ULP, this time charging TriMet with retaliation. The union alleges the transit agency unilaterally implemented new conditions to the extended contract in retaliation for the union filing the first ULP. The new conditions, effective Jan. 1, 2011, suspended all bargaining unit cost-of-living wage increases and began charging active and retired em- ployees for a portion of their health in- surance premiums. Under the extended agreement, TriMet paid all premiums. The Oregon Employment Relations Board will hear the retaliation com- plaint May 16-17, followed by the bad- faith bargaining complaint May 18. A decision on the retaliation charge could take up to six months, Jon Hunt, president of ATU Local 757, told TriMet’s Executive Board at its Your Vote Counts May 17, 2011 monthly meeting April 27. A final ruling on the bad-faith bar- gaining charge will be issued no later than mid-August, Hunt said. Either party can appeal the outcome, causing further delays. “Absent any appeals, it is logical to assume that the interest arbitrator’s de- cision will come no earlier than March 2012,” said Hunt, noting that the longer the dispute continues, the more it could cost if TriMet loses. “As we have said all along, this dis- pute can be resolved. We’re willing to sit down, meet and negotiate.” At presstime, no talks are scheduled. Plumbers and Fitters Local 290 ratifies new three-year contract Members of United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 290 rat- ified a new three-year contract with the Oregon chapter of the Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors Association. The deal provides for increases of $1.75 the first year, $2 the second year, and $2.25 the third year. As is typical in construction bargaining, a certain amount of money is agreed upon and workers decide how to divvy it up — whether it be in wages, pension contri- butions, or for health insurance. At the ratification vote April 23, members decided to put 69 cents to- ward health and welfare, 6 cents to the pension, and $1 on the check. This was the third contract vote since the previous two-year agreement ex- pired March 31. The first offer rejected contained hourly increases of 75 cents the first year, $1 the second year, and $1.25 the third year. Employers came back with a quarter more the first year only. Members rejected that as well — but this time with strike authorization and refusing to work overtime. Then, starting April 7, the union de- ployed roving pickets, hitting shops in McMinnville, Eugene, and Portland for two and three days at a time. “That really got their attention,” said Local 290 Business Manager John En- dicott. Before the month was over the sides were back at the table and a contract was ratified. “With work finally starting to pick up, we’re glad to have it settled,” Endi- cott said. “We look forward to a pro- ductive next three years.” ATU Local 757 stages an infor- mational picket before every TriMet board meeting to call attention to the dispute and demand a return to the bargaining table. The last picket was held April 27 at the downtown Portland Building. Northwest Oregon Labor Council recommends the following candidates and measures CHUCK RILEY PCC Board of Directors, Zone 7 Maggie Brister-Mashia Portland School Board, Zone 2 Michael Smith Reynolds School Board, Zone 7 Mike Delman Multnomah Education Service District, Pos. 6, At-Large Portland Public School District Bond Measure 26-121 Portland Public School District Local Option, Measure 26-122 Paid for and authorized by Northwest Oregon Labor Council, 1125 SE Madison, #100-D, Portland, OR PAGE 12 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS MAY 6, 2011
