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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 2012)
Major union win: 500 Portland security officers join SEIU #49 Local Motion July 2012 A list of Oregon and Southwest Washington workplaces deciding whether to be union-represented – as reported by the National Labor Relations Board and the Oregon Employment Relations Board. Voting in union elections Date Workplace (Location) Union Yes No 5 8 7/19 YoCream/Dannon (Portland) Teamsters Local 305 32 10 7/26 BrucePac (Woodburn, Silverton) Laborers Local 296 57 189 7/10 Franz Bakery maintenance engineers (Eugene) Bakers Local 114 Requesting a union election Workplace (Location) Union Number of workers in unit Coca-Cola Bottling fleet mechanics (Wilsonville) Machinists District Lodge W24 City of LaPine Public Works (LaPine) Teamsters Local 962 L EGEND : workers will be union-represented DECERT : workers will be on their own : A decertification election occurs when some union-represented workers declare that the union no longer has majority support. A ‘yes’ vote is a vote for the union. THE KORPI LAW FIRM PLLC Honoring Employees on Labor Day 3 5 Securitas, ABM, G4S, and AlliedBarton agreed in July to recognize and bargain with SEIU Local 49 Four enormous national and global security companies have agreed to recognize Service Employees Interna- tional Union (SEIU) — and begin ne- gotiating a union contract — for about 500 Portland-area security guards. Se- curitas, ABM, G4S (Wackenhut), and AlliedBarton will begin bargaining jointly with SEIU Local 49 in late Au- gust, though it’s not yet known whether that will result in individual contracts or an area master agreement. It could prove a triumph for secu- rity guards, if the result is sizable wage and benefit increases. The me- dian wage is $11 an hour for Portland- area security guards, says Local 49 property services organizing director Will Layng, and benefits are minimal: an annual one-week bonus, but no paid sick days, no paid vacation, and inadequate or unaffordable health in- surance. Michael Zak, 50, said he can’t af- ford health insurance on the $10 an hour he earns after three years at ABM. A 17-year Oregon Army Na- tional Guard veteran, he has access to the Veterans Administration Hospital, but his wife does not. Michael H. Korpi Attorney at Law PAGE 6 rity guards for about two years, with moral support from several religious leaders and Oregon Representative Jeff Barker (D-Aloha), former presi- dent of the Portland Police Associa- tion. Thus, the union was ready to go once the companies agreed to “card check,” in which they recognize the union once a neutral party verifies that a majority of workers have signed au- thorization cards. The card checks took place in July for all four compa- nies. ABM, with 107 Portland-area employees, was the last of the four companies to do so, with a card check that took place July 31. D ENNIS O’M ALLEY Attorney at Law Representing union union members members for than Representing for more more than years in in workers’ workers’ compensation and 20 25 years compensation and Social cases. Social Security Security disability disability cases. 135 Second Avenue North, Suite 202 - Edmonds, WA 98020 (425) 582-8935 - Email: mikek@korpilaw.com from “Health insurance for me and my wife would be $460,” Zak said. “I have to make a decision: Do I pay medical or rent?” “There are huge global corpora- tions in this field, and they compete with each other to drive down wages and benefits,” Layng said. But an agreement with SEIU could take wages out of competition and al- low the companies to compete on service and other considerations. SEIU’s campaign is known nation- ally as Stand for Security, and is mod- eled on the union’s Justice for Janitors campaign. In the Portland area, Local 49 has been working to organize secu- Honoring Workers this Labor Day Representing employee benefit plans in Oregon and Washington for more than 20 years Hope You Enjoy a Great Weekend ... Happy Labor Day! Private security officers at ABM hold up signed union authorization cards from co-workers. In July, ABM, Securitas, G4S, and AlliedBarton voluntarily recognized SEIU Local 49 for bargaining units totaling about 500 employees. From left to right are Jim McPhee, Michael Zak, Terry Bailey, and Kevin Stephens. 1500 NE Irving Street, Suite 370 • Portland, OR 97232 • 503-243-4899 Salem Building & Construction Trades Council Joe Bowers, President Leroy Marney, Secretary Treasurer 541-812-1771 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS AUGUST 17, 2012
