Inside
Meeting
Notices
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Page 6
Volume 114
Number 13
July 5, 2013
Portland, Oregon
Machinists, Painters
strike Daimler Trucks
P HOTO BY R USSELL S ANDERS
Grand opening for Union Cab
Portland’s newest cab company — Union Cab —
held a grand opening June 27 at its headquarters at
14415 SE Stark Street. The celebration is the
culmination of a years-long effort by a group of
immigrant drivers who campaigned against
exploitation by several Portland cab companies,
helped by Communications Workers of America
Local 7901 and the Oregon AFL-CIO. Prior to the
festivities at its headquarters, company and union
officials held a press conference at City Hall.
Speakers included City Commissioner Amanda
Fritz and Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom
Chamberlain (photo above). In the photo below,
cabbie Adam Teshite greets visitors to the grand
opening, which included catered Ethiopian food.
Union Cab operates 50 vehicles, with more than half
the fleet hybrid vehicles. Their phone number is
503-408-1234. Union members with union cards get
a 10 percent discount on all rides.
By DON McINTOSH
Associate Editor
Members of Machinists Lodge 1005
voted down a contract offer from Daim-
ler Trucks North America and went on
strike at the company’s Portland truck
plant 12:01 a.m. July 1. The 520 ma-
chinists were joined on strike later in the
day by 68 members of Sign Painters
and Paint Makers Local 1094. Two
other union groups at the plant — 117
members of Teamsters Local 305 and
19 members of Service Employees Lo-
cal 49 — accepted company offers, but
won’t be crossing picket lines.
The plant, located in the Swan Island
Industrial Park, manufactures heavy-
duty Western Star brand trucks used in
mining, logging, oil fields and con-
struction. Roughly 725 union-repre-
sented workers were turning out 26
trucks a day operating one shift. But
they’ve been falling behind economi-
cally while the company prospered.
About 415 Machinists Local 1005
members packed a conference room at
Holiday Inn Portland Airport at 10 a.m.,
June 29, for their first glimpse of the
company’s “last, best, and final” offer.
Bargaining hadn’t wrapped up until
2:55 a.m. that morning, so members
had no chance to review the contract be-
forehand.
In the weeks leading up to their con-
tract’s June 28 expiration, Lodge 1005
members had worn union T-shirts with
the slogan, “The concession stand is
closed.” Now they listened as the union
bargaining team explained that the
company’s offer would increase wages
$1.30 an hour over three years, but
would also increase employee health
care premiums as much as $45 a month,
initiate a more restrictive absenteeism
policy, and end the promise of post-65
retiree health benefits for employees
who still had that coming. Each of those
details drew howls from members.
Machinists District Lodge W24
Business Representative Joe Kear said
this was his fifth time negotiating at the
truck plant, and that it has been getting
rougher each time, as the company tries
to squeeze more out of workers.
Talks began June 10, but the union
didn’t hear the company’s economic
proposal until June 24.
Daimler started off proposing a $4-
an-hour pay cut over three years — to
make up for additional pension contri-
butions it’s required to make. Daimler
is the biggest employer in the Automo-
tive Machinists Pension Trust, a multi-
employer pension plan for companies
(Turn to Page 2)
City of Portland contract
goes past expiration date
At least 1,600 City of Portland
workers are working past the June 30
expiration of their previous union con-
tract. Significant issues remain between
the City and the seven-union coalition
known as the District Council of Trade
Unions (DCTU), and the two sides have
requested help from a state mediator.
The DCTU consists of members of
AFSCME Local 189, Laborers Local
483, Machinists, IBEW Local 48, Op-
erating Engineers Local 701, Plumbers
and Fitters Local 290, and Painters Lo-
cal 10.
DCTU leaders say two key sticking
points preventing agreement are a City
proposal for stricter rules on earning
and using comp time, and a City pro-
posal to make it easier to contract out
work performed by union members.
In 2010, an arbitrator ordered the
City to pay back pay totaling $200,000
to six parking meter technicians, after
the City contracted out an upgrade to
City-owned parking pay stations with-
out notifying Laborers Local 483. And
in February 2013, the City agreed to
end an outside contract for temp serv-
ices at rec centers, to settle a similar
grievance. Now, the City is trying to
win back in bargaining what it lost in
the grievance process.
“We see what the City’s proposing
(Turn to Page 9)