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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 2015)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | June 19, 2015 | PAGE 7 Machinists at Bodycote battle for first contract TOP: Bodycote employee and new Machinist Union member Brian Almeida (left), talks with union business reps Will Lukens, Joe Kear, and Ron Teigen during a sol- idarity rally June 8. Workers are having a difficult time securing a first contract at the plant, which “heat treats” aerospace parts. Pre- cision Castparts is its largest cus- tomer. By Michael Gutwig Editor & Manager CAMAS, Wash.—Forty work- ers are still trying to get a first contract at Bodycote, a multina- tional corporation that provides thermal processing services. The company operates 180 plants in 26 countries. Of the 50 facilities in the U.S., the Camas plant, which “heat treats” aero- space parts, is only the second to unionize. The other union facil- ity is in Ohio with United Auto Workers. Workers in Camas voted last June to join Machinists District Lodge W24. The campaign was a difficult one, with Bodycote hiring a union-buster, and using all the anti-union tricks in the book. Following the union vic- tory, the company engaged in a number of unfair labor prac- tices, retaliating against support- ers by changing their work shifts and break times. The Machinists filed and won two unfair labor practice complaints with the Na- tional Labor Relations Board (NLRB). When bargaining began last August, the company flew in an attorney from Oklahoma. The attorney was rarely able to meet, and when he did, refused to put proposals in writing. Those ac- tions led to another unfair labor practice complaint, which the union also won. Talks have moved slowly since then, with fewer than a dozen items agreed to, said Will Lukens, a business rep for Ma- chinists District W24. Solidarity rallies have been held (the most recent was June 8), and last month workers strongly supported a prelimi- nary strike vote. The union also filed another NLRB charge against the company for directly bargaining with employees, and for failing to maintain status quo by unilaterally discontinuing an- nual pay raises. The NLRB is currently investigating the com- plaint. In bargaining held June 9-10, Lukens said minor progress was made on articles pertaining to grievance procedures and sen- iority, but nothing was finalized in writing. “They were a little upset with our solidarity rally on June 8,” he said. “Their attorney went into stall mode, and wanted to talk about disciplining an em- ployee for coming out during his break to participate in the rally.” Lukens believes the company is still surface bargaining, hold- ing out for a decertification vote after the one-year anniversary of the election (the NLRB ex- tended the anniversary date by four months, pushing it to Octo- ber). But workers are getting impa- tient. They want a first contract. At the June 8 solidarity rally there was even talk of a strike action to get the company to stop stalling. “It may have to come to that,” Lukens said. More bargaining is scheduled July 22-23. Low Prices! Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9:30-5:30, Sun 12-6
