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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 18, 2015)
SERVING ORGANIZED LABOR IN OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON SINCE 1900 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS VOLUME 116, NUMBER 18 INSIDE Colleges settle Labor Day photos Meeting Notices Pope in U.S. 2 3 4 5 PORTLAND, OREGON SEPTEMBER 18, 2015 Locked-out workers seek support in ATI struggle The nationwide lockout of 2,200 steel workers by Al- legheny Technologies Inc. (ATI) entered its fifth week Sept. 12. The lockout includes 180 work- ers at ATI’s Oremet titanium plant in Albany, Oregon, who are members of United Steel- workers (USW) Local 7150. (Members of USW Local 6163 at ATI’s nearby Wah Chang plant have a separate contract that runs to 2017, and aren’t part of the lockout.) Steelworkers met with ATI Sept. 11 with the assistance of a federal mediator. The union made a proposal to end the lock- out, but the company failed to respond, holding fast to its last, best and final offer. It was the first meeting between the sides since July 2. ATI began the lockout Aug. 15 after union members refused to accept its final offer, which would significantly cut health insurance benefits, give greater latitude to contract out work done by union members, substi- tute annual lump sum payments for hourly wage increases, and end pension and retiree health insurance for new hires. The LABOR DAY SOLIDARITY: At the Labor Day picnic in Portland, locked-out Albany steelworkers sell raffle tickets to raise support funds. ATI locked out workers across the country when they refused contract concessions. previous union contracts — which cover 12 ATI mills in six states — expired June 30. ATI is attempting to produce metal at its plants using replace- ment workers provided by Strom Engineering, the same company that American Crystal Sugar em- ployed during a 22-month lock- out of 1,300 members of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers that ended in 2013. In the ATI dispute, Strom has advertised replacement worker wages of $1,700 – $3,000 a week for those willing to work 12 hour days and 84 hours a week. Ron Rodgers, USW staff rep- resentative for Local 7150, said replacement workers showed up at ATI’s Oremet Albany plant Turn to Page 7 Unions are key to reducing income inequality The report examines how unions raise wages for all workers — and reduce inequality Union membership has a direct impact on income inequality in Oregon, according to a new re- port by the Oregon Center for Public Policy (OCPP). According to the report, as unionization in Oregon declined by more than half between 1979 and 2013—going from about 33 percent to 15 percent (and just 9 percent in the private sector, which employs over 80 percent of Oregon workers)—the hourly wage of the median Oregon worker declined from $17.79 to $17.02 when adjusted for infla- tion. The lowest paid workers (those at the 10th percentile) ex- perienced a drop in hourly wages from $9.48 to $9.18. Meanwhile, in 2013, the wealthiest 1 percent of Oregoni- ans made $770,000 on average (from work as well as unearned income, such as profits from in- vestments), more than double their inflation-adjusted income in 1979. “By bargaining together for better pay, workers can reduce inequality and create an econ- omy that works for everyone,” the report said. “Increased unionization would ease in- equality and help low- and mid- dle income Oregonians prosper.” ONLINE EXTRA To read the full report, go on line to http://www.ocpp.org/2015/09/02/20 150902-unions-income-inequality- oregon/ IBEW Local 125 authorizes strike at Pacific Power Workers across Northern Ore- gon and Southeastern Washing- ton voted overwhelmingly Sept. 1 to reject a contract offer and authorize the union bargaining committee to call a strike at Pa- cific Power. IBEW Local 125 represents 320 linemen, meter readers, substation wiremen and other workers at the electric utility, in a service area that extends from Astoria to Bend to Walla Walla. Pacific Power and parent com- pany PacifiCorp are owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Local 125’s most recent con- tract with Pacificorp, which ran through Jan. 25, contained raises of just 1 percent—lower than in- flation. The one before that ter- minated workers’ pension plan and substituted a 401(k). “We’re not wanting to have anything further taken away,” said Local 125 Business Man- ager Travis Eri. Eri said that explained why turnout for the vote was 95 per- cent, and so was the margin of votes against the company offer —even though the difference between the union and company positions appears slight. The two sides agree on annual raises of 2 percent, and other terms, but disagree on the split of health insurance premiums. Lo- cal 125 is holding fast to the cur- rent split in which workers pay 22 percent of the premium— which is already $400-$600 a month out of their paychecks. Pacific Power wants a four- year deal in which the employee share rises to 25 percent in the fourth year—the same percent- age it got in hard bargaining from IBEW Local 57 in Salt Lake City. Pacific Power work- ers in Southern Oregon are rep- resented by IBEW Local 659. Local 125 plans to picket Pa- cific Power’s Lloyd Tower headquarters in Portland starting at 8 a.m. Sept. 23, and is consid- ering an ongoing picket there.
