Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 2015)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | October 16 , 2015 | PAGE 7 SW Washington Labor Roundtable recognizes labor stalwarts VANCOUVER — More than 150 union members, politi- cians, family and friends attended the 31st annual Labor Roundtable of Southwest Washington awards banquet Sept. 25 at the Vancouver Hilton Hotel and Convention Center. Awards are given to individuals or organizations whose leadership has made a significant impact on or- ganized labor and the community at large. Awards are presented in a variety of categories. The Phil Parker Public Service Award for Excel- lence went to former Clark County sherriff Gary Lucas. Parker, a member of IBEW Local 48, was the longtime chair of the Labor Roundtable who died of a heart attack two years ago. John Murphy, a retired union rep for Bakery, Con- fectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Local 364, was named “Union Member of the Year.” Dave Ritchey, business manager of Laborers Local 335, was awarded “Labor Leader of the Year.” Ritchey has served as the leader of the local for 15 years. He said he plans to retire at the end of the year. Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Lo- cal 775 was awarded “Labor Union of the Year.” No one was present to receive the award. The “Community Service Award” went to Vancou- ver City Councilmember Anne McEnery-Ogle, a retired teacher and member of the Oregon Education Associa- tion. The “Lifetime Achievement Award” went to retiring Port of Vancouver commission president Nancy Baker. “When I first ran for port commissioner I was told I needed to understand labor issues. I went out and did that ... and you have become part of my family,” she said. Columbia Litho Printing and Imaging took home the “Labor Service Award.” Accepting the award was owner Pat Guard, a member of the Graphic Communi- cations International Union, a division of the Teamsters. He bought the business from his father (also a member of GCIU) in 1988. “Business of the Year” went to SEH America Inc. Accepting the award was Ben Bagherpour, vice president of operations. A first-time award — “Legislator of the Year” — was presented to State Sen. Annette Cleveland (D-19th District). The “In Solidarity Award” went to Didi Gray of the Labor Roundtable of Southwest Washington award winners from left to right: Ben Bagherpour of SEH America, Inc.; John Murphy, a union rep for Bakers Local 364; Didi Gray of the Washington State Nurses Association; Vancouver City Councilmem- ber Anne McEnery-Ogle; Dave Ritchey, business manager of Laborers Local 335; retiring Port of Vancouver Commissioner Nancy Baker; Vancouver City Councilmember Larry Smith; Pat Guard, owner of Coumbia Litho; and State Sen. Annette Cleve- land. In the back are Roundtable officers Roy Jennings and Ed Barnes. Washington State Nurses Association. Gray, who works at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, is a new del- egate to the Southwest Washington Central Labor Coun- cil, which sponsors the award. Special presentations were made to Vancouver City councilmember Larry Smith and to Clark College pres- ident Bob Knight for their military service. Both men are veterans of the U.S. Army, and each received a plaque and a U.S. flag donated by U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell that at one time flew over the U.S. Capitol. Smith served for 26 years, retiring in August 1991 as an infantry colonel. Knight attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and served more than 21 years as an infantry of- ficer before retiring as a lieutenant colonel. His last duty was as commander of Vancouver Barracks. The keynote speaker was Reema Griffith, executive COLLECTIVE BARGAINING IATSE bargaining begins at Oregon Shakespeare Festival Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is finally negotiating a first union contract for its 71 stagehands and theater techni- cians. The newly-unionized group runs backstage operations dur- ing the nine months of the year that shows are being rehearsed and performed. They voted 37 to 25 on June 10 to join Interna- tional Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). But OSF management appealed the results of the election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), arguing that perma- nent year-round crew members (who mostly don’t want to unionize) should have voted too. The NLRB’s national Board in Washington, D.C., dismissed OSF’s appeal with a one-sen- tence ruling Aug. 20. “[OSF] did what most em- ployers typically end up doing in an organizing campaign,” says IATSE rep Radar Bateman. “It wasn’t outside of the norm, but they weren’t aggressive do- ing it …. It never got very ad- versarial.” Bargaining teams for the two sides met Sept. 28, and again on Oct. 2. The union bargaining team consists of Bateman, attor- ney Elizabeth Joffe, and mem- director of the Washington State Transportation Commis- sion. Congratulatory messages were received from Sen. Cantwell, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, and Third District Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler. Rob Aichele, a union rep for the Pacific Northwest Re- gional Council of Carpenters, won the 50/50 drawing, worth $835. He donated his winnings to a needy family of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. Philip Harju, vice chair and tribal attorney, accepted the donation. Harju then told the crowd that “hundreds of millions of dollars” in construc- tion on roads, interchanges, and a new Cowlitz casino in La Center will be done with union labor under a project labor agreement. Gresham-Barlow bus drivers decertify OSEA bers and alternates from each of five departments. OSF’s team consists of by attorney Rick Liebman, executive director Cynthia Rider, production direc- tor Alys Holden, and depart- mental managers. OSF managers hope to have an agreement before the 2016 season begins in February, Bate- man said. “My team has lots and lots of respect for OSF, and they take great pride in the work they do,” Bateman said. “We want the employer to take the same amount of pride in their em- ployees, and respect their employees the same way.” School bus drivers at Gresham- Barlow School District voted out their union Sept. 29. The drivers are employees of giant multinational contractor First Student. Their union — Oregon School Employees Association (OSEA) — was gearing up to negotiate a second contract at the time of the election. The vote to decertify was 32 to 62. Workers earlier voted down an attempt to make dues non- mandatory. But OSEA organiz- ing director Richard Ramirez said high workplace turnover and management support for the anti-union campaign con- tributed to the union loss. “They gave anti union organ- izers free rein over the work- place,” Ramirez said — posting materials on the bulletin board and in some cases taking down union fliers. Managers also as- signed union supporters to new job duties, Ramirez said. The anti-union National Right to Work Foundation also got in- volved, and helped workers file complaints against the unions. OSEA filed objections to the election with the National Labor Relations Board — based on charges that the employer inter- fered with employees ability to freely choose whether or not to remain union.
