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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2016)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | January 1, 2016 | PAGE 7 ...Union-busting at General Distributors From Page 1 the union offered to roll the ex- isting contract forward three years — no wage increases, just keep current terms — and go back to work. Company repre- sentatives took less than five minutes to reject that offer, then packed up and left, after making it clear that any settlement would have to include retention of the strikebreakers. Later that day, strikers voted to end their walkout with an un- conditional offer to return to work. The company refused to take most of them back, claim- ing their positions had been filled. Of the 59 union members still honoring the strike on Dec. 2, just 21 have been rehired. Half the remainder are receiving unemployment benefits, and the other half have found other work. As many as 19 General Distributors strikers have been hired by other Teamster employ- ers, such as Sysco, and are earn- ing more than they did at Gen- eral Distributors. Workers at General Distribu- tors earn $16 to $19.50 per hour under the union contract that ex- pired Nov. 1 — low by union standards, but not low enough for company management. The crux of the dispute is General Distributors’ demand for the same terms its competitor Maletis is getting in a separate contract with Local 162. Maletis distributes Anheuser-Busch beers locally, and Local 162 President Mark Davison says its wages and benefits have always lagged behind General Distribu- tors. Terms of the old contract are still in force until a new contract is reached, or until bargaining reaches impasse, or until work- ers vote out the union. On Dec. 14, the company asked the National Labor Rela- tions Board to conduct an elec- tion to see if the union still has majority support among em- ployees. Union supporters have defeated four previous attempts to vote out the union at General Distributors—most recently in 2012, when workers voted 47 to 4 to keep the union. But this time, the company presumably intends to include the workers it hired as striker replacements— and exclude some of the union’s strongest supporters, who’ve been suspended from returning. Local 162 is seeking to block the union election on the grounds that the company vio- lated labor law. Teamsters Local 162 has rep- resented employees at General Distributors for over 50 years. And General Distributors, owned by the Fick family, had a reputation for fair dealing until the current dispute. Strikers blame the change on Irwin, who was hired this year as general manager, and on the attorneys the company brought in this year. General Distributors is repre- sented by Ronald Williams of the Lake Oswego law firm Williams & Zografos, and Todd Lyon of the nationally prominent anti- union law firm Fisher & Phillips. No further contract bargain- ing sessions were currently scheduled at press time. The union launched a web site—GeneralDistributors Greed.com—to tell its side of the story. UNION BUSTING’S BITTER TASTE A 1947 anti-union law makes it illegal for the Teamsters to boycott bever- ages distributed by General Distribu- tors. But nothing prevents Labor Press readers from taking a break from its products until strikers are back on the job. General Distributors distributes the MillerCoors family of beers East of the Willamette River as far as Hood River. Brands include Miller and Coors as well as Corona and Mike’s Hard Lemonade. The company also handles many dozens of other beverages, in- cluding Arizona Teas, Kombucha Won- der Drink, and V8. The full list is on the company web site at generaldistribu- tors.com. 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Ads must include a phone number, including area code, or they will not be published. No commercial or business ads. HOW TO SUBMIT A CLASSIFIED AD Indicate which union you are a member of, and send your ad to michael492@comcast.net or by mail to PO Box 13150, Portland OR 97213. We publish the first and third Fridays of each month, and the deadline is one week prior to that. Low Prices! WANTED OLD WOODWORKING tools, planes, levels, chisels, handsaws, slicks, adzes, wrenches, folding rulers, axes, hatch- ets, 503-659-0009 CASH PAID, old fishing tackle, wood plugs, reels, creels, salmon fishing pho- tos, etc. 503-775-4166 COLLECTOR PAYS cash for older toys, Broadway Floral Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9:30-5:30, Sun 12-6 for the BEST flowers call 503-288-5537 1638 NE Broadway, Portland New Year’s Resolution! Membership Subscription to NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS Annual Group Rate of 25 or more subscriptions only $10.08 each That’s only 42 cents an issue! Members receive: • Local labor news • Official Meeting Notices • Free Classified Ads CALL 503-288-3311 140 POSITION OPEN Office Manager/Full-Time NORTHWEST OREGON LABOR COUNCIL seeks a self-motivated, ca- reer oriented individual to work inde- pendently and perform clerical and ad- ministrative functions, as well as provide high-level administrative support, and who is capable of performing moder- ately complex accounts payable and re- ceivable work that includes organiza- tional accounting using QuickBooks. This position is represented by the Of- fice and Professional Employees Inter- national Union Local 11 and offers com- prehensive Union negotiated benefits, including: Health & Welfare, Dental, Optical and Prescription Drug Insurance; Retirement Plans; Paid Holidays; Accrued vacation and sick leave hours. Starting salary: $21.16 hourly, DOE. 35+ hours per week. Please submit résumé, cover letter, and separate page listing three references to: Bob Tackett 9955 SE Washington St. #305 Portland, OR. 97216 Must be received by Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 at 5 p.m.
