Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (March 4, 2016)
PAGE 8 | March 4 , 2016 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING COMMUNITY SERVICE Nabisco wants to end Bakers’ pension Members of Bakery Confec- tionery Tobacco and Grain Millers (BCTGM) at Nabisco continued to work after their contract expired Feb. 29. BCTGM refused a request by Nabisco parent company Mon- delēz International for a tempo- rary contract extension. As a re- sult, the union could strike, or the company could lock out workers, at any time. Further contract talks are scheduled for Baltimore starting March 7. The Bakers Union represents about 2,200 workers at six Nabisco plants and two distribu- tion centers in the U.S. Local 364 represents 200 workers at Nabisco’s Portland Bakery at 100 NE Columbia Boulevard. During two weeks of bargain- ing that began Feb. 16 in Char- lotte, North Carolina, Mondelēz proposed to withdraw from the union’s multi-employer B&C Pension Fund — and instead contribute an equivalent amount to a 401(k)-style retirement sav- ings plan. BCTGM called that unacceptable. With traditional pensions like the B&C Pension Fund, employers invest funds to make sure they can pay a guar- anteed monthly benefit; with 401(k)s, all the investment risk is on individual employees. Mondelēz says it wants out of the B&C Pension Fund because the fund is projected to be insol- vent within 17 years. But BCTGM negotiator Ron Baker said that doesn’t make financial sense: If Mondelēz withdraws, by law it would still be required to pay $900 million to make good on its existing obligations. Baker said that’s about $25 mil- lion a year for several decades — about the same as Mondelēz is paying now without the extra 401(k) style payments it’s pro- posing. In what Mondelēz called its final offer, emailed to the union Feb. 25, the company is also proposing to reduce its contribu- tion to employee health insur- ance to 90 percent; right now it pays 100 percent. BCTGM continues to protest Mondelēz’ decision to replace several bakery production lines in Chicago with new facilities in Mexico. BCTGM is getting ready to launch a consumer boy- cott of Mexican-made Nabisco products. “We are going to be on it like a dog on a bone, and we are not going to let up,” Baker said. LOcaL 48 vOLunteers heLp feed hOmeLess On Saturday, Feb. 13, members of IBEW Local 48’s Reach out and En- gage Next-gen Electrical Workers (RENEW) group put together over 140 sack lunches and handed them out to the homeless in downtown Portland. Above, jour- neyman Perry Felllman and apprentice Kim Cole prepare sand- wiches. Left, apprentices Kevin Lux and Kennitha Wade, and material han- dler Doug Hines get ready to hand out lunches. “It’s another great way that Local 48 members are giving back to their communi- ties,” said Union Rep Terry Reigle. ONLINE EXTRA BCTGM has produced a powerful video about the 600 Nabisco workers in Chicago who are fighting to save their jobs: youtu.be/l4gNcoYg_qc NLRB issues split decision in Walmart case By Mark Gruenberg Press Associates Inc. WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Na- tional Labor Relations Board (NLRB) administrative law judge (ALJ) issued a split deci- sion in a notable case involving anti-union retailer Walmart. ALJ Jeffrey Carter ordered the firm to rehire 14 workers it ille- gally fired for standing up for their rights in 2013, and to re- scind discipline against 41 more. He ordered the 14 reinstated with back pay. But that was all. Carter limited the reach of his ruling. He decided their job actions, part of OURWalmart’s nation- wide campaign of one-day strikes in 2012 and its “Ride for Respect,” which saw members of the workers’ group descend on Walmart’s Arkansas head- quarters during its annual meet- ing the following spring, affected only 30 of the corporations 4,300 stores in the United States. The action, aided by the United Food and Commercial Workers, launched its campaign to put public pressure on the gi- ant retailer to improve wages, hours and working conditions at the stores. After the one-day strikes, and despite prior company state- ments, Walmart fired the 14 workers and disciplined the oth- ers. Both moves broke labor law, Carter found. Walmart illegally threatened the workers for plan- ning to take “protected concerted activity,” Carter said. It also ille- gally “issued disciplinary per- sonal discussions” to workers “because they participated in la- bor activity on their own time,” he added. Walmart officials illegally read the workers “talking points that they could reasonably con- strue” as a work rule with an il- legal ban on strikes, Carter added. And it illegally “coached” the workers for engaging in the protected strike, he explained. In his 137-page ruling, Carter ordered standard NLRB notices posted at those 30 stores. The notices say Walmart admits it broke labor law against OUR- Walmart members and promises not to do it again. Carter did not order Walmart to tell workers and managers at other U.S. stores about the ruling. And la- bor law doesn’t issue fines. OURWalmart, which has since reorganized into another form, had no comment on Carter’s de- cision. Photo by Dawn Jones of Redstone / Hearts + Sparks Productions ceLebrating bad-ass fashiOn Mercy Sham, a recent graduate of the Oregon Tradeswomen pre-ap- prenticeship program, models workwear at Curious Comedy Theater for the first-ever Tradeswomen Fashion Show. The sold-out Feb. 24 event raised money for Oregon Tradeswomen Inc., a non-profit that works to get more women to enter high-skill, high-wage construction and metal trades. HAPPENINGS Knitting for Newborns kicks off 2016 TeamLabor! volunteer program Labor’s Community Service Agency (LCSA) is calling on organized la- bor’s knitting, crochet, and sewing hobbyists in the Portland Metro area to register to participate in an after- noon of crafting benefitting hospital- ized children with barriers to health care. Knitting for Newborns will be held on Sunday, March 13, at the Beaver- ton Library from 1 to 3 p.m. Admis- sion is by registration only. The event is sponsored by Hands On Greater Portland and benefits children hospitalized at Virginia Gar- cia Health Center and Randall Chil- dren’s Hospital. The knitting pro- gram is part of LCSA’s TeamLabor!, in partnership with the Northwest Oregon Labor Council and United Way of the Columbia-Willamette. For more information, or to regis- ter, go online to lcsaportland.org and click on the “get involved” tab, or call Eryn Byram at 503-231-4962. SW Walker Road, Beaverton. Regis- tration opens at 11 a.m. The event is coordinated by the National Associ- ation of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 82 and the Northwest Oregon Labor Council, and includes a silent auction. Since its inception in 1989, union members have raised nearly $400,000 for MDA. For more infor- mation, or to sign up and receive fundraising packets and instructions, call Jim Falvey, president of Letter Carriers Branch 82 at 503-493-5903. To donate silent auction items, call Kyle Ellerbe at 503-223-3177 or email kellerbe@mdausa.org. Low Prices! The 27th annual Labor Bowl Chal- lenge for Muscular Dystrophy will be held Sunday, April 17, from noon to 2:30 p.m. at Sunset Lanes, 12770 Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9:30-5:30, Sun 12-6
