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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (June 3, 2016)
June 3, 2016 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) Established in 1900 in Portland, Oregon as a voice of the la- bor movement. Published on a semi-monthly basis on the first and third Fridays of each month by the Oregon Labor Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non-profit mutual benefit corpo- ration owned by 20 unions and councils including the Ore- gon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 120 union organizations in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Office location: 4275 NE Halsey St., Portland, Oregon Mailing address: P.O. Box 13150, Portland, OR 97213 Phone: (503) 288-3311 Web address: http://nwlaborpress.org Editor & Manager: Michael Gutwig Associate editor: Don McIntosh Office manager: Cheri Rice Printed on recycled paper, using soy-based inks, by members of Teamsters Local 747-M. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Individual subscriptions are $13.75 per year for union members, $20 a year for all others. Send a check for that amount, indicating mailing address and union affilia- tion, to P.O. Box 13150, Portland, OR 97213. For 25 or more subscriptions, group rates of $9.60 a year per person are available to trade union organizations. Call 503-288-3311 for de- tails. CORRECTIONS: See an error? Please let us know at editor@nwlaborpress.org or by phone at 503-288-3311. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT PORTLAND, OREGON. CHANGE OF ADDRESS NOTICE: Three weeks are required for a change of address. When or- dering a change, please give your old and new addresses and the name and number of your local union. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS P.O. BOX 13150 PORTLAND, OR 97213-0150 IRS PROBLEMS? • Haven’t filed for ... years? • Lost records? • Liens - Garnishments? Call Me to Compare Prices with those you See on TV Nancy D. Anderson Enrolled Agent www.nancydanderson.com 503-244-2577 IATSE trying to get first contract for riggers at Rhino NW Labor steps up the pressure as company ignores NLRB orders, refuses to bargain The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 15 in Seattle is stepping up the pressure to get a first contract for some 70 riggers employed at Rhino Northwest. Last year, riggers at the nonunion staging, rigging and event production company lo- cated in Fife, Washington, won a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election and the right to be represented by IATSE Local 15. Rhino NW appealed the election, claiming the “mi- cro unit” of riggers was inappro- priate. [The company also em- ploys several hundred stage- hands and technical staff.] The NLRB allows unions to organize small portions of the total number of employees at a company if the employees in the unit are “readily identifiable” as a group and “share a community of interest.” The NLRB — at both the re- gional and national levels — found that the smaller unit was appropriate for a union certifica- tion election. Still, the company refuses to Photo courtesy of IATSE Local 15 PAGE 2 | SOLIDARITY FOR THE RHINO RIGGERS: Nearly 100 people rallied outside Seattle’s Safeco Field May 20 in a show of support for riggers who are trying to get a first contract at Rhino NW. About 70 riggers joined IATSE Local 15 more than a year ago. The company has refused to recognize the union. recognize the union, and has now turned to federal court in an attempt to get the election over- turned. Rhino has cut schedules of some union-supporting employ- ees and fired others. IATSE filed an unfair labor practice com- plaint with the NLRB alleging unlawful retaliation against workers’ protected activity to join a union. A hearing is sched- uled for July 26. Meanwhile, IATSE has be- gun to reach out to the greater labor community, as well as area politicians. On May 23, delegates to the Northwest Oregon Labor Coun- cil passed a resolution in support of the riggers. The resolution is identical to ones passed by labor councils in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties in Wash- ington. IATSE Local 15 President Sal Ponce said the union also has written letters to Seattle city councilors. Riggers employed at Rhino NW do backstage work at West- ern Washington live events and concerts at Sunlight Supply Am- phitheater (formerly Sleep Country) in Clark County’s Ridgefield, Washington, at the Tacoma Dome, The Gorge in George, Washington, at xFinity Arena in Everett, at White River Amphitheater in Auburn, at the Washington Convention Center, and occasionally at the two Seattle sports stadiums — Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field. Last month workers held a rally outside Safeco Field. Sev- eral members of Portland-based IATSE Local 28 participated. The union said it is planning an- other rally in July, this one at the amphitheater in Clark County. A date has not been set. “The concert business is a multi-billion dollar industry, and incredibly profitable as promot- ers utilize publicly-funded facil- ities and employ nonunion la- bor,” said Ponce. “The employees have been attempting to collectively bar- gain for more than a year. At this time they have little job security, no sick leave or health insur- ance, lack family-friendly scheduling, and work at hourly rates well below industry stan- dards. They need and deserve a contract,” said Ponce. Rhino Northwest, LLC, is lo- cated in Fife, Washington. It is affiliated with Arizona-head- quartered Rhino Staging.
