Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (June 17, 2016)
SERVING ORGANIZED LABOR IN OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON SINCE 1900 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS VOLUME 117, NUMBER 12 IN THIS ISSUE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL CONTRACT Comes a year after stagehands vote to join IATSE . | Page 3 LABOR 100 YEARS AGO A look back at the front page stories of the Labor Press a century ago. | Page 5 Meetings p.4 Labor Appreciation Night p.8 PORTLAND, OREGON JUNE 17, 2016 Big union win at PeaceHealth Vancouver By Don McIntosh Associate editor In ballots tallied June 2, hospital technicians at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver voted 211 to 77 to unionize. They’ll now be members of PeaceHealth Southwest Care- givers United, a unit of Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP), which is itself an affiliate of the Amer- ican Federation of Teachers (AFT). Turnout was extraordinarily high: 93 percent of workers in the unit cast ballots. And the overwhelmingly pro-union mar- gin — almost 3-to-1 — came despite an active anti-union campaign by hospital manage- ment. Union supporters report that leading up to the vote, hos- pital managers and executives tore union fliers down from bul- letin boards, and interrogated Photo by Alexander Reusing, courtesy of AFT Hospital techs voted nearly 3-to- 1 in favor of unionizing TEARS OF JOY: Union supporters hug June 2 as their win is announced. workers — asking them if they like working there and how they planned to vote in the union election. If true, some of those tactics are illegal under federal labor law; AFT filed charges May 27 with the National Labor Relations Board detailing illegal surveillance and coercive state- ments and actions by Peace- Health managers. PeaceHealth Southwest car- diovascular technologist Danene Flower says the management of- fensive began after May 6, when AFT requested an election. “Most of these people I’d never seen before in my life,” Flower said. “They were wear- ing buttons saying ‘Give us a Lead crisis in schools The pattern seems so familiar: Top brass at Portland Public Schools (PPS) didn’t attend to the issue of lead in drinking water, failed to act on several lead test results in a timely way, then ran for cover as panic spread among parents. At that point they took hasty and costly damage control measures — putting two managers on paid leave, hir- ing an outside law firm to fig- Turn to Page 6 ure out what happened, buy- ing a million plastic bottles of water, and covering up every water source (not just those that tested high for lead). The district’s own skilled mainte- nance workers, who could be installing lead-free fixtures, were instead tasked with de- livering cases of plastic water bottles and picking up emp- ties. Turn to Page 7 City union ‘breakup’ – Laborers Local 483 leaves DCTU union coalition Laborers Local 483 — which represents parks, street mainte- nance, water and sewer workers at the City of Portland — is leaving the District Council of Trade Unions (DCTU). DCTU is a coalition of city unions that jointly negotiates a single con- tract. In ballots counted June 1, Local 483 members voted by greater than a 70 percent margin to withdraw from the DCTU. The vote follows internal ten- sions within the DCTU during the most recent contract negoti- ations, chiefly over differences in strategy and priorities. Local 483 has tended to favor more vocal and adversarial tactics, and hasn’t been as involved as other DCTU unions in mayor and city council races. With about 600 members, Local 483 is the second largest union in the DCTU; AFSCME Local 189, with about 840 members is the largest. The others are IBEW smaller bargaining team might make for shorter negotiations. On the other hand, staying might better leverage the strength of greater numbers. The current DCTU contract covers 1,656 members of all seven unions, and expires July 1, 2017. Negotiations are ex- pected to begin later this year. Leaving the DCTU means Lo- cal 483 will bargain separately going forward. Buchholz said one potential drawback of leaving is that city CITY UNIONS UNITED: In August 2013, members of DCTU unions rallied for negotiators would play unions a fair contract outside Portland City Hall. against each other; to counter Local 48, Machinists District see if they can get a better agree- that, he said the unions will have to remain in close communica- Lodge 24, Operating Engineers ment on their own.” “It’s like a break up,” Buch- tion. Local 701, Plumbers and Fitters “It might be easier to talk if Local 290, and Painters and Al- holz said. “If it doesn’t work out, lied Trades District Council 5. we can always get back to- we’re neighbors than if we’re living in the same house,” Buch- “This [withdrawal] isn’t a re- gether.” flection on what the other DCTU Local 483’s Executive Board holz said. The city’s fire and police members do,” said Local 483 recommended leaving, but pre- Business Manager Wesley Buch- sented both pros and cons to unions also bargain on their holz. “Our members wanted to members. On the plus side, a own. So does Professional & “This isn’t a reflection on what the other DCTU members do. Our mem- bers wanted to see if they can get a better agreement on their own.” —Local 483 business man- ager Wesley Buchholz Technical Employees Local 17, the union formerly known as City of Portland Professional Employees Association. Local 189 President Mark Gipson didn’t downplay that the DCTU unions have had differ- ent cultures and strategies, but said he wishes Local 483 the best of luck going forward. “I really want this breakup to be amicable,” Gipson said. “It has to be.”
