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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (June 2, 2017)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | June 2, 2017 | PAGE 7 COLLECTIVE BARGAINING City workers say their wages need to reflect the new high-rent Portland By Don McIntosh Over 100 members of Laborers Local 483 gathered across from City Hall May 25 to protest the slow pace of contract bargaining with the City. Local 483 is nego- tiating on its own for the first time since it left the multi-union District Council of Trades Unions last year. Contracts for two Local 483-represented groups expire June 30 — a unit of about 600 workers in 37 clas- sifications who maintain roads, sewers, pump stations, waste- water treatment facilities, parks and community centers; and a fluctuating unit of 400 to 700 workers who staff city recreation centers. Wage increases are the top issue for both groups. Kassey Diaz, a member of the union bargaining team for the maintenance unit, says she and her co-workers haven’t gotten more than cost-of-living raises in the 30 years she’s been a City utility worker. And that’s becom- ing a real problem, because the Consumer Price Index (CPI) that the raises are based on isn’t re- LIVABLE PORTLAND: Mt. Scott Community Center worker Kate MacQuarrie and union staffer Tom Colett present petitions to Commissioner Chloe Eudaly’s chief of staff, Marshall Runkel. The message: City pay must consider the cost of housing. “I would love to not have to live with four roommates,” MacQuarrie said. UNITED FOR A FAIR CONTRACT: Local 483 members rally in Terry Schrunk park, across from City Hall. flecting the reality of the rapid rent and home price increases of recent years. The CPI has been rising at 1 to 3 percent a year, but rents are rising more than 10 per- cent a year. Local 483 wants a cost-of-living increase “floor” of at least 2.5 percent, while City managers want to keep the cur- rent 1 percent floor. Local 483 is also proposing that the City start thinking about paying wages comparable to other high-cost wants to return to an 80-hour “rolling” comp time bank; the City wants a fixed limit of 120 hours a year, and for comp time to accrue only for unscheduled overtime. For the rec center unit, mean- while, priorities are longevity pay for long-term workers, and a starting wage of at least $15 an hour. “We want a living wage for all City workers, no exceptions,” West Coast cities, like Seattle and San Francisco. “Our public employees are getting forced out of the city they work in,” said Local 483 spokesperson Tom Colett. “Are we going to become the next New York or San Francisco, where we have workers who come into the city to work but can’t afford to live here?” The two sides also differ over comp time policy: Local 483 said bargaining team member Aubrie Cooper, a part-time front desk worker at Matt Dishman Community Center. So far, City negotiators haven’t agreed to the proposed raises. “Our answer to their ‘no’s’ is ‘no,’” Local 483 president Will Tucker told rallygoers. ONLINE See more rally photos at our Flickr page at http://bit.ly/2rpslWI Special gift for you just because you are a Union member! Bring this coupon to the location nearest you for a Union and Independently-owned locations throughout Washington and Oregon Beaverton - 503.914.4003 Chehalis - 360.639.3377 Eugene/Springfield - 541.622.0602 Gresham- 503.914.4005 Hillsboro - 503.719.6452 Longview - 360.639.3388 Milwaukie - 503.821.0089 Salem - 503.914.4007 Salmon Creek - 360.639.3399 Coming soon! Southern Oregon - 541.227.6966 For other locations, see our web site at: http://sunrisedental.com/locations FREE Teeth Whitening Package You do not need to be our patient & there’s absolutely no obligation *One kit per family; you must present the original coupon, no NWLP copies will be accepted. EXPIRES: August 31, 2017-NWLP
