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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (March 15, 2019)
PAGE 8 | March 15, 2019 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS On March 1, members of Iron Workers Local 29 were busy placing the trusses for a new canopy at Providence Park stadium. Above, Local 29 member Ron McDowell helps steer a 38,500 pound truss. At the controls of the massive Manitowok 16000 crane is Darrel Hickman, a member of Operating Engi- neers Local 701. The trusses, which come in pieces, are fitted together on the ground by ironworkers before being hoisted and secured into place. Iron- workers Corey Baker and Don McNown perform that task in the photo above right. Baker is a traveling member out of Local 808 in Orlando, Florida. Providence Park expansion a union job A rendering of what the stadium will look like when the expansion is completed. Providence Park, home to the Portland’s Timbers and Thorns men’s and women’s profes- sional soccer teams, is undergo- ing a $70 million expansion us- ing union labor. The stadium is getting three new levels and a larger roof canopy that will add 4,000 seats to its east side, bringing its capacity to just over 25,000. The new canopy reaches a height of 93 feet above the concourse and 124 feet above the field. On March 1, more than 90 construction workers from all crafts were at work on the proj- ect, which will employ 120 union members at its peak. The upgrades will be completed by June 1, which is the date for the home opener for the Timbers. Carr Construction, Precision Precast Erectors, and T-Plus Steel employ ironworkers doing the canopy installation and pre- cast work. The crane operators work for Ness Campbell. Turner Construction is the gen- eral contractor. UNION ORGANIZING board member. But in January, an effort to unionize among a group of 32 fundraising campaign staffers fell short. The tally was 12 in fa- vor of joining Communications Workers of America (CWA) Lo- cal 7901, and 14 opposed in a Jan. 8 vote supervised by the National Labor Relations Board. United Way of the Columbia- Willamette CEO Keith Thoma- jan took a position of neutrality on whether employees should unionize, and didn’t campaign against it. Local 7901 President Celeste Jones attributed the loss to the fact that a handful of union sup- porters were out of town during the vote, and that some other workers had opposed the idea of unionizing and campaigned against it. Jones said it’s possi- ble union supporters will make another attempt in a year. United Way does for the most part treat its employees well, Jones said, but workers who wanted a union had chafed after years of no raises — and some have had to endure on-and-off employment as temporary fundraisers hired during fund- raising drives. The core of CWA Local 7901’s membership is in tele- phone companies like AT&T and CenturyLink, but the local also represents workers at a handful of nonprofits. CWA also represents some United Way workers in other states. the union, workers will ask the National Labor Relations Board to hold elections. That would bring to five the number of stores that are officially union. The others are at 3504 SE 92nd Ave, 19119 SE McLoughlin Blvd., and 1122 SE Hawthorne Blvd. The Burgerville Workers Union is calling on supporters to boycott all stores until a union contract is signed. Though bar- gaining is under way, it’s not clear that will happen soon: At a March 6 negotiation session, the company made a wage offer: A raise of 13 cents an hour. The union is calling for a raise of $5 an hour. Union effort falls short at United Way in Portland United Way of the Columbia- Willamette has long worked with local labor unions in chari- table fundraising campaigns. It also helps to fund union-spon- sored Labor’s Community Serv- ice Agency, which assists union households when they fall on hard times. It’s even had labor officials on its board: Former union leader and state legislator Diane Rosenbaum is a current board member, and Bob Tack- ett, head of the Northwest Ore- gon Labor Council, is a former Workers unionize at two more Burgerville stores Workers at two more Burg- erville restaurants are seeking formal union recognition. On March 11, union delegations to management presented signa- tures from a majority of workers at the company’s Convention Center location, 1135 NE Mar- tin Luther King Jr Blvd., and at its Montavilla location, 8218 NE Glisan St. If the company doesn’t voluntarily recognize
