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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (June 7, 2019)
PAGE 8 | June 7, 2019 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS UNION ORGANIZING Veterans Nursing Home workers join United Steelworkers A group of 213 workers at a Lebanon, Oregon, nursing home for veterans won a union May 20. The vote was a “re- run” election, held after the Na- tional Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that the results of an earlier union vote were tainted labor law violations by management at Veterans Care Centers of Oregon. The re-run tally was 75 to 63 in favor of joining United Steelworkers of America (USW). USW had lost the earlier March 4 union election by one vote, after nursing home man- agers disciplined pro-union workers for distributing union literature and took other coer- cive actions that the NLRB concluded violated U.S. labor law. USW represents about 170 workers at a veterans nursing home in The Dalles, Oregon, that is run by the same non- profit employer. The newly unionized unit in- cludes certified nurse assistants, licensed practical nurses, med- ical records clerks, activities co- ordinators, barbers, and mainte- nance and transportation work- ers. A separate union vote was held for “professional” employ- ees like registered nurses, but they voted 8 to 3 not to join the union. Meanwhile, workers at the nursing home in The Dalles voted May 23 to approve a new three-year agreement that will raise wages 15 percent. For the first time, the agreement also in- cludes union security — a re- quirement that all represented workers pay union dues. USW District 12 representa- tive Jim Kilborn said the union faced hostile management there, too. Managers pulled down union information about the tentative agreement on the day of the ratification vote. And even with the contract ratifica- tion, supporters will have to de- fend their union there, because a group of anti-union employ- ees gathered signatures of at least 30 percent of the work force to hold a decertification vote. That vote has not been scheduled yet. Raymond Thomas Cynthia Newton Melissa Haggerty James Coon Chris Frost Sydney Montanaro When you're unable to work full time anymore, we're here to help with benefits. 820 SW Second Ave., Suite 200, Portland, OR 97204 Scott Sell Chris Thomas www.tcnf.legal THIS NEWSPAPER BROUGHT TO YOU BY AMERICA’S LABOR MOVEMENT … AND BY OUR ADVERTISERS. LET THEM KNOW YOU APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT! ...Low-wage autism therapists unionize From Page 3 ceive it? Some surely did. Al- most immediately, the com- pany’s email system was taken down, and even the email app it- self was deleted from company- provided tablets. After all that effort by the company, only two workers changed their minds, and — along with a new hire and one worker who was always op- posed — made up the four who voted against the union. For the workers at 102nd Av- enue, their next step is to bar- gain a first contract. Workers hope through the union to be able to raise wages, reduce turnover, and end practices like split shifts where they might work 10 to noon and then sit around three hours unpaid for a 3 to 5 shift. The Labor Press contacted CARD last week to confirm de- tails of this story, and was di- rected to human resources direc- tor Judith Friend. Friend did not return the call. Bethany Sherer 971.978.9534 12/31/19 2018
