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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 2019)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | AFSCME Local 328 declares impasse at OHSU AFSCME Local 328 has de- clared impasse in negotiations with Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). The union represents nearly 7,000 employ- ees there, and has been bargain- ing since late February. The contract expired June 30. Despite record revenue and profits, management is propos- ing replacing the current sick- leave system that protects dedi- cated time for ill workers, to a “paid-time off” (PTO) system that would force workers to choose between coming to work sick or spending time off with their families. “OHSU belongs to every- one,” said Karyn Trivette, a physical therapist at OHSU. “We are a vital teaching and re- search hospital for our region. When patients come to OHSU they deserve to know that those providing their care aren’t sick themselves and that administra- tion at OHSU is focused on pa- tient care, not just profits.” Local 328 presented a “last, best, and final” offer to OHSU on July 29. At that point, a mandatory 30-day cooling-off period began. If a deal isn’t reached before the cooling off period expires, OHSU may im- plement its final offer after five days’ notice. The union can strike on 10 days’ notice. A mediation session between the two sides has been set for Aug. 13. Local 328 will hold an infor- mational picket Thursday, Aug. 8, from 4 to 6 p.m. at OHSU’s MacKenzie Hall. Family, friends, and the entire labor community are invited. A strike authorization vote will be held Aug. 19-29 if a set- tlement hasn’t been reached. Legacy appeals Unity Health nurses’ union victory Legacy Health Systems is chal- lenging a union election by nurses at Unity Center for Be- havioral Health, Portland’s only 24-hour psychiatric emergency facility. The facility is operated by Legacy Health as a joint ven- ture with several other health net- works. On June 19, a unit of 202 reg- istered nurses voted overwhelm- ingly to join Oregon Nurses As- sociation (ONA). The tally was 128 to 25. Legacy Health argued to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that Unity Center was part of a broader health system that includes Legacy Emanuel Hospital, and that because of that, nurses couldn’t create a sep- arate bargaining unit. Legacy Emanuel Hospital nurses are non-union. The NLRB’s regional director ruled against Legacy and al- lowed the election to take place. On July 11, Legacy Health asked the NLRB’s appointed board in Washington, D.C., to re- view the regional director’s deci- sion to allow the election to be held. The NLRB can either grant or deny the request. ONA ex- pected a decision by the end of July. (A decision had not been announced at press time.) If the NLRB grants the request for review, oral arguments from ONA and Unity’s legal counsel will be made in Washington, D.C., in front of the full NLRB. The Board is controlled by three Trump appointees who have been issuing management- friendly decisions since taking charge. One Obama appointee remains on the Board, and one THIS NEWSPAPER BROUGHT TO YOU BY AMERICA’S LABOR MOVEMENT … AND BY OUR ADVERTISERS. LET THEM KNOW YOU APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT! Raymond Thomas Cynthia Newton Melissa Haggerty James Coon Chris Frost Sydney Montanaro If you are injured at work but not sure you need medical treatment or file a claim, at least give the employer notice that you may have hurt yourself at work to protect your rights later, should you need to file a claim. 820 SW Second Ave., Suite 200, Portland, OR 97204 Scott Sell Chris Thomas www.tcnf.legal seat is vacant. “Legacy’s request to have the NLRB review the decision from the regional director is another tactic to suppress the voice of nurses at Unity Center,” ONA said in a written statement. “Legacy has repeatedly said they value the opinions, expertise and input of nurses from Unity. If that were true they would respect the results of the vote. This is a tactic to delay bargaining and confuse the public, patients and nurses. Nurses at Unity Center are mov- ing forward with elections for their bargaining team and expect Legacy to meet them at the table during contract negotiations.” August 2, 2019 | PAGE 5 SEIU deal with Oregon includes 10-15% raises Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 503 reached a tentative agreement with the State of Oregon on a two-year union contract covering 24,000 public employees. State employees at the depart- ments of Human Services, Trans- portation, Administrative Serv- ices, and Revenue will see raises ranging from 10% to 15% over the next two years as a result of cost-of-living-adjustments and step increases. Those who are at the top steps of their salary range will see, on average, a 10% raise over the same period. The new contract contains the largest in- creases in public employee wages in a decade, the union said. The state initially proposed a four-year contract with a 1.68% raise in 2019, a 1% raise in 2020, and no guaranteed raises in 2021 or 2022. “In the face of legal challenges and anti-union organizing, Ore- gon’s public employees chose to stick together. They won a con- tract that represents a major in- vestment in our state’s public services,” Melissa Unger, execu- tive director of Local 503, told Oregon Public Broadcasting. The contract still must be rati- fied by members and the State of Oregon.
