Last Month In Oregon Labor | At least five unions won elections, four new campaigns began, one union lost an election, and at least four picketed or went on strike
The Bureau of Labor Statistics dropped its 2022 union membership report this month, and Oregon bucked a nationwide historic low in union membership.
The union membership rate fell to approximately 10% of all workers across the United States, but not for a lack of union membership growth. Union membership grew by 273,000, but the wage and salary workforce grew massively by 5.3 million last year, counteracting union member numbers.
With 15-19.9% of its workforce unionized, the West Coast surpasses the national average. Oregon has gained 49,000 in the past 22 years. Only two other states, Washington and California, gained union members since 2000.
From new organizing to strikes to contract negotiations, Oregon’s labor scene didn’t take a holiday break. Starting the new year off with a bang, Afuri Ramen workers’ new union — Portland Restaurant Workers — claimed its first union election. The New Seasons Labor Union reached six organized locations in the Portland metro area and two other independent unions sprung up.
In the legal sphere, a federal investigation revealed massive wage theft at a Portland-based restaurant, and The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on an Oregon state employee’s case to sue SEIU.
New campaigns and elections
Adding to its streak of wins, New Seasons Labor Union now has seven unionized locations with Arbor Lodge workers voting 71 to 23 for the union and Cedar Hills workers voting 74 to 51.
Aside from the Orenco Station and Sellwood locations, which voted against the union, only 13 stores remain non-union. A National Labor Relations Board, or NLRB, investigation into unfair labor practices at the Orenco Station store may overturn its election, though.
In another independent union victory, Portland Restaurant Workers garnered its first unionization with downtown Portland’s Afuri Ramen Jan. 13. Workers from the union’s other campaign — downtown Potbelly sandwich shop workers — announced their intent to unionize the same week.
Workers at Beaverton-based National Network of Abortion Funds filed for a union election on Dec. 20, but the organization has since announced it will voluntarily recognize the OPEIU Local 11-represented union.
The national Starbucks Workers United union steadily gained traction in Oregon, and the Pioneer Courthouse Square location became the 27th in the state to launch a union campaign this month. So far, 23 Oregon locations voted to unionize — the second highest number in the nation only to New York — two have voted against it, and two are awaiting elections.
AFSCME-backed New Avenues Workers Union, which formed in 2022 and planned to file with the NLRB in December, held off filing for a union election until they can reconfirm a large enough percentage of support from workers following high staff turnover.
“We’re also trying to get new folks on board as we’re keeping existing support strong and inoculating against future anti-union propaganda,” Colin Parker, New Avenues For Youth resident advisor, said. “So all that said, I don’t have a firm timeline for filing, but we’re optimistic it will be in the next couple of weeks.”
Portland dance company BodyVox’s workers filed for a union election with IATSE Local 28 on Jan. 18.
City of Portland office workers announced another independent union for the city — The City of Portland Professional Workers Union. The union hasn’t filed for a union election yet, but the union would represent approximately 870 workers.
Reed College grounds workers in Portland voted unanimously in favor of a Teamsters Local 305-represented union Jan. 24.
Workers at a Corvallis Rite Aid formed an independent Pharmacy Technicians of Rite Aid union in December but lost the election 11 to 2 earlier this month.
Strikes and pickets
Following a Jan. 10 unfair labor practice strike and picket, workers at Living Room Theaters in Portland announced a union campaign, United Cinema Workers. The workers initially went on strike after they said management told them not to discuss the firing of a former employee or working conditions.
Nearly 200 Kaiser Permanente workers represented by the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, as well as some patients, walked the picket line at Sunnyside Medical Center in Clackamas Jan. 13 over short staffing.
“We need Kaiser to propose complex solutions to not just increase staffing, but bringing more workers into the staffing pool itself,” Shane Burley, OFNHP representative, said. “We are demanding bargaining over recent acceleration of these issues after the governor’s State of Emergency, and are waiting for Kaiser to respond to this. But this is also just the first step of what will be a long-term escalation campaign that will unite all of our members across different employers in the demand to increase staffing levels by at least 15%.”
Kaiser workers nearly went on strike in 2021, but reached an agreement with the healthcare giant shortly before the strike date. Burley said workers picketed over the same concerns that drove them to authorize that strike.
Over 200 Oregon Nursing Association Providence nurses and community members picketed Jan. 20 at Providence corporate headquarters to demand that Providence protect nurses, according to ONA Communications Specialist Myrna Jensen.
“They reiterated the demands they’ve made at the bargaining tables: safe staffing, fully paid family and medical leave, fair market compensation, and improved health benefits,” Jensen said.
Almost 2,000 ONA nurses at Providence Portland Medical Center, Providence Home Health & Hospice, and Providence Seaside are currently working under expired contracts and are bargaining with Providence. Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, Providence Newberg Medical Center and Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center nurses' contracts will be renegotiated later this year.
Negotiations
Portland city workers represented by the Laborers' International Union of North America Local 483 are in the midst of contract negotiations that have dragged on since March 2022. LiUNA gave the city a 10-day strike notice Jan. 23 and could strike in early February if a deal isn’t reached.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 5 notified Powell’s Books this month of its intent to begin contract negotiations for the eighth contract since the union formed in 2000. The current contract expires March 31.
ILWU Local 5 also represents the Oregon Historical Society, which finished its contract negotiations in late December. The contract is out for voting now.
“The contract negotiated had only gains for the workers at OHS, so we feel generally positive that it will be ratified,” Myka Dubay, union representative, said.
Federal Investigations
The U.S. Department of Labor released investigation findings this month finding Portland Casa Maya Taqueria & Cantina owner Miguel Chi-dzul withheld over $94,000 in wages and tips from employees. The federal department recouped $188,354 in back wages and damages for workers and ordered Chi-dzul to pay $11,292 in civil penalties.
In the report, Carrie Aguilar, Wage and Hour Division district director, said the U.S. Department of Labor found Chi-dzul was a victim of wage theft himself in 2018, and the department had his wages recouped then.
“This case serves as another unfortunate reminder that wage theft is a common and serious concern for restaurant industry workers, many of whom are vulnerable and afraid to complain,” Aguilar said in the report.
The U.S. Supreme Court decided on Jan. 23 that it won’t consider the case of an Oregon state employee, Jodee Wright, who claimed Service Employees International Union Local 503 wrongly collected dues from her as a non-union employee. The decision upholds an earlier Ninth Circuit ruling which rejected Wright’s case to sue SEIU, the Oregon Department of Administrative Services, and the department’s director. The court ruled at the time that Wright’s claim to damages based on harm in the past and potential future harm was “too speculative,” according to the Ninth Circuit’s filed opinion. λ
"Last month in Oregon labor" is a monthly installment by Aurora Biggers covering all things Oregon labor.
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