Hawthorne Fred Meyer workers participated in the nearly week-long strike at Portland-area stores. Credit: Courtesy photo by Yasuko Garrett
In August, Oregon saw four more union wins than in July, six fewer new campaigns and four fewer labor actions.
August was a big month for nonprofits and not-for-profits, with workers organizing at Pioneer Memorial Hospital, Do Good Multnomah, Portland Street Medicine, Providence, Legacy and St. Charles Medical Center.
"Last month in Oregon labor" is a monthly installment by Aurora Biggers covering all things Oregon labor.
The Portland Metropolitan area also saw an expansive Fred Meyer strike in the last days of the month, amid contract bargaining and a federal merger investigation.
August was also a significant month for bargaining with Oregon Health & Science University, or OHSU, and TriMet workers securing agreements, while workers at two Portland colleges continue to fight for strong contracts.
New campaigns and elections
After delivering their declaration of intent to unionize with the Oregon Nurses Association, or ONA, in March, registered nurses and technical support workers at Pioneer Memorial Hospital finally won their petition. Pioneer Memorial Hospital is owned by a public entity, the Morrow County Health District, meaning the workers did not need to go through an election to receive union recognition.
However, according to ONA, the hospital filed an objection with the Employment Relations Board. The board ultimately ruled in the workers’ favor.
Baristas at a Happy Valley Starbucks location filed with the National Labor Relations Board, or NLRB, to join Starbucks Workers United on Aug. 7. They voted 9-5 to certify the union Aug. 20.
Nearly 300 workers at Do Good Multnomah in Portland filed Aug. 8 to form a wall-to-wall union with the Oregon American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME.
Portland Street Medicine voluntarily recognized its employees’ petition to join the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 5 on Aug. 9.
Home health nurses, wound ostomy nurses, licensed practical nurses, licensed vocational nurses, social workers, speech pathologists, occupational therapists and physical therapists at Providence Benedictine Home Health in Mt. Angel won their Aug. 20 election to join the ONA 44-10.
Patient safety attendants at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland voted 7-0 to join the Service Employees International Union Local 49 on Aug. 22.
Parks technicians at Portland General Electric in Estacada and Madras voted 4-0 to join the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 125 on Aug. 27.
Workers at Organic Consultant LLC in Eugene filed to join the United Chemists & Manufacturer Workers Union on Aug. 28.
Labor actions
Technical workers, including surgical techs, respiratory therapists and sonographers, at the St. Charles Medical Center in Bend held an Aug. 15 picket to demand a contract that includes safe staffing policies and living wages. The Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, which represents the workers, said the union bargained for several months with the health system.
Portland-area Fred Meyer workers represented by the United Food & Commercial Workers local 555, went on strike Aug. 28-Sept. 3 after the union said the company had racked up multiple unfair labor practices.
The union is also currently involved in a campaign opposing the Kroger and Albertsons merger, after previously endorsing the deal.
The merger is undergoing an antitrust trial, as the Federal Trade Commission worries that combining the two national grocery chains would have negative economic impacts on shoppers. According to Business Insider, during the trial, Kroger’s senior director for pricing, Andy Groff, admitted that the company already engages in price gouging with its egg and milk prices.
Negotiations
OHSU postdoctoral researchers ratified their first contract on Aug. 23. Oregon AFSCME, which represents the researchers, reached the agreement one day before the researchers were set to strike.
The contract includes a 16.5% wage increase over four years, a significant jump from OHSU’s initial 0% offer. Researchers are also getting additional sick and vacation time, ratification pay, relocation and visa reimbursements, and visa renewal protections. Under the new contract, OHSU will need just cause to fire researchers.
The Portland State University American Association of University Professors continues to bargain with the university.
“Progress is moving more slowly than we would like,” the union said in a public bargaining update.
The two parties had their first bargaining session in late July. The professors’ current priorities include reduced tuition benefits and equitable union release time.
Reed College Housing Advisors, represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 11, or OPEIU, also remains in bargaining with college administrators.
In an online petition, OPEIU said advisors work 15-20-plus hours a week and are asking the college for a stipend to match similar benefits given to resident advisors at other unionized colleges.
The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757 workers in Portland voted in a new contract with TriMet this month. Some workers will receive as much as a 50% wage increase, according to the union. The contract also requires Trimet to contribute to employee 401(k) plans, lowers the longevity requirement and mandates that TriMet drop grievances it isn’t actively pursuing.
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