SEIU Local 503 workers and community members gather at Holladay Plaza Park on March 19 to rally against proposed congressional cuts to Medicaid. Credit: Photo by Aurora Biggers
Oregon labor hit new highs for the year in March, with eight worker groups winning elections, nine new union campaigns announced and 10 labor actions.
Notably, Teamsters-represented Bigfoot Beverages workers remained on strike for the sixth month while workers across the state rallied against federal threats to union protections, proposed Medicaid cuts and potential changes to the U.S. Postal Service.
"Last month in Oregon labor" is a monthly installment by Aurora Biggers covering all things Oregon labor.
Medical workers and maintenance employees in medical facilities won four elections this month and announced three new campaigns. Starbucks workers initiated a new organizing push, while Teamsters locals accounted for nearly half of election filings for the month.
New campaigns and elections
Continuing an ongoing organizing push at Legacy Medical Group locations, registered nurses for Legacy Medical Group in Oregon and Washington filed with the National Labor Relations Board, or NLRB, March 5 to join the Oregon Nurses Association.
Later in the month, nurse practitioners, physician associates and physician assistants for Legacy’s Specialities Management Structure in Oregon and Washington filed March 13 to join an existing bargaining unit with the Oregon Nurses Association.
The coffee industry was in on the action too.
On March 5, roasters, green coordinators, operators, production and warehouse associates, warehouse leads and delivery drivers for Portland Roasting Holdings voted 20-4 to join the General Teamsters Auto Truck Drivers and Helpers Local Union 162.
On March 6, baristas and shift supervisors at Starbucks in Damascus voted 9-6 to join Starbucks Workers United.
The next day, baristas and shift supervisors at the Southeast Division Street Starbucks in Portland voted unanimously to join Starbucks Workers United.
Contracted security officers for Inter-con Security Systems in Multnomah County secured union representation with Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, Local 49 on March 10.
On March 10 and 11, skilled maintenance employees at Legacy Silverton and Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center voted unanimously to join the International Union of Operating Engineers, or IUOE, Local 701.
On March 12, equipment operators at GSS Transfer in Gresham filed to join the Teamsters Local 305.
The same day, Teamsters Local 305 filed on behalf of drivers for Waste Management of Oregon in Newberg.
Clinical pharmacists at Legacy facilities in Oregon and Washington voted 17-1 March 20 to join the Oregon American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, Council 75.
Drivers, mechanics and container fabrication shop container washers for Rogue Disposal in White City filed March 21 to join the Teamsters Local 962.
Also on March 21, schedulers at Portland General Electric Company in Portland filed to join an existing bargaining unit for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 125.
Hillsboro Medical Center workers, with the exception of internal medicine employees, filed March 25 to join Oregon AFSCME Council 75, Local 97.
The same day, behavioral health clinicians at Legacy facilities in Oregon and Washington voted 20-3 to join Oregon AFSCME Council 75. Echo-cardiology nurses at Providence Health and Services at the Portland Medical Center filed to join the Oregon Nurses Association’s existing bargaining unit.
Teachers, break support, substitutes and kitchen workers at ChildRoots in Portland filed March 26 to join the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 5.
Labor actions
Teamsters at Bigfoot Beverages locations across Oregon have now surpassed 190 days on strike.
Throughout March, SEIU Local 503, in conjunction with labor allies across Oregon, held rallies in Medford, Portland and Bend to demand Oregon representatives vote no on nearly $900 billion in proposed Medicaid cuts that would affect Oregon workers and their families.
On March 20, the American Postal Workers Union in Portland held a press conference and rally to address federal threats to the postal service. Trump is threatening to privatize the postal service, which the union says would lead to additional funding cuts and job losses.
Addressing the same concerns, the National Association of Letter Carriers held a national day of action on March 23 titled, “Hell No to Dismantling the Postal Service.” In Oregon, postal workers rallied in Keizer, Eugene, Portland and Medford.
IUOE Local 701 continued its multi-year campaign against local non-union crane contractor Jacked Co., with an ongoing picket outside the Hermiston Power Project. Workers launched the picket after the general contractor, Calpine Corporation, hired Jacked Co. for the project. According to the union, Jacked Co. has “a long history of violating OSHA, BOLI, and D.O.T. regulations.”
Negotiations
After unionizing in September 2023, Magic Tavern dancers in Portland, represented by Actors’ Equity, are still working to secure a first contract. In a minor victory, the NLRB ruled in favor of the union on an unfair labor practice charge filed by Actors’ Equity after the strip club illegally fired a dancer involved in organizing.
The board gave the Magic Tavern owner 14 days to pay the dancer back for “any loss of earnings and other benefits” and provide an offer of reinstatement.
After nine months of bargaining, the Portland State University American Association of University Professors reached a tentative agreement with the university March 26. The agreement includes a cost of living adjustment of at least 9% over the course of the four-year contract, differential pay for bilingual educators, layoff notice requirements and increased funding.
Workers at the social services organization New Avenues for Youth, organized with Oregon AFSCME, secured a first contract after 16 months of bargaining. Highlights of the three-year tentative agreement include a base wage increase to $21 per hour, a cost of living adjustment, a ratification bonus, just cause employment protections, and — significantly — an agreement that management will not receive raises above those of union represented workers.
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