Metal trades workers at the Vigor Shipyard in Portland held practice pickets in April in preparation for a potential strike. Credit: Photo by Aurora Biggers
Oregon labor maintained a steady drumbeat in April, with eight campaigns winning elections, 10 new union campaigns announced and five labor actions.
"Last month in Oregon labor" is a monthly installment by Aurora Biggers covering all things Oregon labor.
After seven months, the Teamsters-represented Bigfoot Beverages workers called off their strike but were faced with a lockout from their employer, which the union said was illegal. The Oregon American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, filed a blitz of representation petitions for medical center workers.
University of Oregon student workers went on strike while shipyard workers and medical workers held actions to pressure employers during contract negotiations.
A swath of filings show workers across industries are actively organizing — from healthcare professionals to equipment operators to teachers and baristas — Oregonians are building worker power.
New campaigns and elections
The Oregon AFSCME Council 75 filed a number of petitions with the National Labor Relations Board, or the NLRB, this month to represent professional employees at medical centers throughout the state.
Starting on April 2, professional employees at Legacy Emanuel and Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland filed to join the Oregon AFSCME Council 75. Continuing the sweep, AFSCME filed for employees at Hillsboro Medical Center, Tuality to join the union on April 22. One week later, the union filed to represent professional employees at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland.
Clearing the first win of the Oregon AFSCME filings, Legacy Emanuel employees voted 93-14 on April 29 to join the union. The next day, Randall Children’s Hospital employees followed suit, voting 57-2 to join Oregon AFSCME.
On April 2, sales workers at Distribution International Southwest in Portland filed to join the existing union with Teamsters Local Union No. 206.
Nurse practitioners at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland won their union election to join the Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association 7-1 April 2.
Professional employees at Legacy Mt. Hood Medical Center also filed to join Oregon AFSCME Council 75, submitting a petition April 4.
Care management social workers at Legacy’s primary care clinics in Oregon and Washington handily won their election 20-0 to join Oregon AFSCME Council 75 on April 8.
On the same day, equipment operators at GSS Transfer in Gresham voted 3-1 to join the Teamsters Local 305.
Schedulers at Portland General Electric Company unanimously voted 6-0 to join the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 125 on April 16.
On April 17, echo-cardiology registered nurses at Providence Portland Medical Center voted 3-0 to join the Oregon Nurses Association, or ONA.
Baristas and shift supervisors at the Southwest Capitol Highway Starbucks in Portland filed April 18 to join Starbucks Workers United. Later in the month employees at a Junction City Starbucks also filed to join the union.
Employees at City View Charter School in Hillsboro also filed for a union April 22, petitioning the board to join the Oregon Education Association.
On April 25, registered nurse case managers at Mid-Valley Healthcare’s Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital filed to join ONA.
Registered nurses and staff at Legacy clinics in Oregon and Washington won a landslide election to join ONA on April 25, voting 127-9.
Labor Actions
Bigfoot Beverages workers remained on strike through April but ended their strike in early May. The workers hoped to return to work, but according to the Teamsters who represent the workers, the company has locked the workers out, refusing to give them their jobs back.
“Teamsters at Bigfoot Beverages have been exercising their rights on the picket line,” Teamsters leaders Jeff Padellaro and Chris Muhs said in a joint statement. “This greedy, abusive company is violating the law. Employers cannot permanently replace workers who engage in an unfair labor practice strike.”
Metal trades workers at the Portland Vigor shipyard held practice pickets April 1 and April 8. The workers are represented by nine union locals through the AFL-CIO Metal Trades Department and are bargaining for a new contract after the prior one expired in November. Workers voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike in April but have not yet taken action.
On April 25, advanced practice providers at the Oregon Health & Science University held a rally outside the Robertson Life Sciences Building to pressure the board to settle a contract for the over 600 workers within the ONA unit.
University of Oregon undergraduate student workers, represented by the United Auto Workers, went on strike April 28 amid negotiations for a first contract. Student workers said they are striking primarily over wages. The strike remained ongoing into May.
Negotiations
On April 4, the Clackamas County Employees’ Association filed a 10-day strike notice with the county but ultimately reached an agreement April 11, citing the county “cav(ing) on a retroactive cost-of-living adjustment.” The union said it also secured a floating holiday for temporary and part-time county workers.
Mere days before a strike vote, more than 1,000 Portland State University American Association of University Professors reached a tentative agreement and ratified a new contract with the university.
The contract comes after 10 months of bargaining and resulted in sizable cost-of-living increases, and notably, layoff notice requirements, among other benefits.
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