The Northwest Labor Press is reporting several important union victories and on-going struggles in our region. Each link below contains a line from a Northwest Labor Press article and will take you to their great coverage of the events and the issues involved.
There are some common threads here. In most cases workers took risks in organizing, they reached out to coworkers and discussed the issues confronting them, the risks lessened as the heat in the workplace increased, and action followed. Action may not always bring home the goods, but not talking, acting and organizing will always lead to a loss.
* About 20 Multnomah County dentists represented by AFSCME Local 88 ratified a new contract Dec. 6.
* Mechanics who maintain equipment at the Coffin Butte Landfill in Corvallis ended their strike Nov. 13 after two months on the picket line.
* International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 5 reached a second tentative agreement with Powell’s Books on Nov. 22, about a month after workers rejected a previous offer from the independent bookstore.
* Oregon Tradeswomen reached agreement with Machinists Local Lodge 63 on a first union contract. Ratified by workers Dec. 7, the three-year agreement takes effect Jan. 1. It spells out cost of living raises, establishes basic union rights like “just cause” discipline, and locks in an existing four-day 32-hour work week. Workers did agree to give up one unusual perk, the right to take up to a month of paid personal leave.
Photo from the Northwest Labor Press/Don McIntosh
No comments:
Post a Comment