SEIU Local 49 Janitors and Security Officers' Win Historic New Contracts Recognizing Their Dedication and Work in Keeping Portland Open

 July 1, 2024 

Contact: Alan Dubinsky, Communications Director, SEIU Local 49
Email: aland@seiu49.org
Phone: 971-678-2469

SEIU Local 49 Janitors and Security Officers' Win Historic New Contracts Recognizing Their Dedication and Work in Keeping Portland Open

Union Janitors and Security Officers who keep Portland safe, clean, and secure overwhelmingly vote “Yes!” to ratify new collective agreements

Portland, OR – With only days before their contract was set to expire, SEIU Local 49 janitors and security officers have ratified groundbreaking new contracts with their employers. These contracts address the key issues of wages, paid time off, and other benefits, demonstrating respect for the workers who diligently maintained downtown Portland and the Metro area through the pandemic.

"This ratification is a significant victory for our members," said Maggie Long, Executive Director of SEIU Local 49. "Our janitors and security officers have been on the front lines, ensuring our city remains clean and secure. These contracts not only recognize their essential contributions but also provide them with the wages and benefits they deserve. This results in sustainable jobs with less turnover and experienced workers—a positive for employers and their clients alike."

Key highlights of the new contracts include:

* Wage Increases: Substantial wage hikes that reflect the cost of living and the vital roles janitors and security officers play in maintaining the city's infrastructure. Security officers will see an average wage increase of $3.60/hour by the end of their contract. Upon ratification, at least 39% of our janitorial members will be earning a minimum of $20/hour!

* Paid Time Off: Enhanced paid time off provisions, allowing workers more time to rest and care for their families.

* Health and Safety Improvements: Commitments to safer working conditions and manageable workloads to ensure the well-being of the janitors and security officers.

Janitors and security officers have been advocating for these improvements under the rallying cry "Respect Us, Protect Us, Pay Us." These new contracts are a testament to their determination and solidarity, following agreements reached in Chicago, Seattle, and more as part of a national movement of SEIU janitors and security officers bargaining contracts nationwide this year.

Renato Quintero, a janitor at Intel, expressed his gratitude for the new agreement. "What we've achieved here is monumental. We can now look forward to better wages, improved benefits, and a greater sense of security for our families. Our hard work and persistence have paid off."

Similarly, Michael Lindsey, a security officer with Garda, shared their perspective: "This new contract means a lot to us. It acknowledges the crucial role we play in keeping Portland safe and provides us with the support we need to continue doing our jobs effectively. We can now focus on our work knowing officers and our families are well taken care of."

The ratification of these contracts also marks a pivotal moment as SEIU Local 49 janitors' and security officers' bargaining efforts coincide, collectively impacting nearly 2,000 workers across the city. These combined efforts underscore the importance of union solidarity in securing fair wages and benefits amidst rising living costs in the Pacific Northwest and across the nation.

The economic impact of these contracts will have positive impacts throughout the community. With an additional $9 million in community spending generated between the two, these agreements will significantly benefit local economies. By securing better wages and benefits, janitors and security officers—many of whom are Black, brown, Indigenous, immigrant, and working-class white folks—will have more financial stability and spending power. This investment in frontline workers not only supports their families but also helps bridge economic disparities and fosters a more inclusive and equitable community.

Local officials, including Portland City Commissioner Carmen Rubio and Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pedersen, have voiced their support for the janitors and security officers, emphasizing the city's commitment to promoting union jobs through contractual agreements for janitorial and security services.

SEIU Local 49 remains dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families. These new contracts are significant steps towards ensuring that those who keep our city clean and safe are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

About SEIU Local 49
SEIU Local 49 represents more than 15,000 healthcare and building service workers, including janitors, airport cleaners, security officers, cabin cleaners, passenger service agents, and baggage handlers in Oregon and Southwest Washington. We are a member of the Service Employees International Union, an organization of 2 million members united by the belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide and dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and creating a more just and humane society. For more information, visit: seiu49.org.

Labor Unity Brings Home A Win!

From the Communications Workers of America:

Fifty union members from CWA, Teamsters, and SEIU filled the Denver City Council chambers last week to support an initiative to place collective bargaining rights for city workers on the ballot this fall. CWA Local 7777 Secretary-Treasurer Sandra Parker Murray testified to the council, saying, "I was shocked when I learned that Denver municipal employees didn’t already have collective bargaining. Thank you for your support now in bringing forward this important workers’ rights initiative and standing up for the working people who make our city run."

According to a letter the coalition sent to the Denver Mayor and City Council, “Fire, police, and sheriff deputies in Denver already have collective bargaining. In fact, more than three-quarters of private sector workers and more than two-thirds of public sector workers have bargaining rights across the country, yet workers in the City and County of Denver do not.”

The coalition now has 90 days to collect 63,491 signatures to ensure the question goes before the public for a vote. They have launched an aggressive campaign to secure the necessary signatures. The coalition is also pursuing an alternate path to victory—an amendment to the city charter through the City Council.

A coalition of labor activists from CWA, the Teamsters, and SEIU are pursuing

public bargaining rights for Denver public sector workers. Photo from CWA.

Legacy Mt. Hood Healthcare Workers Go Union With SEIU Local 49!

Victory! Huge congratulations to Legacy Mt. Hood healthcare workers who have overwhelmingly voted YES to join SEIU Local 49 SEIU Local 49! #UnionStrong

Thanks to Portland Jobs with JusticePortland Jobs with Justice for the update!

Vice President Harris warns of threat of fascism under Trump at SEIU convention

 This post comes from People's World: 

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an event at Discovery World 

Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. | Morry Gash/AP---People's World

PHILADELPHIA—In some of her sharpest words ever on the campaign trail, Vice President Kamala Harris warned the Service Employees—and, by extension, the country—of the fascist impact of a White House takeover by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Harris ended her 20-minute address on May 21 with that warning to the 3,500 union delegates meeting at their convention in Philadelphia. Her speech was repeatedly interrupted by chants of “Four more years!” And she urged the union to “get out in the streets to defend the country.”

Historically, vice presidential nominees, including incumbents, have been used as what much of the media described as “attack dogs” in both presidential and off-year campaigns. Two Republican examples: VP Spiro Agnew blasted the media as “nattering nabobs of negativism” in 1970 and Republican VP nominee Bob Dole, a badly wounded World War II veteran, called it and other conflicts “Democrat wars” in 1976.

Given Trump’s track record, and his “I’ll be a dictator on day one” statement, Harris went further with strong words that reflected the actual threats the country faces.

But before discussing the impact of a Trump triumph, Harris ran through a long list of accomplishments for workers by President Joe Biden. They included better pay for home healthcare workers, a $15 hourly minimum wage for federal contractor employees, mandatory nurse-patient ratios at nursing homes that get Medicaid money, and more job safety enforcement. Those issues were of particular importance to workers represented by SEIU. The White House posted the entire speech on YouTube.

READ MORE HERE.

For additional coveraage by People's World of the SEIU Convention, read more here.

SEIU Local 1 members march through Philadelphia during the union's national

 convention this past weekend. | Baily Koch / SEIU Local 1 via X--People's World

SEIU RESOLUTION CALLING FOR CEASEFIRE, HUMANITARIAN AID, AND AN END TO THE OCCUPATION OF PALESTINE

Proposed Resolution to the SEIU IU Convention - Resolution #201

SEIU RESOLUTION CALLING FOR CEASEFIRE, HUMANITARIAN AID, AND AN END TO THE OCCUPATION OF PALESTINE

Proposal to 2024 SEIU International Convention - Submitted by SEIU 1021

WHEREAS, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) represents over 2 million members united by the belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide — and dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and creating a more just and humane society. SEIU members save lives, care for the sick, help seniors and people with disabilities live independently, educate children, and keep our communities clean, safe, and healthy; and

WHEREAS, through our collective voice, we achieve justice, empowerment, and respect in every workplace. It’s our social responsibility to foster inclusive and just conditions for our members and all of those we serve, and we undoubtedly extend that standard across the globe in shared humanity; and

WHEREAS, we take seriously the plea of “Never Again” and honor the lessons of the Holocaust by fighting anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and ethno-nationalism everywhere; and

WHEREAS, we mourn the tragic loss of all Palestinian and Israeli civilian lives lost before and after the attacks of October 7th, including the decades-long military occupation, forced displacement, and oppression endured by Palestinians since 1948; and

WHEREAS, the relentless Israeli military attack on Gaza and the West Bank, in a disproportionate response, has already led to over thirty-eight thousand Palestinian civilian deaths, more than one third of which are children (1); and

WHEREAS, Israel is violating international law by committing human rights violations and war crimes, including collective punishment, acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing. Specifically, these crimes include but are not limited to the following:

● Forcing over two million Palestinians (2) to leave their homes with nowhere safe to flee or find shelter

● Collectively punishing the Palestinian people through the destruction of Gazan civilian infrastructure including hospitals, schools, libraries, places of worship, and agriculture

● Denying water, food, electricity, fuel and medical aid, leading to the indiscriminate death of thousands of Palestinian civilians (3)

● Targeting of journalists, medical workers, and cultural workers

● Transferring Israeli civilians into territory it illegally occupies (the West Bank) via Jewish-only

settlements (4)

● Restricting freedom of movement for Palestinians (5)

● Arbitrary arrests and administrative detention against Palestinian civilians including children; and

WHEREAS, since World War II, Israel has been the largest overall recipient of US foreign military aid, receiving over $150 billion since 1946, and Biden’s proposed $14.3 billion in additional aid for Israel will take funding from the essential jobs we perform and services we provide as public sector employees; and

WHEREAS, Palestinian trade unions call for workers around the world to stand in solidarity to “end all forms of complicity with Israel’s crimes” and to “pass motions in their trade union to this effect”; 

(1) Over thirty-eight thousand Palestinian civilian deaths, more than one third of which are children

Statistics on the Israeli Genocide in the Gaza Strip (07 October - 23 February 2024), Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, 23 Feb. 2024,

https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6176/Statistics-on-the-Israeli-attack-on-the-Gaza-Strip-%2807-October ------ 23-February-2024%29.

(2) Forcing over two million Palestinians to leave their homes

Statistics on the Israeli Genocide in the Gaza Strip (07 October - 23 February 2024), Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, 23 Feb. 2024,

https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6176/Statistics-on-the-Israeli-attack-on-the-Gaza-Strip-%2807-October---23-February-2024%29.

(3) Indiscriminate death of thousands of Palestinian civilians

"Civilians in Gaza Must Not Be Collectively Punished." United Nations, United Nations, https://press.un.org/en/2023/sc15473.doc.htm.

(4)Transferring Israeli civilians into territory it illegally occupies (the West Bank) via Jewish-only settlements "ICC: Palestine is Newest member."

Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Watch, www.hrw.org/news/2015/04/01/icc-palestine-newest-member.

(5) Restricting freedom of movement for Palestinians

"Israel: 50 Years of Occupation Abuses." Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Watch, www.hrw.org/news/2017/06/04/israel-50-years-occupation-abuses.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, SEIU calls for, and on elected officials to call for:

● An immediate and permanent ceasefire

● The restoration of food, clean water, fuel and electricity to Gaza

● The safe passage of substantial humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people

● The release of all hostages, including Palestinians being held in Israel jails without charge or trial

● Opposing all existing and any future military aid to Israel

● The withdrawal of Israeli forces and settlers illegally occupying Gaza and the West Bank

● An end to the occupation of Palestine and the apartheid policies of the Israeli state allowing for equal

rights and self-determination of all Palestinians; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that, given our history of standing up for the rights of the oppressed and working classes around the world, we encourage members and community to learn about the region, to better understand the historical context, so together we build empathy and compassion to deepen our humanity and strengthen our fight for justice; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, We will defend members’ and staff’s rights to freedom of expression, including support for Palestinian liberation, and protect them from workplace discrimination and retaliation. We advocate for the dignity and safety of members and all people, so that no one is discriminated against because of their identity, ethnicity, religious affiliation, or allyship, in the fight for human rights, equity, and justice; and

FINALLY, BE IT RESOLVED, that we shall call on other national and international unions and labor federations to adopt and disseminate similar resolutions, understanding that our collective struggle for justice as working people is the pathway to peace.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Anti-Semitism

Hostility towards and discrimination against Jewish people.

("Anti-Semitism." Oxford Reference, Oxford Reference, www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095417471.)

Apartheid

The implementation and maintenance of a system of legalized racial segregation in which one racial group is deprived of political and civil rights.

("Wex." Legal Information Institute, Legal Information Institute, www.law.cornell.edu/wex/apartheid.)

Ceasefire

An agreement that regulates the cessation of all military activity for a given length of time in a given area. It may be declared unilaterally, or it may be negotiated between parties to a conflict.

("The Practical Guide to Humanitarian Law." Medecins Sans Frontieres, Medecins Sans Frontieres,

https://guide-humanitarian-law.org/content/article/3/cease-fire/.)

Collective Punishment

The term refers not only to criminal punishment, but also to other types of sanctions, harassment or administrative action taken against a group in retaliation for an act committed by an individual/s who are considered to form part of the group. Such punishment therefore targets persons who bear no responsibility for having committed the conduct in question. Historically used as a deterrence tool by occupying powers to prevent attacks from resistance movements, collective punishments for acts committed by individuals during an armed conflict are prohibited by International Humanitarian Law against prisoners of war or other protected persons.

International humanitarian law prohibits collective punishment of prisoners of war or other protected persons for acts committed by individuals during an armed conflict.

The imposition of collective punishment is a war crime.

("How Does Law Protect in War?" International Committee of the Red Cross, International Committee of the Red Cross,

https://casebook.icrc.org/a_to_z/glossary/collective-punishments.)

Ethnic Cleansing

Rendering an area ethnically homogeneous by using force or intimidation to remove persons of given groups from the area. A purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas.

The coercive practices used to remove the civilian population can include: murder, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, extrajudicial executions, rape and sexual assaults, severe physical injury to civilians, confinement of civilian population in ghetto areas, forcible removal, displacement and deportation of civilian population, deliberate military attacks or threats of attacks on civilians and civilian areas, use of civilians as human shields, destruction of property, robbery of personal property, attacks on hospitals, medical personnel, and locations with the Red Cross/Red Crescent emblem, among others.

("Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect." United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/ethnic-cleansing.shtml.)

Ethno-nationalism

The belief, theory, or doctrine that shared ancestry is the principal element of a cohesive national identity, and that a government should protect and promote the culture, language, and religion of one group, considered the primary or prestigious people of a nation, over other cultures, languages, or religions that may share that space in a multicultural society.

("Ethnonationalism." Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/ethnonationalism.)

Genocide

In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

1. Killing members of the group;

2. Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

3. Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;

4. Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;

5. Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

("Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect." United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/genocide.shtml.)

Islamophobia

Is hatred or fear of the Islamic religion and those who practice it.

("Islamophobia." Oxford Reference, Oxford Reference, www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100012452.)

Occupation

Article 42 of the 1907 Hague Regulations (HR) states that a "territory is considered occupied when it is actually placed under the authority of the hostile army. The occupation extends only to the territory where such authority has been established and can be exercised."

("Occupation and international humanitarian law: questions and answers." International Committee of the Red Cross, International Committee of the Red Cross, 8 Apr. 2004, www.icrc.org/en/doc/resources/documents/misc/634kfc.htm.)

Oppression

Unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power

("Dictionary." Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oppression.)

Self-Determination

The process by which a group of people, usually possessing a certain degree of national consciousness, form their own state and choose their own government.

("History and Society." Britannica, Britannica, www.britannica.com/topic/self-determination.)

A friendly reminder from SEIU...

 

Dartmouth Men's Basketball Team Goes Union!

 The SEIU Local 560 X account says:

MAKING HISTORY! Dartmouth Men's Bball team votes to join SEIU L560—our 500-strong union of campus custodians, security officers, museum guides, and others.
@Dartmouth, it’s time to bargain a fair contract. NCAA athletes deserve better #UnionsForAll #GoBigGreen #MarchMadness

Graphics from SEIU's Red Hot Worker help make our points

This is why we unionize. Be sure to follow us here at 

@unionproudwarrior to support all things pro worker and pro union.

 

CFA members will be on a system-wide strike in coalition with our 

Teamsters Local 2010 @ibtlocal2010 members January 22–26!

A sure sign that you need a union!

Image taken from Red Hot Worker Hits, an 

SEIU project.

 

Two important labor solidarity needs

Support Higher Education Workers (SEIU)
4,500 members at seven Oregon public universities
Fair Wages and Working Conditions!

Classified workers are the non-teaching campuis staff who make the Universities run on time - in academic support; IT; housing; health centers; food services admissions; facilities; grounds and more. Without the work of calssified staff, Oregon's public universities literally could not operate and students would not be educated.

Sign and share: https://tinyurl.com/HigherEdWorkers

Johnny Earl. a custodial coordinator at the University of Oregon and chair of SEIU 503’s Higher Ed Bargaining Team, wrote about this struggle with the following words:

Unfortunately, we have yet to reach an agreement with management and are headed to mediation early in 2024. We still need your help. Please share our petition with coworkers, neighbors, friends, family, and whoever you can...As you know, these workers keep Oregon's public universities open and clean, ensure people on campuses are fed, make sure buildings are heated and cooled appropriately, keep labs and libraries running and available to students, provide student health and housing services, support admissions, and so much more. Without the work of classified staff, our public universities literally could not operate, and students would not be educated. In the wake of the pandemic and double-digit inflation, almost 30% of these essential workers make salaries that are eligible for food stamps. We know the universities can do better. We know these workers deserve better.

In 2023, Oregon’s legislature made a historic investment in our universities, allocating more than $1.1 billion. The resources to address this issue exist. We call on the university presidents to agree to a contract that allows classified staff to give students the support they deserve. Workers need a contract that includes fair wages, working conditions, and respect. So, please, share this petition far and wide to help us win a fair contract in 2024.

Photo from SEIU Local 503

Support Grad Researchers at OHSU ! (AFSCME)
OHSU is shortening their already underpaid and overworked Grad Researchers, and denying the union's grievances

Sign and share: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/ohsu-pay-grs-as-promised-in-the-contract

 

Starbucks Workers United Calls Out The Human Rights Campaign, Questions Raised About Labor & Liberal Non-Profits

I won't pretend to understand all of the issues involved here, and I won't pretend to be a perfect empath, but at first read it seems that the relatively progressive and pro-LGBTQIA+ Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has gotten cozy with Starbucks even as a national union campaign calls on the company to negotiate with the workers where union elections have been held and the union has won and to follow the laws and generally do the right thing where the workers are concerned.

It may help readers to go here, here, here, and here for some context. The impression that I get from reading these sources is that Starbucks is feeling the squeeze from the union and its supporters during the holiday season and needs some goodwill and love from a liberal non-profit to boost flagging sales.

The HRC can't say that they have not heard of the union campaign because it is has been in the news for years now and because non-profits should be investigating who they're supporting before they start handing out commendations. It matters here that some of the most visible leaders of the union effort are LGBTQIA+ and that many workers supporting the effort support a ceasefire in Palestine/ Israel and other social justice and solidarity issues. Why does it matter? Because the HRC and most of its supporters also identify with movements for social justice. 

The union's criticism of HRC can be read as a challenge to the HRC and its supporters: Which side are you on? It seems that the HRC has taken a relatively progressive stand on events in Palestine/Israel, is close to the Biden administration despite pressure from activists, and has ties to other liberal non-profits and political groups. The HRC has won support from some in the labor movement, although I cannot find anything that tells me if HRC workers are represented by a union or not. We frequently hit a wall with liberal organizations that are right on many issues but will not deal with matters of class or encourage their workers to join a union or negotiate in good faith with a union that represents their workers.  

We in the labor movement do not have a perfect record here, but we have some leadership who understand the struggles for LGBTQIA+ liberation from their owned lived experience and we have a base and an ability to do more and better and we have Pride At Work and similar organizations in particular unions (see for instance SEIU Local 503's caucus, CWA-AFA, IBT LGBTQ Caucus) to lead us. 

In any case, Starbucks Workers United wants you to know about "what actual trans and queer workers have to say about their experience working at Starbucks."

The union press release mentioned above reads as follows:

 
We’re disappointed to see that the Humans Rights Campaign gave Starbucks a perfect score on their “Corporate Equality Index” again this year.

HRC seemingly ignored what actual queer and trans workers are saying about their experiences working for Starbucks. Members of our union’s Trans Rights Action Committee shared some of their stories on social media, and give an insight into the many systemic problems Starbucks has with their treatment of LGBTQIA+ workers - especially those who choose to exercise their legal right to organize.



Check out what queer and trans workers at Starbucks had to say, and help us call on the Human Rights Campaign to stand alongside organizing workers, many of which are members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

(Clicking on this graphic takes you to a union Instagram account in the

 original press release.)

Starbucks has repeatedly violated labor law hundreds of times according to the National Labor Relations Board. Companies that do wrong by their workers AND the law should NOT be celebrated as a fair employer.

Amplify the message to demand Starbucks to come to the bargaining table in good faith! As history has shown, labor rights are LGBTQIA+ rights - and you can stand up for your rights if you’re a Starbucks Partner or ally. Get in touch with our union to learn how and start organizing.

See you online,

Josie Serrano
Starbucks Workers United

Note: All graphics and the press release text used here comes from Starbucks Workers United. The opinions expressed here are not those of the Marion-Polk-Yamhill Central Labor Chapter or the Oregon AFL-CIO.

A holiday reminder from SEIU Local 49

 

Some photos from the union rally at Western Oregon University today

SEIU Local 503, OPEU held a rally today at Western Oregon University (WOU) in support of the union contract demands. The state universities are demanding givebacks from classified staff. In my opinion, if the union accepts these concessions all university workers, and eventually most public workers throughout Oregon, will be at risk of losing benefits and having to take backward steps in wages and working conditions. The president of the faculty union at WOU gave a strong voice to these concerns when she delivered a moving solidarity message. It was gratifying to see many members of the Western Oregon University Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 2278, at the rally today.

The contract between the union and the state universities will not be settled by year's end, and if it is not settled by March then SEIU Local 503's members employed by the universities may strike.

See this article from the Northwest Labor Press for context. 

Union members from Local 503's bargaining team led chants and

 spoke from their hearts about their jobs and their union's demands. 

Oregon State Representative Tom Andersen (D.-Dist. 19) was there

 to support the workers and their union. He delivered a strong message

 of support and framed this as a social justice issue.

Long-time Local 503 member-leader Johnny Earl (University of Oregon

 sub-Local 085) roused everyone with a call to solidarity. That's SEIU Local 503's 

Executive Director Melissa Unger holding the bullhorn. 

 

A union member stepped up to lead a chant of her own that fired up

 the crowd.

Catherine Stearns is a retired Local 503, OPEU member, but she still puts in time

 as a union activist and still inspires everyone she meets. Her union jacket belonged to

 the  recently-departed union member-leader James Jacobsen. Brother Jacobsen provided

 leadership and guidance and a helping hand with good humor in his many years of activism.

He spoke with forthrightness and always came from a place of integrity. He and Sister Stearns 

were good friends and it was moving for me to see her wearing his union jacket. Yes, the sun

 was shining in her eyes when I took this photo, but Catherine does radiate light.  

"Retail Janitors Clean Up After Holiday Shoppers. They Don’t Get Time Off for Themselves."

The following is an excerpt from an article by Sarah Lazare that appeared in Jacobin on December 11. A link to the article is provided at the nd of the excerpt Many of us will shop at Cabela's and other big box stores for holiday gifts without thinking about the many kinds of retail workers who work to keep the stores clean and in order. As the article points out, their working conditions can change through union organizing. 

For Elbida Gomez, the winter holiday season is not marked by cheer or family time, but by an exponential increase in her workload — cleaning bathrooms and store offices, taking out the trash, mopping entrances, and wiping up food from the floor of the employee cafeteria.

The forty-three-year-old mother of two says she is one of just two people whose primary job is to clean the Woodbury, Minnesota, location of Cabela’s, a big box store chain that sells hunting, fishing, and camping goods. Foot traffic increases as patrons do their holiday shopping. Parents line up with their children to take a photograph with Santa Claus. The floor gets covered in chocolate, candy wrappers, and footprints, and, once the snow comes, the store entrance is perpetually coated in salt and sand, she says.

“There is little time and a lot of work,” says Gomez, who has done janitorial work since she moved to the United States from Honduras around fifteen years ago.

But in a sector where she is — quite literally — tasked with sanitizing the holiday experiences of other families, she is denied the opportunity to relax and rejuvenate with her own. Gomez does not get paid holidays from her employer, Carlson Building Maintenance, which is contracted to clean Cabela’s. Her vacation time is paltry, she says, and management has made it clear that she is discouraged from taking consecutive days off during the holiday crunch, when her labor is needed most. While her store is closed on Christmas, she does not get paid for this holiday, she says. And, crucially, she still has to work on Christmas Eve, despite its central importance to her family.

Read the entire article here.

Some unions have joined incarcerated workers and local community partners in demanding justice. Let's all do it.

Certain unions took a huge step yesterday and I hope that more unions and the AFL-CIO will follow their lead and undertake similar initiatives in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

The AFL-CIO has announced that "(O)n Tuesday, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union-UFCW (RWDSU-UFCW) and the Union of Southern Service Workers (USSW), who are members of SEIU, joined incarcerated workers and local community partners to file a class-action lawsuit in response to the systemic exploitation and forced labor of Alabama’s incarcerated population. The suit, strongly supported by the AFL-CIO, outlines how the Alabama Department of Corrections denies Black Alabamians parole at twice the rate of their White counterparts in order to maintain a cheap labor force through wrongful detention. And though Black Alabamians are only a quarter of the state’s residents, they make up over 50% of the incarcerated population."

The AFL-CIO announcement went on to say that "Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and state Attorney General Steve Marshall are named as defendants in the lawsuit and are accused of acting as knowing architects of a “modern-day form of slavery” scheme that generates $450 million annually for the state, all on the backs of unpaid incarcerated workers. In a virtual press conference, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond said, 'Fighting to abolish forced labor is a priority for the AFL-CIO and the American labor movement. And we won’t rest until this corrupt, immoral scheme ends for good.'"

For generations the AFL-CIO and most of mainstream labor has supported the construction of more prisons, even when construction was not viable and exploited prisoners and their families and the communities the prisons were built in. We have tended to look at jails, prisons and other forms of incarceration only through the eyes of corrections and probation officers, construction workers who want the work building prisons and and jails, sometimes as part of our fight against privatization. We have not analyzed or come to grips with some other realities.

The incarcerated are mostly working-class people. Their numbers include many union members who were putting in a full day of work but still living from paycheck to paycheck and trying to get by in a system in which the odds are stacked against them. We have union members who are houseless, members who are veterans who face certain risks that others do not face and a lack of social supports to help them, Black members who are more likely than whites to be singled out for scrutiny and harassment by the police and others, many young members who come from cultures that are at odds with law enforcement, and many members who have been hurt on the job and who have been prescribed painkillers and have become addicted and who self-medicate. All of these union siblings can end up in jails or prisons quite easily.

The numbers of the incarcerated are growing, their plight and the exploitation they experience is getting worse, these are working-class people, there is a disproportionate effect here on communities of color, and mass incarceration and exploitation and racism work against building a strong labor movement.

Many unions have connections to service programs for our union siblings before they end up in jails or prisons or psych wards, and these program do great work, but I am not aware of any unions using our resources to defend or support our members while they are incarcerated or support their families. The question of the civil rights of the incarcerated does not touch our unions in positive ways. We took a big step a few years ago when a few building trades unions began helping some incarcerated union siblings be apprenticeship-ready when leaving prison. For that matter, when we are a part of CTEC and other programs in the schools we are building a school-to-union or school-to-democracy pipeline and not aiding and abetting the school-to-prison pipeline so many young people get stuck in. All of those programs are potentially part of a map for us.

If the announcement above is accurate, and if Labor doesn't drop the ball, a great step is being taken here, and one that we should build on and link to our good programs that help some of the incarcerated enter apprenticeships and that aid our members before they end up in the prison pipeline. We need one unified approach that helps everyone more forward.

Image taken from a report by Mansa Musa that appeared on The Real News

 Network on September 5, 2022.

(These are not the opinions of the Marion-Polk-Yamhill Central Labor Chapter or the Oregon AFL-CIO.)

Student sit-in supporting teachers on December 15 and a higher ed worker support rally at WOU on 12/15 also

This student support action will take place at the same time as a rally at Western Oregon University supporting classified staff who are having a hard time in their union contract negotiations. Go to one or go to the other event if you possibly can, but please do something to stand in solidarity with our union siblings, youth and community members. We need a strong solidarity movement in Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties to follow through with these actions.

Here is a message from a SEIU Local 503, OPEU activist describing the dimensions of the union's efforts in higher ed:

We at SEIU 503 hope you are well and can take a moment to check out our Community Support Petition linked below.

Our 4,500 repped classified workers at the Seven Oregon Public Universities are in a very tough bargain and hope you can sign off on this support request. Classified workers are the non-teaching campus staff who make the Universities run on time – in academic support; IT; housing; health centers; food services; admissions; facilities; grounds and more. And we hope you can share with your allied folks in the coming days and weeks. It will be an important message to eventually send to the University Presidents; their Trustees and the University communities – as well as the bargaining table where we are finding some serious roadblocks.

Our members have bargained and held boisterous rallies this fall at campuses at OIT in K-Falls; U of O in Eugene and OSU in Corvallis and have plans for a big rally this Friday at PSU (12pm at the Urban Plaza – 1819 SW 5th Ave PDX – on campus) and then at WOU in Monmouth on Friday, December 15th at noon as well.

Click here to support and sign on: https://bit.ly/47GurBt

Solidarity & News From Unions And Friends

 

The photo above comes from the National Union of Healthcare Workers website. These are some of the California hospice workers who are coming into the union in large numbers there. Read about them here.

Marion-Polk-Yamhill Solidarity & Fun: Our Labor Chapter will be participating in the Salem parade this coming Friday evening, December 1st, and you and your friends and family are invited to participate. Please bring your union gear. We are going to meet near the intersection of State and Court streets in Salem at around 5:45 PM. We will be giving out some toys, distributing some treats, waving at the crowd and having a good time. I think that the route is a bit less than one mile, but don't hold me to that. Good times!

Second, our annual holiday party will be held on Saturday, December 9, starting at 9:00 AM and going to noon. We will be at the Ken Allen AFSCME union hall located at 1400 Tandem Ave., NE in Salem. There will be great music, activities for kids, Caesar The No Drama Llama, storytelling, gift bags, and snacks. There will also be a table for folks who want to organize a union or join a union associate membership program. The holiday party will be more fun.

SEIU Local 503, OPEU higher ed workers at WOU and PSU: At our last Marion-Polk-Yamhill Central Labor Chapter meeting we heard a report from a union activist at WOU. Negotiations for a new union contract in our state's higher ed system are not going well. We supported a call to rally in support of the union at WOU at noon on Friday, December 15. If you can attend, please do so. The union has since posted a November 17 update on negotiations here.

Portland Jobs with Justice reports this from Portland State University:

Classified workers have started contract negotiations with administration at the seven Oregon public universities. These workers keep students fed, facilities and infrastructure cleaned and maintained, and so much more. Like so many other workers, classified staff are barely keeping up, choosing which bills to pay, and watching the value of their paychecks erode while the new PSU president is paid more than half-a-million dollars per year (plus a $96,000 yearly housing allowance). Community members and other allies are encouraged to join SEIU 503 workers for a rally to demand a fair contract for the people who make PSU work.

Where: PSU Urban Plaza, 1819 SW 5th Ave., Portland, OR 97201
When: Friday, December 1st, 12-1 pm

Photo taken from a PBS 2021 story about the Teamsters

 at Amazon.

Amazon's legal troubles continue. Read about one fight in Washington State here and one in Canada here. Meanwhile, workers at Starbucks continue to organize despite great pressure from the company. See this story. 

Starbucks Workers United

Doctors are organizing. Jacobin magazine has a great article on doctors in Minnesota and Wisconsin who are organizing a union of physicians. Another effort is underway in Oregon, California and Washington State with the Union of American Physicians and Dentists.

Are you TRAPped? Are you one of the hundreds of thousands of "bank workers, salespeople, dog groomers, police officers, aestheticians, firefighters, mechanics, nurses, federal employees, electricians, roofers, social workers, paramedics, truckers, mortgage brokers, teachers and metal polishers" and others working under a "stay or pay" contract clause, often also known as a training-repayment-agreement provision (TRAP), that charges you if you leave your job? The Sunday New York Times Magazine of November 26, 2023 carried a long article by Robin Kaiser-Schatzlein on these oppressive agreements and that's where the incomplete list of occupations where workers are TRAPped comes from. It's possible that as many as one-third of U.S. workers work under such agreements and are forced to either work on jobs where they face burnout, poor safety conditions, harassment and low pay or pay employers and collection agencies what can amount to large penalty payments if they leave their jobs. This is what happens when unions lose power. Towards Justice may be able to help if you're a victim of TRAPping.  

Union holiday shopping: If you are doing holiday shopping, check out Union Plus before you get deep into spending money. It really will save you money. If you or the people you're shopping for are readers, the University of Illinois Press is having a holiday sale. They publish some of the best labor history books in the United States. International Publishers is also having a holiday sale and they have some great labor offerings. I recommend reading William Z. Foster's American Trade Unionism. Use coupon code IP@100 when you check out.