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Vol 4, Issue 4

It doesn't matter where you live and work. In every part of Oregon and our nation, you can make history when you join with co-workers, neighbors, friends and family to step up and take action. Whether you sit down at a lunch counter, stand up for a contract or fight for union rights, you can make a difference.

In this issue of President Joe's Journal , members in Jackson County and Eugene-Springfield celebrate victories on the job. Looking back almost 50 years ago, members celebrate the courage and moral conviction of four civil rights activists in Greensboro, N.C. Also, the Portland community gathers in a Day of Remembrance to reflect upon the effects of the wrongful internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans during WW II.

In this issue:  Jackson County Library Workers Win    1960: The Greensboro Four Sit-ins    Victory at Alvord Taylor     Flash: Day of Remembrance

Jackson County Library Workers Win

SEIU Local 503, OPEU library workers in Jackson County celebrated a big win this month. As a result of a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) complaint, laid-off workers who were rehired by a private library firm won back the right to union representation. This victory sends a strong message to public employers and a warning that privatization can’t be used as a strategy to take away workers' rights to representation and collective bargaining.

Jackson County libraries closed last April due to budget shortfalls. Next, County Commissioners contracted with LSSI, a private company based in Maryland, to provide library services. Then LSSI turned around and hired most of its staff from the Jackson County layoff list. SEIU Local 503, OPEU filed an unfair labor practice (ULP) complaint with the NLRB to hold the new employer accountable and protect union rights of library workers.

An employer can’t just take away workers' union rights by reopening under a different name or management structure. Since LSSI hired staff right off the layoff list, they are obligated to recognize the union because they are a "successor" employer under NLRB rules.

In response to the NLRB complaint, LSSI has agreed to begin contract negotiations with members. Employees are not guaranteed the same contract as Jackson County members, but about 65 former Jackson County workers have already won back their right to have a union and their right to a voice on the job.

Buck Eichler, a building inspector and president of the Jackson County local, says the LSSI action may have an impact on future outsourcing efforts by management. Buck adds, "This is good news for us and for all union members who face the ongoing threat of privatization."

Pauline Black, a library assistant in Ashland, said about 90 percent of the library employees she's talked to support the return of the union. In an interview with the Medford Mail Tribune , Pauline was quoted extensively.

"'Working for LSSI or any employer where there isn't a union means that you are less free to speak and less free to offer your opinion,’ she said. 'I feel a lot more secure.'

"Black said she is not eligible for health benefits under LSSI because she works just 20 hours a week. She said she would have been eligible under the union contract with the county, though she had insurance through her husband.

"She said it's important that shelvers, who perform the task of putting books back in the right spot, get some additional benefits such as health insurance, vacation and paid holidays.

"'It's an essential position,' she said. 'People who are not as trained and motivated don't do a good job.'

"Black noted that while some people don't like unions, the organized groups helped establish the eight-hour workday and other benefits that most employees take for granted. She said the local union helped lobby in Washington, D.C., to get the one-year renewal of the federal timber payments which was used, in part, to reopen the libraries.

"Black understands that LSSI wants to make a profit, but she said, 'It concerns me when we see the profits not benefiting the local area at all.'

"She said the decision to contract with an outside firm has meant some workers can barely support themselves on the wages and benefits offered.

"She said the county, which supported outsourcing, needs to consider options that benefit the community as a whole.

"'The cheapest thing isn't the best thing in most circumstances,' she said."

Congratulations to every member who stood up against privatization in Oregon. Everyone who stepped up in the fight for adequate funding for quality services in Jackson County knows this fight isn’t over. This victory sets a great example for every local government to keep in mind as members continue our fight for dignity, respect and union rights.

1960: The Greensboro Four Sit-ins

February 1, 1960 four courageous black freshmen at North Carolina A&T State University took seats at the segregated lunch counter of F W Woolworth's in Greensboro, N.C. They were refused service and sat peacefully until the store closed.

The four students were persistent. The next day about 25 other students joined them at the Woolworth counter and also at the nearby Kress 5&10 lunch counter. By the third day, there were 300 activists, and on the fourth day, 1000. Soon, black Americans started to do the same at dime-store counters in cities all across the South.

The non-violent protests were met with dismay, with outrage and sometimes with violence. But five months later, in July 1960, Woolworth management decided to integrate all of its stores. By August, it was reported that the sit-ins had succeeded in ending segregation at lunch counters in 27 cities. The movement eventually led to the integration of both the Woolworth chain and the Kress chain, familiar landmarks in every Southern city.

The four college freshmen, Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, Ezell Blair, Jr., and David Richmond later became known as the "Greensboro Four" and are considered heroes of the civil rights movement. In a 1998 interview, McCain said he felt better about the United States than he did in 1960. He said he believed in the fundamental goodness of people, white and black. He fought for civil rights in the 1960s and then fought again as an Air Force officer during the Vietnam War later in the decade. McCain added, "This is my country. I not only fought for it, I fought for the chance to make it right. No one's going to deny me the opportunity. I am going to be a full participant in every aspect of this community, as well as my kids."

The Greensboro lunch counter action occurred at a time when similar protests against segregated schools and buses were taking place in the South. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the acknowledged leader of the movement, said, "He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it."

This month members celebrate Black History in America. Through economic boycotts, sit-ins and other protest actions, Dr. King and the Greensboro Four, along with thousands upon thousands of ordinary Americans who walked their talk, actively opposed the evil of segregation. Through their actions, they set a path for change in every community.

Victory at Alvord Taylor

The Alvord Taylor bargaining team reached a Tentative Agreement with management on February 12. Members won big with a 3% COLA retroactive to 9/30/07 and an 8% to 10% COLA effective 3/31/08. In addition, a new eighth step will be added to the salary scale with an additional 10-year service step for senior workers. Alvord Taylor members also maintain fully paid employee-only health and dental coverage under the new contract.

According to bargaining team members, the early effective date for the next raise in March speaks to the agency’s commitment to investing in workers' wages and is an attempt to address retention problems.

Members also won increased leave accrual, a stronger internal employee application process, better access to agency vehicles, increased bereavement leave to three days per year and new language concerning holiday pay for relief pool staff. The new agreement also clarifies language concerning special crisis pay, asleep overnight shifts, on-call manager pay and trainer-status bonuses as well overtime pay status for mandatory training sessions.

Alvord Taylor provides 24-hour residential care and independent living services for about 50 adults with developmental disabilities in the Eugene-Springfield area. SEIU Local 503, OPEU members work cooperatively with clients and their families to provide support and training needed for increased independence and quality lives.

Congratulations to Alvord Taylor members on a great contract! Every SEIU Local 503, OPEU member values and respects the dedication and commitment you bring to the job every day.

eNews Flash

Day of Remembrance: This Sunday, SEIU Local 503, OPEU members join with the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) in Portland to sponsor a Day of Remembrance. This annual civil rights event is an opportunity to reflect upon the wrongful internment of 120,000 Japanese American citizens detained in "relocation camps" during WW II. This year, the event will be held February 24 at Portland State University, Hoffman Hall, from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. Everyone is welcome.