Each summer, the “asphalt crew” with Jackson County in Southern Oregon heads out into the heat to repair the roads we depend on each day, working with boiling hot tar upwards of 400 degrees. This is the type of hard work that public employees in Oregon do, taking on risks to ensure that we can safely commute. 

This summer, the county employees on the crew were starting to see mandatory overtime delivered at the end of their shift with no warning, causing many to have difficulties pinning down childcare solutions. On top of this they were not being provided their legally required rest and meal breaks, essential for this type of strenuous work. A former steward on site decided to draft a letter to the Department Director of Roads before filing a grievance, raising the issues of treatment on the job and how supervisors were handling criticism. 36 members of the crew signed the letter and handed it to the Director in person. 

Workers were concerned about retaliation from the supervisor who had created the issue in the first place, particularly now that workers were speaking up. They set up a meeting with the Director and the roads crew, and stewards started working with their coworkers, talking through their fears and ensuring that they knew that he had their backs. When some workers wondered if this would even make a difference, stewards drew on their own union experiences: we are able to change things when we work together as a group, not just alone as individuals. 

Over forty roads crew members attended the meeting with the Director where they talked about their experiences. The Director told them that the supervisor who had caused the issues would now be retiring and that retaliation would be strictly prohibited. Breaks would be re-established and workers would get the respect that they had deserved from the start.

This victory came about because employees were willing to come together and speak up as a group. Without the willingness to share concerns and take that first step, none of it would have been possible. This is the kind of strong leadership that stewards can provide in the workplace, not just writing grievances, but really bringing the unit together to push back on critical issues through collective workplace action.