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Dear Sisters and
Brothers,
Security officers for the
Portland-based Metropolitan Exposition-Recreation Commission (MERC) have
overwhelmingly ratified their first contract. The contract
includes raises ranging above 20%. The workers are represented by
ILWU Local 28. MERC is a public agency, responsible for the Oregon
Convention Center, Exposition Center and Portland Center for the
Performing Arts.
The unit consists of 30
part-time/on-call agents and 9 full-time workers. A key issue for
both groups was a demand to end "at-will" employment and gain
real job security. This was underscored a few years ago when MERC
"laid off" all the part-time workers, then forced them to
re-apply for their old jobs at reduced wages. In addition,
full-time workers were under a "pay for performance" wage
system (PFP). Under PFP, which the workers more accurately
described as "permanent freeze of pay," officers could only
get raises for the first few years of service. After that, they
could generally only get "bonuses" awarded on the basis of
subjective evaluations.
The MERC officers were able, in the
words of negotiating committee member Rick Harvey, to "drive a
stake through the heart of PFP." In retaliation, management
insisted that they would give no more than 0.4% pay increase - less than
$10 a month before taxes.
Thanks to intense action by the
security officers, we were able to mobilize a broad range of labor,
community and political pressure. Locally, Portland Jobs with
Justice and the Secretary-Treasurer of the local labor council provided
invaluable help. Jeff Smith, President of the ILWU Columbia River
District Council, together with activists from Locals 5 and 8 and the
IBU helped mobilize ILWU pressure. Members of at least a dozen
other unions helped with informational leafleting of MERC Commissioners'
places of work and MERC facilities, pacaking Commission meetings and
letters and telephone calls to the politicians who appoint the MERC
Commissioners. On a national level, Labor Notes helped to
publicize the struggle, urging readers to contact the MERC Chair, as did
the Dispatcher.
A crucial pressure point came from
the national AFL-CIO. The 2005 union label trade show is set for
MERC's convention center. The President of the Union Label
Department of the AFL-CIO helped to persuade MERC to reach a just
settlement, even flying to Portland to sit in on the last negotiations.
Finally, on June 12th, after nearly
a year of negotiations, MERC accepted reality. In addition to
healthy pay increases, the workers for the first time will receive shift
differential of 60 cents an hour for swing shift, and 90 cents an hour
for graveyard. Including the shift differential, the 30 part-time
workers will receive pay increases ranging from 13.2% - 20.6%, depending
on their shift. The 9 full-time workers will get raises ranging
from 2.5%-14.1%, depending on current pay rate and shift.
The victory makes it clear that
even a small group of workers can make major gains if they're willing to
fight - and if they belong to a union like the ILWU that's willing to
back them up. And it also makes clear that when we build a strong
community-based coalition, drawing on our allies in labor and elsewhere,
we can achieve a lot more.
In solidarity,
Paul Bigman
ILWU International Organizer
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