Non-management staffers at the Portland Development Commission
have ratified their first-ever union contract. The vote —
by members of the newly established American Federation of State,
County and Municipal Employees Local 3769 — was 122-2.
The PDC Board of Directors ratified the contract in a unanimous
vote Sept. 24.
The deal marks the first time in the agency’s 50-year history
(being celebrated this year) that employees and management have
negotiated a union contract.
“This is an exciting time for the agency,” said Local
3769 President Alan Stubbs. “We have an extremely professional
and hard working staff and we look forward to putting the contract
into action and making PDC an even better place to work.”
PDC is the quasi-independent development arm of the City of Portland.
It operates on an annual budget of nearly $200 million funded by
tax dollars.
One-hundred-thirty-seven employees are part of the bargaining unit.
They voted to join AFSCME in May 2007.
“I believe the ratification vote of 122-2 speaks for itself,”
said Oregon AFSCME Council 75 Executive Director Ken Allen, who
led the union’s bargaining team. “This is an excellent
contract and it reflects on the quality of the workers we represent
at the PDC. I have negotiated contracts for almost 30 years and
have never worked with a smarter, harder working group of employees
as those around the table from PDC during these negotiations.”
At a PDC meeting Sept. 24, Board Chair Charles Wilhoite said he
was proud to vote “yes” on the agreement.
“I’ve been on various boards and commissions over the
years that have included collective bargaining agreements, and I’m
pleased that this particular contract has seemingly brought us all
closer together,” he said.
The contract, which is retroactive to July 1, 2007, runs through
June 30, 2010. It provides workers cost-of-living increases of 3
percent dating back to July 1, 2007, plus an additional 3.7 percent
retroactive to July 1, 2008. On July 1, 2009, employees will receive
wage increases of between to 2 and 5 percent, based on the consumer
price index.
Prior to the union contract, PDC employees had not received cost-of-living
raises in over five years, said AFSCME Council 75 representative
James Hester. Hester was co-chair of the bargaining committee and
will serve as staff rep to the new local.
Some other key elements of the agreement include:
• Formation of a Labor Management Committee to discuss issues
of mutual concern and interest regarding the agency;
• A formal process for grievances, complaints and arbitration
that includes a third party;
• Agreement that staff will begin paying 5 percent of their
medical, dental and vision health benefits;
• Union security language, which means workers must belong
to the union to work there;
• No strike, no lockout language.
Board member John Mohlis, who is executive secretary-treasurer of
the Columbia Pacific Building and Construction Trades Council, said
the contract “speaks volumes to what can be accomplished when
labor and management come together in a respectful, collaborative
process. This contract is good for employees, it’s good for
PDC, and it’s good for taxpayers.”
PDC Executive Director Bruce Warner agreed. “Both management
and labor have laid out a vision in this contract that works toward
building a cooperative and collaborative work environment at all
levels of the organization,” he said. “I believe this
sets a very positive tone for PDC moving forward.”
It hasn’t always been so rosy.
For years PDC operated with little public scrutiny. Its free spending
drew the attention of the Portland City Club, which in 2005 released
a scathing report questioning PDC’s lack of public accountability.
During the organizing campaign union officials discovered a workforce
fearful of management and in constant turmoil. Turnover was nearing
25 percent annually and workers had had enough.
Portland Mayor Tom Potter , who was elected in November 2004, vowed
to make the agency “more transparent.” He brought in
Warner, a former Oregon Department of Transportation director, and
appointed a new commission.
Shortly after the union organizing drive began, the Oregonian newspaper
weighed in with an editorial railing against it. This led the Portland
City Council to unanimously adopt a resolution supporting PDC staffers.
It took more than 16 months and 22 bargaining sessions to come to
terms on a first contract.
“It’s not often that you go through contentious negotiations
and come out with a better working relationship than you did going
in,” Hester said. “But that’s what happened here.”
