Looking Back, Looking Forward: Local 5’s 2024 Organizing campaigns
Local 5 saw great success in new organizing this year; as they prepare for continued success in 2025
A spectre is haunting the bosses of Portland – the spectre of workers organizing. From the Portland Teachers strike to the continued resilience of New Seasons Labor Union to achieve their first contract, workers in Portland, Oregon, the self-named “City that Works,” recognizes that by demanding a share of power and profits, by exercising solidarity and mutual aid, and by taking collective action – including–when needed–embracing the mentality of a “City that REFUSES to Work,” something greater can be achieved. In this rising tide of union activism, the ILWU’s and Local 5’s role in supporting workers’ efforts cannot be overstated. The short of it is, Local 5 is on fire!
COVID setbacks
In January of 2024, Local 5 was still recovering from the effects of COVID-19. Powell’s took advantage of the pandemic crisis. They implemented mass layoffs and seized the opportunity to cut seniority, paid time off benefits, and refused to rehire long-time workers who had given most of their working life to making Powell’s a world-class bookstore. At the start of the year, the union workforce at Powell’s was only 276 (down from around 450 in the pay period before the pandemic hit–when Powell’s laid nearly everyone off). In addition to Powell’s workers, the Local 5 membership included workers from Aramark at Evergreen, the Oregon Historical Society, IMIrJ, Wild Lilac Child Development Community, and the remnants of Growing Seeds Learning Community after the former owner fractured the business and sold each of the three preschool centers to three different new owners. As Local 5 ended 2023 the union’s roster was down to only 401 members.
Union rising
Since January 2024, the labor of the Organizing Department and worker activists from previous years has begun to bear fruit; organizing campaigns from 2023 wrapped up with ratification votes and contract implementations. Through sustained efforts, Local 5 has roared back and surpassed its pre-pandemic membership numbers.
In January, the preschool teachers of the Joyful Childcare Workers Union (JCWU) became the fourth group of early educators to gain full membership in Local 5. Their first contract was implemented on January 1, 2024, with more affordable healthcare, improvements on paid time off, and a progressive and transparent wage system where wages both rise more than inflationary pressures each year. Workers can also improve their wages through obtaining higher levels of education, taking on additional responsibilities in the classroom, and engaging in training and professional development activities. Local 5, now organized with a Division structure much like Local 142 (see The Dispatcher May 2024 for more information), the 80 workers joining the Early Education Division of the Local would now bring the total number of Early Ed Division members to 120 workers. The Local 5 “Early Ed” Division is not the only Local 5 Division on the rise. The “Non-Profit” Division of the local has also experienced significant membership growth, more than doubling the ranks this year. Starting in January, the Non-Profit Division represented 35 workers. Because of the dedication of workers in three different campaigns over 2023, those efforts resulted in solid wins for all three workplaces. First up in contract ratification was the Community Cycling Center unit in February, followed by Neighborhood Partnerships in June, and finally Free Geek in August. While each contract is in itself unique to the workplace and the goals of those members in each unit, each successive contract has informed and helped build the next one – with each bargaining team utilizing language that has been developed by other campaigns and employing lessons and strategies that have been learned in each successive campaign. With workers from these three workplaces becoming full members of Local 5, the local saw the Non-Profit Division increase to a total of 89 members! In addition to all the standard provisions of a union contract (just cause, union security, individual rights, grievance procedure, etc), here are some of the specific highlights of what they gained in each struggle for a fair first contract:
- Community Cycling Center
○ Minimum wage set to MIT’s “living wage” for Portland with yearly wage increases in line with inflation
○ Wage differentials for positions, hazardous conditions and language skills
○ Sanctuary employer rights and enhanced protections from discrimination, harassment, and microaggressions
○ Additional one week of paid holidays
○ Paid jury duty and bereavement leave
○ Work from home stipends for remote workers
- Neighborhood Partnerships
○ Establishes $30/hr base rate of pay and yearly inflationary increases for workers
○ Provides for “Flex Pay” paid time off which allows workers to take extended vacations or reduce their weekly working hours with no loss of pay
○ Monthly transportation/parking stipends and remote work stipends
○ Paid bereavement and jury duty leave
○ Increased health Reimbursement benefits (in addition to the status quo for health insurance)
- Free Geek
○ Increased starting pay to $19/hr
○ Provides a minimum of 15% wage increase over three-year agreement
○ Improved sick time and vacation accrual
○ Strict statute of limitations for past discipline staying on employee records
○ On-the-clock union membership meetings
While the ratification of each first contract is cause for celebration, the past year was not only about completing bargaining and the implementation of first contracts, 2024 was also the year of organizing new workplaces with Local 5. Throughout the year, a total of 12 workplaces representing over 125 workers walked on their boss and demanded union representation with the ILWU. The remainder of this article is dedicated to recognizing their efforts.
In January, Northwest Workers Justice Project (NWJP) including 16 workers (attorneys, paralegals, and administrative support staff) marched on the Executive Director and gained voluntary recognition. They have been bargaining on average twice a month for nearly a year and have made significant headway on all non-economic proposals. Finally, in November of this year, economic proposals made their way to the bargaining table and are in active negotiations at this time. One major issue the team hopes to address is a disparity between the wages and working hours between NWJP and their union counterparts in other organizations (notably a reassessment of the workweek and setting a new standard of 35 hours/week rather than the current 40 hours/week).
February saw the addition of the American Federation of Musicians Local 99 Staff, which includes 2 workers, the minimum number of workers required to form a union, based on the National Labor Relations Act. These negotiations were completed in record time and the contract was ratified in September of this year. Workers set the priorities of their negotiations: living wage for all workers including increases with inflation as well as establishing recall rights and a meaningful severance in the event of a layoff. All priorities were achieved and now one worker sits on the Local 5 Executive Board while the other is a Trustee for the local.
March brought with it a major struggle, this time with the behemoth of private early education, Guidepost Montessori. Workers at two separate centers, Tigard and Lloyd, including a total of 34 workers, notified their Site Directors of their intent to unionize. In a swift and cruel response, Guidepost shuttered both centers, giving workers and the families they provided care for less than 24 hours’ notice of the closure. This level of anti-union aggression was a surprise, given the consequences to workers, families, and children, much less the damage inflicted on Guidepost’s reputation. The ILWU stood strong with these workers throughout this injustice, filing multiple unfair labor practice charges against this illegal retaliation. The community stepped in and generated ongoing media attention which helped raise funds for the laid-off workers. At present, both centers remain closed. Workers and the ILWU await the Labor Board’s decision on those charges and, if successful, will issue a demand to bargain and provide relief to those affected workers.
In May, Local 5 embarked upon an experiment in its expansion – organizing with workers who do not have a work “place” but instead are a part of the massive group of “remote workers” who rarely, if ever, report to an office or employer headquarters. This particular group of workers made up of 5 individuals, is the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health. Initially, workers had attempted to form an independent union. However, lacking the support and expertise to negotiate a contract and move forward with their efforts, they sought the support of the ILWU. Local 5 recognized such cross-state border efforts would come with its own unique challenges and stepped up to take that challenge head-on, including the potential issue of “right-to-work” state laws. The primary issue workers are seeking to resolve is the lack of parity and fairness regarding health insurance options, mostly caused by the fact that workers live in different states and have varying options of care, depending on their location. The bargaining has progressed slowly and as the year closes, around two-thirds of non-economic items are nearing resolution. The looming issue of health insurance and bringing fairness to that problem has yet to be discussed.
As summer began to fade, August was not just for backyard barbecue and baseball games. The 11 workers of Portland Street Medicine (PSM) and another 2 workers from the Willamette Food and Farm Coalition (WFFC) were making moves to solidify their place in the labor movement as well. With both employers agreeing to voluntary recognition, workers were excited to be a part of the Local 5 tradition. For the staff of PSM, they quickly got to work on sending out surveys to their coworkers and setting a timeline for bargaining. Now in December, those efforts will imminently play out as they will hit the table in January with three back-to-back sessions and have a full non-economic contract proposal presented by the end of January. The staff at WFFC unfortunately have had to deal with a different reality. Soon after their unionization, the employer notified the union of a substantial revenue shortfall that would require all employees to be laid off. Undeterred, workers prioritized two items: 1) Severance so that they were supported in the transition to new employment; and 2) negotiating a skeleton contract that would ensure upon their recall to employment or any other future workers had basic rights and protections and that their efforts to unionize WFFC would not be in vain. They were successful in their goals and in December, just before being laid off and receiving severance, a three-year agreement was ratified that will act as a placeholder for when WFFC can regain its footing and restart the organization. Already the WFFC Board has been successful in fundraising and obtaining grants and while not a guarantee, there is a strong likelihood the organization will be back, with union staff – and the union contract- by 2026.
September organizing activities were especially exciting with two workplaces announcing their efforts to join Local 5. The first, Spin Laundry Lounge, which employs 14 workers, and the second, CLEAR Clinic, including eight attorneys and paralegals. Both groups of workers were successful in their demand for voluntary recognition. Workers at Spin were ahead of the curve in terms of preparedness for bargaining. Once they won their union they were ready to start bargaining as they had already been working diligently for months to develop a contract. They hope to address core concerns in the workplace including: creating a fair disciplinary procedure, enshrining scheduling rights and importantly, in support of the people of Palestine, encouraging Spin to Divest from Israeli companies it does business with (currently Spin utilizes a timekeeping app that is owned by an Israeli company). Over three weeks of bargaining, in November, workers made a full non-economic proposal and, as they wait for a response from the employer, are finalizing their economic proposals in hopes of moving negotiations forward quickly and seeing those improvements come to fruition. CLEAR Clinic workers have taken a different approach and instead have decided to hold off on bargaining until March so that they can develop a full proposal before the first session, and in anticipation of a major increase in the size of the organization, an intention of bringing new workers into the discussion and ensuring they have a voice in the negotiation process.
October organizing victories included a 100 percent vote in support of joining ILWU from the five workers at Worth Rises, a nonprofit organization dedicated to dismantling the prison system. This campaign is another example of a remote workplaces; workers as far as Georgia are a part of the unit. Since winning their union victory, Worth Rises has restructured and laid off several members (workers did receive severance). Despite this setback, workers (including those who have been laid off) continue to actively support the efforts of their coworkers who remain and negotiations for a first contract will begin in January.
Then, in November, 12 workers from SCRAP ReUse PDX joined the union and once again gained voluntary recognition from their employer. Workers at SCRAP are keen to start negotiations in January as they seek to improve their wages to more sustainable levels (currently workers are paid an average of around $17/hr) and negotiate for other meaningful improvements to their workplace such as more robust safety procedures. They have been meeting weekly to develop their first proposal and have elected their bargaining team to spearhead that effort in the new year.
In the second week of December, workers at “Z” Farm, including 16 workers, walked on the boss and demanded voluntary recognition. Workers have given Farm time to convene their Board and vote on the request and we do not yet know the outcome of whether “Z” Farm will agree to voluntary recognition or if workers will need to vote in a standard election. This time in wait is not lost. Workers are moving forward with developing their contract, surveying the membership, and preparing for the inevitable outcome of their unionization and bargaining for a first contract.
While the time and efforts of worker organizers cannot be understated, it also must be recognized that each of these organizing drives, in addition to the incredible support from ILWU Officers and the Organizing Department, each drive also has had the unwavering commitment of support from the local. Throughout this year of organizing, the local has consistently prioritized ensuring these workers and these organizing campaigns are supported – through direct assistance of the Local 5 Executive Board, stewards, and members as well as by highlighting these struggles on the local’s Facebook (@ilwulocal5) and Instagram (@ilwulocal5) accounts so that our greater union family and community can also celebrate and find inspiration in these successes.
In looking towards the next year, the days ahead will have a different flavor than what has occurred this year. After the outcomes of the national elections, discussions about organizing and the probable increasing difficulty of organizing under an anti-union Labor Board, have become a regular topic of conversation. Many organizing committees have been working double time to try and get to the point where they are ready to go public with their efforts – all in a race of time before union election processes change with a new Labor Board. There is a flurry of activity expected in January, February, and March as workers try to move their campaigns forward under the current Biden Labor Board policies. It’s impossible to say exactly how the landscape over the next four years will change in terms of organizing but one thing will certainly remain the same: no matter what laws or what barriers to organizing are put in place, workers in every sector of the economy will continue to desire to improve the conditions of their and their coworkers lives. At present, the best vehicle to achieve those goals is through unionization. But the real gas that makes that vehicle go is solidarity. Solidarity cannot be litigated away, nor can be “policy-ied” out of existence. The solidarity of workers is immutable.
Always has and always will. Brothers, Sisters and Fellow Workers, Onward and Upward, 2025 and beyond.
-Ryan Takas
ILWU Organizer