Snohomish
County Labor Council, AFL/CIO
Minutes of the Meeting of August 28, 2002
The meeting was called to order at 7 PM by President Chapman followed by the flag salute. Minutes approved as typed and handed out.
M/S/C to
seat those delegates who were present. The following individuals were
obligated: Marleen Weigand, AFSCME 948; Jonathon Toy, IAM 751A; Matt Wood, SEIU
1199NW
The Executive Board did not meet this month due to the State Labor Council Convention. The Secretary-Treasurer gave out a written report of activities involving Labor/Neighbor, community-relations issues, the State Labor Council Convention and Machinists’ rallies.
Community Services chair Laura Wentworth discussed the Solidarity Day raffle.
Labor/Neighbor Field Coordinator Lee Marchisio reported on the organizing for the first walks on September 7th. Leonard Kelley, Teamsters 38 will also be working with the program up here. Recruitment for Labor/Neighbor walking and phone banks is a crucial component of the program. The first walk will be Saturday, September 7th. Check in Saturday is at 9 AM, with training beginning at 9:30 AM and home visits starting at 10 AM to union households. Leonard Kelley asked the delegates to commit to the program at least one time. He recounted what a great experience it was, as have other participants. He asked for volunteer cards back that evening.
Secretary-Treasurer Sells reported on the local Referendum 51 campaign.
President Darrell Chapman noted that 105 people went out last Sunday in Spokane for the Labor/Neighbor walk. He was pleased that the Senatorial candidate Laurie Dolan was doing well in the 6th Legislative District in that area. He asked delegates to commit 4 hours in the primary and 4 hours in the general to the Labor To Neighbor effort . Without stepping up on this program and issues like Referendum 51, he felt we could, “kiss a lot of jobs goodbye.”
Sylvia Hansen, IBEW 77, reported that there would be a PUD Commission Dist.1 debate Wednesday, Sept. 4th in Everett Public Library. IBEW 77 has not made a recommendation on this race.
Organizing- Paul Quaintance, UFCW 1105 discussed the anti union activities used on Wal Mart workers. A UFCW video was shown that interviewed former workers and managers who outlined Wal Mart’s program to keep the union out.
Contract negotiations and maintenance-Rod Sigvartson, IAM 751C, stated that negotiations had wrapped up yesterday with the Boeing Company. Leaders recommended not accepting contract. A synopsis went out to membership. He reported on management plans to talk with members. Job security, pensions and health care are the main issues, and the company has not addressed those issues adequately in their proposal. While they did offer 8 per cent for ratification in the first year and a general wage increase in 2nd and 3rd year, pay increases were not the issue. The gutting of any job security over the years and the other issues was ignored. Voting will be tomorrow. About 9 PM to 10 PM they will know what the membership wants to do with the proposal. They had offered to work under current contract and negotiate, but Boeing said no.
Mark Sullivan, ILWU 32, reported that negotiations with the Pacific Maritime Association had moved off center for the first time this week. The contract expired on the first of July. George Bush, by using threats of bringing troops in, has caused needless delays in the process. He asked that delegates to contact the President to stay out of the bargaining process. They have reached tentative agreements in health and welfare, but continue talking about how technology will affect their jobs. They also hope to recover jobs being taken off the docks and put in terminal areas.
SPEEA, Chris Glenn, who is a member of the Tech Negotiating team for SPEEA at Boeing noted that their contract comes up 3 months after the Machinists. They are standing in strong support of the Machinists. They meet with the company on Thursday, August 29th at 9 AM. The company keeps talking about locking people out.
Matt Wood, SEIU 1199NW reported there would be a one day strike in Olympia against a care center. They would also be picketing 11 AM to 1 PM pickets at the Smith Tower in Seattle to draw attention to the issues. Adelina Gonzales thanked all those for their support in Spokane during the Group Health rally.
Pat Downes, ATU 883, reported that they are in still in mediation with the City of Everett Transit. He noted that the mediator chose only to meet with the local the first meeting. The city has refused to meet for mediation. The next step would be arbitration. Health care is the issue. In the last contract, they gave up paying a portion of their health care premiums. No other bargaining unit has done that, and they want equal treatment again.
M/S/C to grant strike sanction to IAM 751 at the Boeing
Company
M/S/C to pass the following resolution
Support of ILWU in
Bargaining with the Pacific Maritime Association.
WHEREAS, the ILWU is engaged in contentious contract negotiations with the shipping and stevedoring employer group, the Pacific Maritime Association, and
WHEREAS, the PMA has consistently refused to negotiate seriously, demonstrating numerous concessions and proposing offers designed to be rejected; and
WHEREAS, the PMA is using these stalling tactics waiting for the federal government to intervene on its behalf to achieve advantages it could not get in collective bargaining; and
WHEREAS, the Bush administration is attempting to exploit the nation’s legitimate September 11 national security concerns to undermine the collective bargaining process by threatening to pass special legislation to take away the ILWU’S legal rights to negotiate and strike; and
WHEREAS, the Bush administration has threatened to impose a Taft-Hartley injunction against the ILWU and to send National Guard troops to the West Coast docks to assist the PMA in a lockout of ILWU longshore workers; and
WHEREAS, the ILWU has always been a leader in the American labor movement, pioneering and setting the standards for good wages, benefits and pensions; and
WHEREAS, the ILWU has always been a union with a strong sense of worker solidarity and has taken many crucial and effective actions in support of other workers’ struggles around the country and the world; and
WHEREAS, if the employers and the government are able to break the ILWU, no union in the United States is safe; now therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Snohomish County Labor Council affirms its members’ support for the ILWU in its contract negotiations and pledge all resources needed to fight the attack on the ILWU; and be it further
RESOLVED, that the members of the Snohomish County Labor Council will support the ILWU’s legal right to collectively bargain and to strike without government intervention; and be it further
RESOLVED, that the Snohomish County Labor Council will write letters to President Bush demanding that the federal government stay out of the negotiations and to the PMA demanding it bargain seriously with the ILWU; and be it finally
RESOLVED, that the members of the Snohomish County Labor Council will lobby their senators and congressional representatives to pledge not to vote for any measure that would outlaw or restrict the ILWU’s legal rights.
GOOD OF THE COUNCIL
Secretary-Treasurer Sells noted that the Solidarity Day at the AquaSox would be on September 2nd, Labor Day. Delegates were encouraged to attend.
Adelina Gonzales, SEIU 1199NW reminded delegates about the resolution in support of immigrant legalization and the Million-Voice campaign. She requested those who had not already signed a card to do so tonight.
President Chapman spoke about what he considered corporate abuse with a large project at Kimberly Clark installing new paper machines. They hired SWB, non-union, out of state outfit. They are a subsidiary of PEK, one of the worst anti-union outfits in the nation. Most of the employees are coming out of the south, and Kimberly-Clark had received a tax break from the state for this upgrade.
Jim Smith, LIUNA 292 asked delegates to remember the Radio Labor Journal on KSER 90.7, 2nd Tuesday of the month at 4:30 PM.
Bill Wood, Sheet Metal Workers 66, discussed activity with regards to Wal-Mart
Paul Quaintance, UFCW 1105 won the Community Services drawing.
Adjourned at 8: 27 PM
Respectfully submitted,
Mike Sells, Secretary-Treasurer
Delegates attendance
AFSCME 109: Pete Dykstra
AFSCME 109E: Jerry Adamson, Robert Mueller
AFSCME 109S:
AFSCME 113: Gary Doughty, Libbie Soden
AFSCME 881:
AFSCME 948: Poppy Hanson, Marleen Weigand
AFSCME 1020:
AFSCME 1355:
AFSCME 1811:
AFSCME 1811C:
AFSCME 1811CA: Debi Gabringer, Laura Wentworth
AFSCME 1811JPD: Ron Gipson
AFSCME 1811PA: David Kurtz
AFSCME 1811S:
AFSCME 2753:
AFSCME 2964:
AFT 772: Mike Sells
AFT 1873:
AFT 4254: D. J. Wilson
APWU 484:
ATU 883: Patrick Downes
ATU 1576: Bonnie Williams, Pat Connolly
CWA 7800:
CWA 37082:
GCIU 767M:
HERE 8:
IAFF 46:
IAFF 1984:
IAFF 2694:
IAFF 3219:
IAFF 3482:
IAFF 3524
IAM 130:
IAM 751A: Jason Redrup, Bob Neumann, Johnathan Toy
IAM 751C: Rod Sigvartson
IAM 751E: Ron Bradley
IAM 751F: Judy Neumann
IATSE 15: John Lammon
IBEW 77: Peg Chrisman, Sylvia Hanson, Margaret Adamson
IBEW 89: Mike Ferrucci
IBEW 191: Darrell Chapman
IBT 38: Leonard Kelley, Janine Dibble
IBT 763: Kelly Blomquist
IBU/ ILWU 22:
IFPTE 17: Maroa Velice, Sue Willard
ILWU 32: Mark Sullivan
IUOE 286:
IUOE 302:
IUPAT DC 5:
IW 86:
IW 506:
LIUNA 292: Jim Smith, Dan O’Connor, Hazel Goehring
MM&P:
NALC 791: Bob James
OPEIU 8: Majorie Lewis
OPEIU 277:
SEIU 925: Tania Rosario
SEIU 1199NW: Adelina Gonzales, Matt Wood, Steve Moll
SMIU 66: Bill Wood
SPEEA: Tim Bond, Chris Glenn, David Simpson, Mark Moshay
UA 265:
UFCW 44:
UFCW 141, USNU:
UFCW 1001:
UFCW 1105: Paul Quaintance, Arthur Rice, Lynda Rice
IAM A: Bruce Spalding, Don Shove, Tom Plummer
IAM 751F: Jo Marie Schultz, Jackie Boschok
IBEW 89: Gloria Borders
IBEW 191: Jeff Seibert
IBT 38: Chuck Jewell
Glenn Burpee, ILWU
Don Houtchins, WSLC Vice President
Barbara James, NALC Spouse
Lee Marchisio, Labor Neighbor
Shaun Moshay
Correspondence read and made available