Tentative deal reached at NWREL

A 19-day strike at the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory in Portland ended Nov. 27 with a tentative two-year collecting bargaining agreement - the first ever for about 160 professionals represented by Service Employees International Union Local 503, Oregon Public Employees Union. The key issue in the strike was union security language. Local 503 wanted it in the contract while management, represented by the law firm Stoel Rives, insisted on having an open shop.

Union security language requires employees to belong to the union, or at least pay "fair share" dues for services provided. An open shop allows workers the rights and benefits under the union contract, including union representation, but without having to pay any membership dues.

NWREL is one of a network of regional laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Education that help school districts with research and program development. Its clients are public schools - whose teachers' collective bargaining agreements nationwide operate under the fair share agency shop rule.

To settle the strike, a federal mediator got the groups to compromise on a "maintenance of membership" agreement that allows employees the choice of whether or not to join the union, but requires them to remain members for the term of the contract once they join.

To date, more than half of the bargaining unit are dues-paying members, said Lisa Siegel, a representative of Local 503. Those electing not to join will not be allowed to vote on the tentative contract.

"The employer put up a tremendous fight and continued it throughout the negotiations," Siegel said. "The workers who struck showed a huge amount of courage. They were fighting for the existence of the union."

The contract provides for wage increases of between 3 percent and 6.75 percent the first year, depending on years of service and employees' placement in their salary range. Second-year wage and health insurance increases can't exceed 5 percent, and again will be based on years of service and placement in salary range.

The contract includes a non-harassment article that prohibits, among other things, misuse of authority, a grievance procedure with binding arbitration, and a fair disciplinary procedure. All of these items were key reasons workers unionized in the first place last December.