Second group of child care workers joins Laborers 320

Portland Laborers Local 320 is on a roll.

In July, the union organized 170 workers at the Oregon Child Development Coalition in Washington County. Last month, a group of workers at the Oregon Child Development Coalition’s Multnomah County unit in Gresham voted 45-9 to join the union. The Gresham operation helps children and families in Multnomah and Washington counties.

“It’s definitely momentum from the first election. Most of the issues were the same. Only management fought us a little harder this time,” said Local 320 organizer Ben Guzman, who thanked union co-workers Bruce Roller, Dave Ball, and Jodi Parker.

OCDC is a non-profit pre-school childhood care and education network that works primarily with families of the state’s migrant farm workers. Statewide, it employs 1,100 workers at operations in 12 counties, serving about 3,000 children and families.

The first round of bargaining for the Washington County bargaining unit is slated for Nov. 13. The unit consists of teachers, teacher assistants, cooks, bus drivers, custodians and other workers at locations in Corne-lius, Forest Grove and Banks, Oregon.

Local 320 Business Manager Dave Tischer said the new Gresham unit will bargain for much of the same issues as the first unit. No bargaining has been scheduled at press time.

Tischer said Local 320 has filed for another election at OCDC in Marion County. There are approximately 90 employees there. An election has not been set for Dec. 3.

OCDC operates on a budget of almost $35 million a year. It gets funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Oregon Department of Education, Oregon Child Care Division, various school districts, and private donations.

Local 320 is headquartered in Portland. The union represents 1,100 workers in heavy and highway construction, at industrial plants, as well as in the public sector.

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