Operating Engineers Local 701 put up an unfair labor practice (ULP) picket April 25 at the Gresham Wastewater Treatment Plant on Northeast Sandy Blvd. The target of the picket is Veolia North America, which contracts with the City of Gresham to operate and maintain the facility. The plant treats 13 million gallons of water daily and serves 114,000 customers in the cities of Gresham, Fairview and Wood Village.
The three-year union contract for the 10 stationary employees at the plant expires on June 30, 2017. Talks opened April 17 with Local 701 presenting its proposal to the company. Sitting at the bargaining table the following day, the union was expecting a counter-proposal. Instead, they were handed a new policy that significantly changed hours and working conditions for most of the bargaining unit, said Local 701 attorney Nicole Rappaport.
“I said to them, ‘you mean proposed new policy,’ ” Rappaport told the Labor Press, reminding them that they were in the middle of bargaining. But Veolia’s representative made it clear that this was not a proposal.
The company unilaterally implemented the new policy that day. The union responded on April 19 by filing an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. “We’re going to protect our members, no matter what,” said Local 701 Business Manager Jim Anderson.
The new policy includes controversial on-call scheduling. Workers almost went on strike over the issue during contract negotiations three years ago. A memorandum of understanding was reached, Rappaport said, but the company didn’t comply with it, which resulted in Local 701 filing a grievance. The case lingered for more than a year — until last December, when an arbitrator voided the MOU.
“So now we’re back to square one,” Rappaport said.
Negotiations are scheduled to resume later this month.
