Workers at Tigard-based Yecuris have launched an organizing campaign with Teamsters Local 206. Founded in 2007 by a group of Oregon Health & Sciences University (OHSU) researchers, Yecuris transplants human liver cells into mice for use in laboratory research.
Local 206 filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board Jan. 12, seeking to unionize all 14 researchers, technicians, and manufacturing, order fulfillment and operations associates. The NLRB hasn’t yet set an election date.
Workers want a say in decision-making and clearer job descriptions, according to Local 206. And they’d like to see a bump in pay: Some of the workers in the proposed bargaining unit start at $18 per hour, for positions where a college degree is strongly preferred in hiring.
Yecuris’ “liver-humanized” mice are used in a wide range of research on gene and cell therapy, hepatitis, regenerative medicine, cardiovascular disorders and more, according to the company website. Yecuris works with academic researchers, pharmaceutical companies and biotech firms.
The company did not return a request for comment about the union effort by its employees.
Local 206 represents a diverse group of workplaces, including food manufacturing, warehouse workers, school bus drivers, security guards, nurses and police officers. Its most recent organizing effort was at the Eugene social services street response nonprofit CAHOOTS, where workers voted 36-0 to join the union in September.
