Recently, JH Kelly President and CEO Mason Evans shared that the company has not wanted or needed an administrative union for over 100 years and does not need or want one now. I appreciate his encouragement for employees to ask questions. I agree that employees should gather as much information as possible before making an important career decision.
I spent 34 years working for NW Natural, beginning my career in construction in 1989. During those years I learned something that has stayed with me throughout my career: construction crews do not build projects alone.
Long before the first shovel enters the ground, office professionals have already secured permits, coordinated where utilities are prior to digging, maintained GIS records, processed payroll, supported engineering, scheduled work, tracked costs, and kept projects moving. Without their work, construction simply does not happen.
Throughout my career I never viewed office employees as “support staff.” They were part of our crew. Payroll specialists were just as important as welders. Bookkeepers were just as valuable as equipment operators. Project coordinators, dispatchers, customer service representatives, GIS technicians, and administrative professionals all contributed to the success of every project.
At NW Natural, OPEIU Local 11 has represented office professionals since 1945. The collective bargaining agreement has helped create transparent wages, career advancement opportunities, retirement benefits, healthcare, paid leave, employment security, and fair workplace processes while maintaining a collaborative relationship between the company and the union.
The question is not whether management wants a union. The question is whether employees should have the opportunity to decide for themselves whether they want a collective voice. That decision belongs to the employees.
Whether they ultimately support union representation is their decision. My hope is simply that they compare the facts, review a real collective bargaining agreement (like our agreement with NW Natural), ask questions, and make an informed decision for themselves and their families.
Howard Bell is executive secretary-treasurer of OPEIU Local 11.
