'No Labor Day': Union Stages One-Day Strike at Powell's Books
Yesterday union employees at Powell's Books, Portland, Ore., staged a one-day strike that they called the "Powell's Books No Labor Day Strike," which included picketing at the three Powell's stores--which all closed for the day because of the strike--and a rally at the flagship Powell's City of Books store at 1 p.m.
ILWU Local 5, which has represented Powell's staff since 2000, said that the strike, authorized last month by a 92% approval vote, was to protest the state of negotiations for a new contract. (The union has struck once before, in 2003.) Negotiations started early this year, and the most recent contract ran out on June 7. On Friday, the union filed unfair labor practices charges with the National Labor Relations Board against Powell's.
As the Oregonian noted, the union alleges Powell's has "refused to bargain in good faith over wages and benefits" and that the company has "repeatedly engaged in stalling tactics and has written proposals without meaningfully engaging with the union's proffers.... The union said the company proposed a new health care plan with a higher deductible and less coverage, and that workers pushed for higher wages in exchange."
Powell's said, "As a union workplace for 23 years, we are our union's biggest supporter. We deeply value our employees and respect their right to engage in protected union activity, which includes a strike. We understand it can be part of the bargaining process, and we will honor and respect it."
ILWU Local 5 prepared picket signs for yesterday's strike. |
In announcing that its three stores would be closed yesterday because of "the lack of staffing necessary to open our locations," Powell's added that since January, it "has been working diligently to reach a fair, reasonable and sustainable contract with ILWU Local 5 as part of our regular cycle of renewal. Powell's has already agreed to the union's proposals on health insurance deductibles and out of pocket maximums for healthcare. Additionally, Powell's has offered a wage structure that increases the top wage for employees starting their career to $22.25 per hour at the beginning of the contract and to $24.25 per hour by the final year of the contract period in 2026, which impacts one of our largest groups of employees."
Union spokesperson Myka Dubay told the Oregonian that the top pay wage boost "only changes the maximum amount of what people starting out can make. In reality, 95% of the workers start at the bottom of the range, which is $16.25 per hour." Dubay added that the union wants the starting wage to be closer to $21.85 an hour, nearer to a livable wage for the area.
In anticipation of the strike, Powell's said, "Customers who would like to make a purchase on Monday, September 4 can do so at Powells.com. We also encourage the community to visit Guilder Cafe in their NE Portland location or consider gift card purchases, as they will be impacted by the closure."
By contrast, the union asked supporters not to shop at Powells.com yesterday and to donate to the ILWU Local 5 Strike Fund and sign the union petition "letting Powell's leadership know you support workers' demands."