Spirited NLRB Protest a Success!

more photos here

Over 150 people marched to the Portland office of the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday, August 9. Participating were faith leaders, community leaders, and members of over 20 unions, including AFT Healthcare NW, SEIU (49 and 503), Carpenters, Teamsters, ONA, ILWU (4, 5, and 28), IBEW, UFCW, AFSCME, AFGE, OEA, OFNHP, Sheetmetal Workers, PAT, Laborers, CWA, AWPPW, Steelworkers, and more.

After the brief march to the NLRB office, Cliff Puckett form the Carpenters and Bruce Corkum from AFT Healthcare NW local 5017 spoke about the threat of the Kentucky River decisions to union workers in their industries and across the board.

“As a nurse, it is my job to make tough decisions and advocate for my patients’ needs. If I am a boss, who will care for them?” worries Anna Mulessa, a registered nurse at Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside and AFT Healthcare NW Local 5017 member.

Cliff Puckett, of the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters said "The possible broad reaching effects of the 'Kentucky River' decisions are frightening. We could have the most skilled tradespeople stripped of their union rights, jeopardizing the safe construction of our homes and office buildings."

Bruce was rudely interrupted President George Bush, who was there to introduce "his boys" on the NLRB. After they were introduced, and loudly booed by the crowd, the NLRB members divided the crowd in a seemingly random way, calling every third worker a boss. These "bosses" were then seperated from the rest of the workers and stripped of their pensions, health care, job security, and other things that they had won through their unions. At this point, everyone started chanting, and stopped Bush and the NLRB from taking away these hard-fought rights.

After this dramatic interpretation of the meaning of the Kentucky River decsison, members of a delegation to meet with the local NLRB office reported on their conversation. Delegates included Kathy Geroux, President of OFNHP, Willy Myers, Sheetmetal Workers, Emily Polanshek, Lake Oswego Education Association, Rev. Cecil Prescod, Ainsworth United Church of Christ, and Kim Hubbard, Oregon Nurses Association. At the meeting, the head of the Portland office, Cathy Callahan, agreed to forward our concerns to Washington, D.C.

If they refuse to listen to those concerns, we will have to speak out again, so stay tuned...