Open Letter From SEIU 503 Members at Rosemont Treatment Center

Dear JWJ supporter,

You have always been a strong advocate for Oregon’s workers and the services they provide. We are proud to introduce ourselves as the newest members of our union, SEIU 503.

On October 10^th , we voted by a margin of 82% to form our union at the Rosemont Treatment Center and School for Girls— a branch of Morrison Child and Family Services— with SEIU Local 503 (this is the first successful union at Morrison EVER).

The 60 workers at Rosemont provide care and treatment to girls recovering from drug and alcohol addiction and other behavioral issues. Having the ability to bargain with management to improve our wages, benefits and working conditions is a major step forward, but the biggest thing we are excited about is improving the care of the girls we serve.

Rosemont worker Lillian Caplon notes, “We not only provide day to day care, but we are role models for the girls at Rosemont. It’s critical that we lower staff turnover so that we can provide the kind of consistent quality care that builds trust between the girls and us. Workers having a voice in training, safety, work rules, pay and communication can help reduce turnover and that benefits everyone at Rosemont.” Improving safety for both the staff and residents is another main goal for their union.

While SEIU Local 503 hopes to work in partnership with the management at Rosemont to improve conditions for staff and residents, experience has taught us that negotiating a good first contract can be difficult. With this in mind we would like to keep you and other community allies updated as the contract negotiations proceed. It is our hope that union members and the employer can bargain in good faith and make steady progress at the table, and we know that for this to happen, well timed and strong support from respected community allies such as yourselves will be key to move things forward.

We look forward to working with you in this righteous fight for low wage workers who give so much of themselves to improve the lives of others. 

Sincerely,

Rosemont workers