Your Local Union 223 News

February 24, 2023

Local 223 recognizes members’ needs are constantly changing. As we navigate inflation, economic uncertainty, and continued labor and supply shortages, we know it’s critical to continue to ask, listen, and prioritize so we can better serve our membership. Now more than ever, union leaders need to keep up with change, and ongoing education is vital. Our International Union provides training workshops and we here at Local 223 participate whenever we can. We believe an important role of a union leader is to learn and share practical and informed solutions with our ever-changing, diverse membership.

I am proud to announce my appointment as Co-Chair to the new Joint Council #37 D.R.I.V.E. Committee along with Steve Konopa, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 305. D.R.I.V.E. (Democratic, Republican, Independent, Voter, Education) is a national political action committee of the I. B. of T.  It is a separate segregated fund registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The Department processes the Voluntary Authorization Cards to allow for Teamster membership participation in National DRIVE. Teamster membership contributions to DRIVE are processed through payroll deduction and DRIVE Accounting Department is responsible for the collection and recordkeeping of all receipts received. All candidate and committee contributions are processed through the DRIVE Accounting Department. DRIVE Accounting Department fulfills requests for DRIVE information from Teamster local unions, joint councils, trade divisions and conferences and the General Executive Board. If you have D.R.I.V.E. language in your contract, you may see us in the near future as we start our 2023 D.R.I.V.E. campaigns looking to increase membership participation. Again, this is a separate segregated fund, and no portion of Local 223 members’ union dues are contributed towards political candidates. Dues and fees are spent entirely on the work Teamsters Local 223 does to build member power: bargaining wages & benefits, representing members, leadership trainings, member meetings, member communications, and organizing new members.

Please remember that Local 223 will vote to dispense with the regular monthly membership meetings for the summer months of June, July, and August at the May, 2023, membership meeting.

Highlights from Labor Representative Brent Jensen:  13 CBA’s open in 2023, 11 new expiring and 2 having expired in 2022 are still in negotiations. Conducting interviews to support the Union’s upcoming arbitration March 23^rd as a result of grievance over termination of Medford Public Works employee in November. Dealing with Lake Health District over several pay issues- Pay equity among mental health support positions, application of retro cost-of-living increases unilaterally imposed by employer and stabilizing the pay of Emergency Medical Services employees to comply with FLSA overtime rules. Town of Lakeview has notified the Union of its intention to transfer responsibility for 9-1-1 Center to the County and transition from paid fire department to all-volunteer.  Much work to be done to implement those anticipated changes.

Highlights from Labor Representative Michael Mann: Coos Deputies – The County is having a dispatch staffing crisis; working with the County to address 12-hour scheduling, breaks and on-call issues. Worked through a member representation issue. McMinnville Police – MOU to correct issue with vacation credit for previous service; City is going with 3^rd party PLO provider, which will have added benefits for employees. MOU to change the bi-lingual standards. Lebanon Police – Agreement to move to bi-weekly pay; all unit employees received a 5% raise and 12-hour employees will see an effective additional 5% raise. Douglas County –Local 223 prevailed in an Arbitration over site differential and class pay; remedy has been paid. County gave improper direction about how account for holidays; issue resolved. Coos Road – Worked through an interpretation of the CBA with HR regarding work plans and evaluations. Yamhill Deputies – Grievance regarding paid meal periods is still on a mutual freeze. A  new grievance was filed alleging improper discrimination against a Union Steward. Bargaining – In mediation with Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office prepping for negotiations with Douglas County (road, etc.) and Morrow County (deputies).

Highlights from Labor Representative Austin DePaolo: It doesn’t have to be Black History Month to celebrate Rosa Parks, but I want to remind everyone that her act and the boycott were the results of her being a dues-paying member of the NAACP who had trained at the Highland Folk School. Lots of preparation went into that successful action, now remembered at the Montgomery Bus Boycott. At AMR our 450 Paramedics, EMTs and Dispatchers continue to suffer under a messed-up payroll department. Raises effective at the beginning of the year are now showing up on paychecks, but retroactive pay, PTO accruals, the 401k match and other payroll issues remain as we go through the grievance process and inundate management with information requests. Our 46 Staff Union Teamsters/UOUS at the Oregon Nurses Association ratified a new agreement in January that includes healthy wage increases, and for the first time Teamster Pension and DRIVE. In late January I attended the Oregon Labor Conference at IBEW 43. Almost 300 were in attendance including Jessica Dietz who spoke on behalf of the NLRB. At the Northwest Oregon Labor Council, our candidate Laurie Wimmer will serve as the new Secretary-Treasurer. The Council has 76 affiliates representing 53,000 union members.

Highlights from Labor Representative Karine Trowbridge: Prepping for Tillamook 9-1-1 negotiations starting in mid-May. Tillamook Sheriff’s have gone to 12-hour shifts in the jail in hopes of getting more time off for the staff. They have been putting in a lot of overtime due to short staffing. Two new deputies have been hired and are currently in training.  As of Jan 1^st, all Field Ops at the City of Gresham have received the 5% increase agreed upon in contract negotiations back in July, 2023. On the National scene of the American Red Cross, Teamsters have organized new Red Cross workers in Nashville, Utah, and Texas in the last few months. During contract negotiations with the City of Fairview, both sides agreed to have an outside inspector come in to review the work-place atmosphere. That investigation starts in March.