The simmering labor struggle at Powell's City of Books in Portland, Ore., looks like it's coming to a boil. On February 16, after five months of contract negotiations, approximately 65 workers at the West Burnside Powell's store, the Powell's Web site and the Powell's warehouse walked off the job, leading management to cancel a bargaining session.
That same day, workers filed their fifth charge in as many months with the National Labor Relations Board, claiming Powell's management had intimidated and threatened workers. Previous complaints to the board included claims of firings and discrimination against union supporters.
"The walkout was prompted by employees' perception that we're stalling -- which is incorrect," Ann Smith, corporate manager for Powell's and a member of the management bargaining team, told PW. She said negotiations had just begun at 1:30 p.m. when she received a call that employees had walked out and were heading toward the bargaining meeting. Talks were halted so that managers, who were at the meeting, could return to the store. Anissa Couey, an ILWU organizer and the union's notetaker at the meeting, said the employees had walked out in order to watch the bargaining session. "They were not protesting the negotiations," she said. "It's in their best interest to get a contract."
Mary Winzig, a purchaser at the Burnside store and a union member, explained the walkout: "We were protesting the unfair labor practice [claim], which we'd just filed, but we wanted to use the time wisely. Rather than chanting in front of the store, we decided to go and watch the negotiations." The union encourages employees to attend meetings whenever they can, as d s owner of the store, Michael Powell.
Contract talks began in September, five months after 400 bookstore and warehouse employees voted to form a union. "We weren't summoned to the bargaining table until mid-September," Smith said. "By mid-December -- our busiest time of the year -- we had already made our two biggest proposals, on wages and health insurance. By mid-January, we had all proposal and contract language on the table. We're not stalling. We've done a lot of work and would like to continue."
"There are several issues [management] is unwilling to budge on, including a living wage, having a union shop, the management rights clause and the successors clause," Winzig told PW. "This last guarantees that if the company changes hands, the new owners must honor the contract -- which Michael Powell is not willing to accept yet."
Two weeks ago, the management team offered to accelerate negotiations by adding three bargaining dates, for a total of seven days over a four-week period. The offer was contingent on the union agreeing to a more focused agenda, which it did.
