Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Security officers for the Portland-based Metropolitan Exposition-Recreation Commission (MERC) have overwhelmingly ratified their first contract. The contract includes raises ranging above 20%. The workers are represented by ILWU Local 28. MERC is a public agency, responsible for the Oregon Convention Center, Exposition Center and Portland Center for the Performing Arts.

The unit consists of 30 part-time/on-call agents and 9 full-time workers. A key issue for both groups was a demand to end "at-will" employment and gain real job security. This was underscored a few years ago when MERC "laid off" all the part-time workers, then forced them to re-apply for their old jobs at reduced wages. In addition, full-time workers were under a "pay for performance" wage system (PFP).

Under PFP, which the workers more accurately described as "permanent freeze of pay," officers could only get raises for the first few years of service. After that, they could generally only get "bonuses" awarded on the basis of subjective evaluations.

The MERC officers were able, in the words of negotiating committee member Rick Harvey, to "drive a stake through the heart of PFP."  In retaliation, management insisted that they would give no more than 0.4% pay increase - less than $10 a month before taxes.

Thanks to intense action by the security officers, we were able to mobilize a broad range of labor, community and political pressure.  Locally, Portland Jobs with Justice and the Secretary-Treasurer of the local labor council provided invaluable help. Jeff Smith, President of the ILWU Columbia River District Council, together with activists from Locals 5 and 8 and the IBU helped mobilize ILWU pressure.

Members of at least a dozen other unions helped with informational leafleting of MERC Commissioners' places of work and MERC facilities, pacaking Commission meetings and letters and telephone calls to the politicians who appoint the MERC Commissioners. On a national level, Labor Notes helped to publicize the struggle, urging readers to contact the MERC Chair, as did the Dispatcher.

A crucial pressure point came from the national AFL-CIO. The 2005 union label trade show is set for MERC's convention center. The President of the Union Label Department of the AFL-CIO helped to persuade MERC to reach a just settlement, even flying to Portland to sit in on the last negotiations.

Finally, on June 12th, after nearly a year of negotiations, MERC accepted reality. In addition to healthy pay increases, the workers for the first time will receive shift differential of 60 cents an hour for swing shift, and 90 cents an hour for graveyard.

Including the shift differential, the 30 part-time workers will receive pay increases ranging from 13.2% - 20.6%, depending on their shift.  The 9 full-time workers will get raises ranging from 2.5%-14.1%, depending on current pay rate and shift.

The victory makes it clear that even a small group of workers can make major gains if they're willing to fight - and if they belong to a union like the ILWU that's willing to back them up. And it also makes clear that when we build a strong community-based coalition, drawing on our allies in labor and elsewhere, we can achieve a lot more.

In solidarity,
Paul Bigman
Former ILWU International Organizer