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Margie Bradley - Former President of the Tualatin Employees’ Association |
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Oregon AFSCME recently won two affiliation elections where former independent labor association members voted to affiliate with our union. On February 12, the 23 members of the Baker City Employees’ Association voted to join our Council and were followed on March 21 by the 77 members of the City of Tualatin Employees’ Association.
The presidents of both associations cited a realization that they lacked the strength needed to win good contracts after tough negotiations with management.
“We knew we needed representation,” said Baker City president Craig Dolby, an inventory controls specialist. “Different members had heard good things about AFSCME, so we decided to go down that road.” AFSCME also represents Powder River Correctional Facility in Baker City. The association’s members voted unanimously to join AFSCME. “Everyone knew we needed to come together,” said Dolby.
Margie Bradley, the outgoing president of the Tualatin Employees’ Association and a program specialist at the city’s senior center, echoed Dolby’s thoughts. “I have worked here long enough to see the breakdown in communication between us and the city. The administration wasn’t taking us seriously as a group. We had no way to open up communication in a way that [Management] would listen to us. To me, AFSCME represented what we were looking for, a positive line of communication, a feeling like we were joining a group of people that have the same philosophy that we do. After meeting with Ken Allen, our Executive Director, I was sure I was right.”
Going forward, Baker City is preparing for bargaining, and moved quickly to put together a bargaining team. The Tualatin local will be electing new officers and gearing up for bargaining beginning in October or November. “We took a beating last contract, and people are nervous about it,” said Bradley. “It’s a good time to have someone at the table with us.”
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