For the last year the 11 workers at McCall Oil and Chemical in Portland have stuck together, stuck to their guns and stuck their necks out when they had to. They saw their unity, persistence and determination pay off Jan. 31 when they ratified their first contract with the Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific, the marine division of the ILWU.
"We got this contract because we stuck together 100 percent. We also had the unwavering support of ILWU Locals 8, 5, 4 and 40, the IBU, Jobs with Justice and others in the labor community," said Charlie Finger, a member of the union bargaining team and maintenance man for McCall.
Finger and the 10 operators at McCall gained substantial pay raises. The workers’ wages will increase more than 16 percent over the life of the two-year agreement. The contract provides much-needed seniority language to govern scheduling and vacation time, as well as a grievance process and a "zero tolerance for harassment" from "managers, supervisors, co-workers, customers, vendors and suppliers." This provision speaks to the key reason the McCall workers organized.
They work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, handling ship fuel, diesel and asphalt. They fuel barges and tugs, many crewed by other IBU members. They unload hot asphalt from rail cars, mix it to customers’ specifications, then load it in trucks. The work requires knowledge and experience, and can sometimes be dangerous.
"On top of this, we had supervisors who would yell, scream and bully," bargaining team member Vicky Wintheiser said. "We just wanted to be treated decently."
The new contract also makes McCall a union shop where everyone is a member of the IBU.
"Despite McCall’s insistence on remaining an ‘at-will employer,’ the bargaining unit was able to empower themselves with a union shop," said IBU Patrolman Mike Conradi, who acted as chief negotiator.
In January 2005, all the workers at McCall had walked out on their boss to demand union recognition. They voted unanimously to become members of the IBU in March 2005, and they voted as a block to go out on a 36-hour unfair labor practice strike in December.
During the strike, McCall signaled it was ready to go back to the negotiating table. Even with the Christmas holidays stretching out the schedule, the two sides were able to reach a tentative agreement Jan. 19, after just four more bargaining sessions.
—Marcy Rein
