Workers at Columbia River Veterinary Specialists are serious about improving the working conditions and patient care at their animal hospital – so spirits at their rally on February 15 weren’t damped by the downpour.
“We’ve got more important problems than a little rain,” said Kat Bennett, who is a Veterinary Technician at the hospital where workers voted overwhelmingly to join the ILWU and are now negotiating their first union contract.
The rally in front of the animal hospital was well-attended and people were in high spirits despite the rain.
Besides the good showing the CRVS workers, additional support came from the members of the National Veterinary Professionals Union, Jobs with Justice, the Inlandboatmen’s Union, ILWU Local 40, the Young Workers Committee at Local 23 in Tacoma, ILWU Local 5, #TeamNWVS and the Communication Workers of America. Special guests included doctors who work at the hospital and are supporting the effort to improve conditions inside the facility, along with former CRVS employees.
“We held signs, chanted and waved to all the drivers who were incredibly friendly as they passed by,” said Annie Pressler, Veterinary Technician. “They showed support by honking their horns and sometimes even gave us a raised fist in solidarity.”
The animal care workers took turns practicing on the bullhorn, leading chants and calling out the company to improve conditions.
A growing number of veterinary hospitals – including CRVS – are now owned by national corporations, including PetVet, formed in 2012 with headquartered in Connecticut and 125 locations around the country. Five years later in 2017, PetVet was acquired by the Wall Street hedge fund KKR, in a leveraged buyout.
The CRVS workers’ bargaining team met recently to finalize their updated wage proposal. They told PetVet that picketing would be suspended while management considers the proposas they consider their next offer. Depending on the company response, workers may decide to escalate further with another rally where news media are invited. Other ideas are also in the works in case additional steps are needed.
“The power dynamic between big corporations and workes is enormous, but unionizing has given us a voice at the negotiating table and made a big difference,” says Mary Gregory, a Surgical Instrument Tech. “We’ve made progress and gained improvements through our negotiations – and we have solid support from the professional staff, our clients and so many groups in the community. I’m excited about what the contract will ultimately mean for our workplace.”