A group of Emergency Medical Technician (EMTs) who keep Portland residents and visitors safe at the Convention Center and other public facilities recently won a victory for themselves and the public they serve by joining the ILWU.
After years of working alongside ILWU Local 28 security officers employed by the Metropolitan Exposition and Recreation Commission (MERC), the EMTs decided to become a part of ILWU Local 28. Next, they petitioned Oregon’s Employment Relations Board for a union-recognition election.
With almost every person voting for the union, the ILWU Local 28 election victory at MERC was certified by the state of Oregon on June 3rd. The issues that motivated workers to join the union included proper staffing and protection of quality public service.
“Mismanagement had become such a big problem in our workplace that we had to fight just to do our jobs well,” said Christine Leonard, who helped launch the union campaign with her co-workers. “Scheduling an on-call workforce for consistent, full emergency response coverage at some of Oregon’s largest public event sites shouldn’t be that difficult, but it often seemed that we were either swamped or starving without enough hours.”
Fellow EMT and firefighter Joel Kasprzak worried about the risks that poor scheduling posed to Convention Center visitors. “It’s the kids coming for a gymnastics tournament or families attending a concert that may suffer,” he said. “Uneven coverage at big events could prevent someone from getting life-saving attention if EMTs are spread too thin.”
In addition to the frustrating staffing problem, EMTs were digging into their own pockets to help cover the public agency’s operating costs. “Our wages have remained stagnant for at least the last ten
years at MERC, and we’ve been using our own funds to keep up our paramedic or emergency response certifications,” noted Nikki Barone, an EMT. “The certification costs can add up to thousands of dollars.”
“I’m so glad that we finally decided to come together as a group and speak with one voice,” said Christine Leonard. “All ten of us really have each others’ backs now, and we’re ready to fight for our rights in a good contract.”