With Sam Gibboney no longer serving as Port of Olympia’s executive director, Port employees and the public are now appealing for the Port to complete the negotiations for the contract of Local 47B, which comprises the employees of the Port’s maintenance facility, marina, and boatyard.
Sixteen public members spoke to the Port of Olympia Commission during the public comments section of the meeting on Monday, October 9, all in support of a contract for the union, which has been negotiating with Port management for 18 months.
Comments came from union members, former Port employees, marina tenants, and local residents. Several people appreciated the Port’s separation with Gibboney, but expressed their continued frustration over the unresolved negotiations.
“I'm glad this commission is finally separated from the [former] executive director, but taxpayers and Port workers continue to be hurt by your lack of decisive leadership in solving a contract for employees,” said Lee Rose, a member of Local 47A, an established union representing marine terminal maintenance workers.
“For over a year and a half, our employees have had to deal with an executive team dragging out bargaining while creating such a hostile work environment that good workers have quit or been terminated as a result of discrimination and retaliation. Instead of signing a fair agreement, which could have prevented these types of manager violations, your executive team continues wasting our tax dollars on lawyer fees, while misconduct remains unresolved.”
Members of the public also noted that union members have filed new charges against Port management for alleged illegal interrogations with union members about a protest conducted by community members last month.
“We saw community protesters show up at the port last month over your executive team’s failure to sign a fair contract with workers,” said Rob Rose, another member of Local 47A. “As a result of this mismanagement, cargo operations at the marine terminal were disrupted. Then your executive team went on to violate workers' rights yet again when managers illegally interrogated union members over the protest.”
Lee Rose noted in his statement that union members did not organize the protests but were instead led by the voting public.
The commission does not normally respond to public comments, but Commissioner Joe Downing motioned for Chair Amy Evans Harding to respond due to the number of people who attended the meeting. Harding’s response was brief but allowed her to express her appreciation for the comments made.
“I think this is great. I think that hearing from all of you is how we're going to get to yes,” Evans Harding said.
“The commission is not the one doing the negotiation. We have trusted people that advocate on our behalf. We can discuss the comments that were made today and continue to work toward a fair labor contract, which I know this whole commission wants,” she added.
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Bobwubbena
It sounds like the union members are using public intimidation to pressure for the result they are seeking. First, they bring up a representative from California to report to the public their desired high salary and benefit answer. Then they use a member of the Port's POCAC to represent their views. Then they come in mass to the Commission meeting. There is a "mediation going on using normally accepted ways to resolve differing views--but that is still not acceptable to them because they most likely are demanding an unreasonable end result". Maybe they should go elsewhere to seek a new job that gives them what they are looking for. It will be interesting to see what new wages, benefits and fewer hours of work they are demanding from the taxpayers of Thurston County.
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