17 Port of Olympia employees say they have formed a new union
Local 47 represents dockworkers at the Port of Olympia, Local 47A covers marine terminal maintenance workers and now 17 additional workers at the port have joined forces to form a new union.
Rob Rose, secretary-treasurer of Local 47, said the new union doesn’t have a specific name yet, he said, but it was certified in March and is governed by the Washington state Public Employment Relations Commission.
The port did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
According to an email from Rose, the new collective bargaining unit represents “all full-time and regular part-time employees performing maintenance, technical services or operations in facilities maintenance, Swantown Boatworks and Swantown Marina departments at the Port of Olympia, excluding all managerial employees, administrative personnel, guards, supervisors, confidential employees, and all other employees.”
The workers had tossed around the idea of unionizing in recent years, but the movement gained steam in the past year after workers felt like they were being mistreated in meetings, Rose said. They also raised concerns about questionable hiring decisions, he said.
“All of us have skills, experience and capabilities that are often devalued at the expense of the port and the public,” said worker Alec Riggles in a statement. “Now we have support from our union.”
The next step is for the new union to negotiate its first contract.
“The workers are excited to get this process going and to finally sit down and negotiate the wages and benefits and working conditions at the port,” Rose said.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 47 represents 30 dockworkers at the port, while Local 47A covers five marine terminal maintenance workers.
This story was originally published April 12, 2022 at 5:15 AM.
