Labor union members filled the seats at the Clark County council meeting on Tuesday, protesting two proposed resolutions many called “union-busting” efforts by Councilor David Madore.
About 10 people spoke against the resolutions Madore introduced during board time two weeks ago, while many more who attended wore clothes and buttons expressing their support of labor unions.
One resolution, the “Collective Bargaining Transparency Policy,” would open up collective bargaining negotiations for Clark County employees to the public. The second, the “Clark County Employee Choice Policy,” or a local right-to-work policy, would ban compelling Clark County employees to pay union dues as a condition of their employment.
Neither resolution has gone to a vote. Drafts of each are available on The Grid, the Clark County council website.
Shannon Walker, president of the Southwest Washington Labor Council, accused Madore of union-busting by pursuing the resolutions.
“It just makes me sick to my stomach,” Walker said.
Ann Neil, a nurse for PeaceHealth, said she was grateful for the protections she is granted by being a union member.
“I never want to go back to the time when we didn’t have unions,” she said.
Madore, meanwhile, defended the resolutions. Transparency is a priority for Clark County government, and opening collective bargaining discussions would benefit the public, he said.
“Transparency is one of those areas we champion to the max,” Madore said. “And this being one of the largest budget items, we think that if that was out in the open and people could understand the conversations that are going on, there would be more understanding.”
The right-to-work resolution, meanwhile, is a mark of respect for people’s right to make their own choices, he said.
“I have an iPhone that I freely choose because it’s really good,” Madore said, holding his cellphone up. “I wonder how many would be happy if Apple forced me to buy this, and forced me to pay this every month if I wanted to have another choice. The freedom of choice is an important one.”
Madore, wearing a button that read “Unions make us strong,” added that he was a strong supporter of unions. The remark drew laughter from the audience.
Last week, Madore declined to comment on either resolution to The Columbian.
The resolutions, if adopted, would only apply to Clark County employees. Of 1,586 employees, 1,121 are represented by one of 15 unions or guilds, according to the Clark County Human Resources Department.
