August 5, 2005
PCUN Legislative Update: Oregon House approved anti-farmworker collective bargaining bill

Members of the full Oregon House of Representatives approved HB 3258 – an anti-farmworker collective bargaining bill – on Monday in a 33-24 vote. HB 3258 places farmworker collective bargaining under the Employment Relations Board (ERB), a state agency handling public employee unionization, and does not include key provisions articulated by PCUN and supported by Oregon Governor Kulongoski, including mandatory binding arbitration of first contracts.

The House approved HB 3258 without any allocation of the funding it would require– despite an estimate from the ERB that its implementation would cost $1.8 million over two years and double their workload. A motion made by Rep. Beyer (D- Springfield) to refer the bill to the budget committee for adequate consideration of its fiscal impact was defeated 30-27.

When bill similar to HB 3258 was put before the House of Representatives in the 2002 special session it passed by a wider margin, 35-22, with five Democrats voting in favor. This session only two Democrats -- Rep. Boone (D-Cannon Beach) and Rep. Macpherson (D- Lake Oswego) supported the measure – despite significant efforts by the agribusiness lobby to wedge the caucus. In this context Monday’s results indicate a gradual shift in power: the ebbing tide of agribusiness’ political influence and growing support for establishing collective bargaining in Oregon which is fair and effective for farmworkers.

Rep. Diane Rosenbaum (D- Portland) remarked of HB 3258, “You would expect that a bill that purports to bring a right to unionization to a group of employees would be supported by that group of employees and opposed by the employers. This bill, however, is supported by the employers and universally opposed by farm workers unions, the AFL-CIO and everyone by rights who represent workers in Oregon and supported by the employers.”

Rep. Brad Witt (D- Clatskanie) added, “HB 3258 is the perfect mechanism by which the avoidance of collective bargaining agreements can be institutionalized - under the public policy and authority of the State of Oregon.”

Rep. Kropf, a Republican grower from Sublimity, acknowledged, “This bill is about one company – Norpac,” a reference to the fact that HB 3258 would put farmworkers under existing Oregon collective bargaining law which severely limits secondary boycott activities.

HB 3258 died in the Senate without a hearing.