Strike at Powell's Bookstores-Portland

 Union employees at Powell's Books, Portland, Ore., staged a one-day strike that they called the "Powell's Books No Labor Day Strike," which included picketing at the three Powell's stores--which all closed for the day because of the strike--and a rally at the flagship Powell's City of Books store at 1 p.m.

ILWU Local 5, which has represented Powell's staff since 2000, said that the strike, authorized last month by a 92% approval vote, was to protest the state of negotiations for a new contract. (The union has struck once before, in 2003.) Negotiations started early this year, and the most recent contract ran out on June 7. On Friday, the union filed unfair labor practices charges with the National Labor Relations Board against Powell's.

As the Oregonian noted, the union alleges Powell's has "refused to bargain in good faith over wages and benefits" and that the company has "repeatedly engaged in stalling tactics and has written proposals without meaningfully engaging with the union's proffers.... The union said the company proposed a new health care plan with a higher deductible and less coverage, and that workers pushed for higher wages in exchange."

Powell's said, "As a union workplace for 23 years, we are our union's biggest supporter. We deeply value our employees and respect their right to engage in protected union activity, which includes a strike. We understand it can be part of the bargaining process, and we will honor and respect it."

Powell’s Books to close on Labor Day as hundreds of workers go on strike - oregonlive.com