Document text
1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Earthquake hits 12 miles east of Eugene ... Our View: All's well that ends well ... Jeffrey Gillespie: A landmark in the history of love ... Earthquake hits 12 miles east of Eugene ... Our View: All's well that ends well ... Jeffrey Gillespie: A landmark in the history of love ... BUSINESS Oregon Shakespeare Festival appeal vote to unionize Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Jul. 1, 2015 at 7:08 PM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Jul. 1, 2015 at 7:08 PM » Social News The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is contesting the June 10 vote of some “run crew” members to unionize, saying that the voting unit approved by the National Labor Relations Board was too small and unrepresentative of the a potential larger production unit. OSF contends the voting unit should have been bigger, including part or all of the rest of the Production Department, wrote OSF Executive Director Cynthia Rider, in a June 25 email to staff. However, the NLRB approved a smaller voting unit of sound and lighting technicians, master electricians, stagehands, video workers, wardrobe workers, wig-hair masters and maintenance. This unit leans to pro-union, while the larger unit sought by OSF tends to support things as they are. The unit voted 37 to 25 to join IATSE, the International Alliance of Theater and Stage Employees. No representatives of the new union local could be reached for comment, but the Northwest Labor Press, in an article, wrote, “The newly unionized group is the ‘run crew’ that runs backstage operations during the nine months of the year plays are showing, but OSF previously argued that the bargaining unit should also include year-round employees who construct sets and make costumes. Those other groups showed less interest in unionizing, so adding them to the proposed bargaining unit could derail the union effort. The NLRB’s regional director rejected OSF’s arguments, and ruled that the run crew was an appropriate bargaining unit.” Rider wrote that creating a sub-unit inside the Production Department is “fundamentally wrong" for OSF. She said, for example, Stage Ops and Scene Shop share many tasks, while Lighting works with the run crew and Scene Shop. Some staff combine contracts with Costume and Wardrobe and so on — so, given the meshing of so many deparments, OSF is objecting to NLRB’s choice of the smaller voting unit.  OSF’s request will take three to six months to review, Rider notes. If NLRB decides to review the selection of the voting unit, and reverses it, the election is void. Then the union could start a new drive to organize, using the new voting unit — if it gets 30 percent of the workers in support. If NLRB doesn’t grant the Request for Review or if it does review it and upholds the current bargaining unit, then OSF, said Rider, will begin bargaining immediately. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected].     --30-- By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Jul. 1, 2015 at 7:08 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501