Testimony of State Senator Diane Rosenbaum

State Sen. Diane Rosenbaum has taken a personal interest in the firing of Laurelhurst Village receptionist Elizabeth Lehr and the nursing facility’s campaign of harassment and intimidation of workers in the face of a union organizing campaign. This is her statement:

“Every 23 minutes in America an employer fires or retaliates against a worker for engaging in union activity.

We must put an end to such tactics, which serve only to silence workers and quash efforts to advocate for better working conditions.
 That’s why I sponsored Oregon’s Worker Freedom Act and support the National Employee Free Choice Act. Under these acts, employers that harass, intimidate, or fire workers for their support of a union will face stiff penalties.


“If these laws were already in place, I believe Elizabeth Lehr would not have lost her job at Laurelhurst Village. Workers there would currently have a fair process under which to organize a union, allowing them to advocate for better conditions not only for themselves, but also for the residents who live in Laurelhurst Village.



“The current economic crisis has put the middle class—our country's backbone—in peril. Rising health care costs, home foreclosures, stagnant wages, and shrinking retirement plans are all taking a huge toll on our families, friends, and neighbors. Meanwhile, union workers earn 30 percent more than non-union workers and are 63 percent more likely to have employer-provided health insurance. Clearly, the ability for workers to organize and bargain for better wages and benefits—without fear of retaliation from employers—has a profound impact on individuals, communities, and our country as a whole. After operating for decades under tax and public policies skewed toward wealthy individuals corporations, it’s time for Oregon and the nation to even the playing field so workers like Elizabeth have the ability to earn a living wage and provide for their families.



“The decision to form a union should be made by workers free from intimidation and harassment. Laurelhurst Village should allow its workers the freedom to make the decision to be represented by SEIU Local 503. Instead, the facility is using taxpayer dollars to intimidate workers with the goal of preventing them from forming a union. This is disappointing and I hope that management will refrain from further union-busting tactics and instead allow a fair process for union recognition so that the workers can come to their own decisions about what is best for them.

”


— State Sen. Diane Rosenbaum