Portland French School Workers Call For Solidarity

An organizing campaign at the Portland French School has seen significant intimidation attempts by management to keep teachers from voting for a union. The Oregonian reported that some among the 60 percent of school employees who are French nationals feel threatened that they may lose their jobs and not be allowed to stay in this country if they support a union. In fact, several teachers involved in the efforts have been informed that they will not continue to work there in the next school year, one of whom said that she was told by an administrator that he would not process her visa renewal. Anti-union parents of students and school board members who oppose the organizing effort have created "an atmosphere of hostility and intimidation since union discussions started" according to one teacher who lost her job. Staff were forced in a captive audience meeting to be subjected to anti-union propaganda, and were harassed by board members and the administrator.

Despite the campaign against the union, more than a supermajority of workers expressed their will to join as an affiliate of AFT Oregon nearly three months ago. Results of an NLRB election held a month and a half ago have not been released because the employer refuses to drop its protestation of the eligibility of two workers to vote.

You can voice your support for the French school by signing your name to a petition at the AFT Oregon website here.