WHEN THE 30 employees of the Willapa Counseling Center voted in February by a two-to-one majority to join Council 2, management clearly disliked the decision.

So much so that they fired a member of the organizing committee, leading Council 2 to file an unfair labor practice against the director of the center.

The private non-profit center is located in Long Beach and serves Pacific County. Its employees consist of mental-health specialists, registered nurses, case managers and clerical support staff.

The employees first tried to join Council 2 in early 2001, but they lost the election by one vote. That election was held against the background of a heavy anti-union campaign waged by the employer.

“The election held this year also took place against the background of a heavy anti-union campaign, which included mandatory meetings at which misinformation about the union was distributed,” says Bill Keenan, Council 2’s director of organizing.

Following the election, a member of the main organizing committee, Mary Gardner, a registered nurse, was fired.
“It was a scene reminiscent of the television show, The Apprentice,” says Keenan.

“The center’s director, Christine Hearth, called Mary into her office and, without any documentation or explanation, said, Donald Trump-style, ‘You’re fired.’

“She gave her no time to discuss it. She told her to leave immediately.”

As a result, Council 2 filed unfair labor charges against Hearth on March 20.

The National Labor Relations Board is in the process of undertaking a full investigation into the charges.