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American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 88, which represents 3,700 Multnomah County employees, filed complaints with the Oregon Employment Relations Board and Secretary of State Shemia Fagan’s office on Oct. 11.
The complaints allege County Commissioner Sharon Meieran, who’s running for county chair, waged an unsuccessful pressure campaign this summer to gain an endorsement from the union.
They say Meieran first asked union representatives to either endorse both her and her opponent or water down their support for Jessica Vega Pederson. When the union declined, according to union documents, Meieran called union president Joslyn Baker to say she’d no longer participate in bargaining sessions.
The secretary of state complaint argues Meieran used undue influence to garner support for her campaign: “Simply put, Meieran’s communications with Baker sought to bully Baker into supporting her candidacy. In the words of the statute, Commissioner Meieran was using her authority and power to ‘coerce’ or ‘command’ [the union] to ‘promote’ her election.”
Meieran says the allegations are false. “The timing of this complaint, a week before ballots drop, doesn’t pass the smell test,” she tells WW. “It seems more like a political hit job, with AFSCME signaling how far they will go to advance their chosen candidate and protect the status quo. I trust voters are able to see through this cynical political ploy.”
