The largest public employee union in Multnomah County has accused County Commissioner Sharon Meieran of threatening to undermine labor negotiations in retaliation for not receiving the union's political endorsement.

"The fact that Commissioner Meieran would use her position in County Government to leverage electoral support is pathetic," said Fred Yungbluth, president of Oregon American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) in a Tuesday press release. "Bullies like her have no place in government."

Meieran has challenged the accusation. Meieran is running against fellow County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson for county chair in the November 8 general election. AFSCME Local 88, which represents more than 3,000 county workers, chose to endorse Vega Pederson in the May 2022 primary race.

According to AFSCME, Meieran reached out to union leadership in mid-June to ask the group to reconsider their endorsement for the November election. AFSCME Local 88 President Joslyn Baker said she told Meieran that they wouldn't be altering their endorsement. A week later, Meieran allegedly called Baker to again address the endorsement. According to AFSCME, "Meieran told Baker that she felt like the AFSCME’s decision to endorse [Vega] Pederson was a 'fuck you' to Meieran and so Meieran was calling to say 'fuck you' to AFSCME."

"I was stunned," said Baker. "In all my years, I’ve never had an interaction with an elected official that was so callous, and with such disregard for the people they’re supposed to represent."

Baker said Meieran told her that she had planned to support AFSCME in its current contract negotiations with the county, but in light of AFSCME’s endorsement decision, she would no longer offer her support.

Prior to this call, AFSCME representatives would meet with Meieran regularly to discuss union-related issues. According to AFSCME, Meieran hasn't met with them since. Meieran told the Mercury that her chief of staff has been regularly meeting with Baker since June.

"Over the past two months I have cut back across the board on my in-person meetings because things have been getting really busy, but my Chief of Staff has represented me exceptionally well, and my approach has never wavered," Meieran explained.

AFSCME filed two complaints with state offices against Meieran Tuesday. The first is an elections complaint, sent to the secretary of state's office, accusing Meieran of unlawfully attempting to "coerce... public employees into supporting her campaign."

The second is an unfair labor practice complaint with the Employment Relations Board, alleging that Multnomah County, by way of Meieran, violated state collective bargaining laws by interfering with protected union activity by threatening retaliation and cutting off communication.

AFSCME and Multnomah County are currently in the midst of labor negotiations over a three-year contract. While the two parties are closing in on an agreement, it's doubtful they'll reach consensus before election day. Their next bargaining meeting is scheduled for October 20.

Meieran told the Mercury Tuesday that she was "stunned" by the allegations and plans on "zealously challenging their factual basis as well as the conclusions reached." 

"The timing of this complaint being filed just days before ballots drop is curious," she added, "given that the conversations on which these allegations were purportedly based happened four months ago."

Meieran said she was limited in being able to comment fully on the accusations due to legal constraints.

This isn't the first time an organization's decision not to endorsement Meieran has made headlines. In June, Meieran supporters penned a letter to Pro-Choice Oregon, which also endorsed Vega Pederson in the primary race, urging the reproductive rights group to endorse both Vega Pederson and Meieran. Pro-Choice Oregon declined.