TIGARD, Ore. — Former employees of a Guidepost Montessori daycare program now allege two locations temporarily shut down to prevent unionization.
A couple of weeks ago, Guidepost Montessori shut down programs in Tigard and the Lloyd District, and parents were told the schools would reopen in three months.
"To me, it's a direct retaliation for unionizing," Elizabeth Appleton, a former employee at the Tigard location, said.
She said the Tigard Montessori center closed days after staff had unionized. Workers at the Lloyd district location unionized just weeks before they were closed on the same day.
The company gave families less than 24 hours' notice of closures, alerting them on a Sunday afternoon.
Three other Portland-area Guidepost Montessori locations remain open. The company also operates many other programs in various states.
"The Portland area is pretty much the only area that has ever (unionized)," Appleton said.
Tigard workers told KGW they felt compelled to unionize for safety protocols and more staff. Union officials said safety precautions, like fire drills, were not conducted.
Former workers said Guidepost told them they were temporarily closing the locations due to a lack of staff. However, parents were told by the company that the Tigard school would close for three months because staff didn’t feel comfortable working at the location.
Both Guidepost Montessori locations in Tigard and the Lloyd District did not respond to our interview requests.
"It makes me feel angry," Crystal Espie, a parent of two former Guidepost Montessori Tigard students, said.
She was able to find another daycare program to take both her children, though she said the closures were a complete shock.
“It's beyond frustrating,” Espie said. "If it was union-busting, I am just disgusted."
Around 100 families were forced to find another daycare. Workers said around 35 employees lost their jobs. Some workers not involved in union efforts found other jobs within Guidepost Montessori, former staff members said.
However, those involved in unionization have also applied for other Guidepost Montessori jobs. They said they have not heard back from the company.