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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 20, 2019)
STRIKE Continued from Page 1A “Anything less than (a raise of) 3% is taking away the buying power of employ- ees,” Hickerson said. Bargaining sessions are set for Sept. 23 and 24 at Portland State Univer- sity. They may be the last ones prior to a strike, but Hickerson said the SEIU bargaining team will be will- ing to participate in future bargaining sessions. “We are not walking away from the table,” she said. “We will meet on any date if there is a conversation to be had.” Tim Seydel, Eastern’s vice president for university advancement, said EOU offi cials are hoping for the best but also preparing for a strike. He said that should there be a strike, EOU will continue holding classes and providing all of the same services it does now for students, keeping its offi ces open and holding all sched- uled on-campus events. He said EOU wants the best for its classifi ed staff, whom he describes as “very valued employees.” According to an SEIU news release, 95% of the state’s 4,500 student services workers at public universities voted to strike Sept. 30 if a settlement is Dick Mason/Observer fi le photo Members of the Eastern Oregon University chapter of SEIU Local 503, the union representing student services workers, participate in a rally Aug 5. not reached. Hickerson said that at EOU, where fall term classes begin Sept. 25, at least 90% of the university’s student services employees voted for the strike date. Should there be a strike, workers will be assisted by a union hardship fund that would provide employees with up to $400 a week, said Jay Parasco, a spokesman for SEIU 503. EOU President Tom Insko, in an email sent to all Eastern employees Wednes- day afternoon, said he has a feeling of optimism. “As we open the new academic year, and despite ongoing conversations around a possible strike, we continue to be optimistic an agreement that supports EOU employees and stu- dents can be reached. Our KIRBY Continued from Page 1A since I was very young,” Kirby said. “I grew up in a law enforcement family.” Kirby’s father has been a deputy sheriff with the Baker County Sheriff’s Offi ce for about 20 years. “I grew up really respecting police offi cers, what they do, what they go through to accomplish their goals and to keep people safe,” Kirby said. “This is a great way to be part of the depart- ment and show the department and community my work ethic and the kind of person I am and my integrity.” Kirby is taking over the position previously held by Cassie Cribbs, who left to take a supervisory role in the police department’s 911 dispatch center earlier this year. Before Cribbs, Cherie Keating was the city’s code enforce- ment offi cer, retiring in 2018 after serving 22 years with the police RULING Hassinger said. According to the EPA web- site, there were four primary reasons for the repeal. First, the EPA and the Depart- ment of the Army (the agen- cies, as the website refers to them) concluded that “the 2015 rule did not implement the legal limits on the scope of the agencies’ authority under the Clean Water Act as intended by Congress and refl ected in Supreme Court classifi ed employees are an integral part of the univer- sity and their contributions toward our shared success are valued and appreciated,” Insko said. He noted that the state’s universities have boosted their offer to student services workers in recent bargaining sessions. “This new proposal is intended to recognize the meaningful value our clas- sifi ed staff contribute to this institution,” Insko said. The public universities are offering cost-of-living in- creases that would total 4% over two years, plus incre- mental wage step increases that total 9.5% over two years, said Di Saunders, a spokesperson for the public universities. She explained that increases are provided to classifi ed employees each year for satisfactory or bet- ter job performance. More than 70% of the university’s classifi ed staff qualify for annual step increases. These are employees who are not at the top of their wage scale, which takes 10 years to reach. Saunders said those who have “topped out” and no longer qualify for step in- creases have been offered a one-time $750 bonus by the state under proposed terms of the contract. According to the SEIU news release, the union is seeking a 6.25% cost-of-liv- ing increase spread over two years and a modifi ed wage scale. The union is asking for the lowest step of the wage scale to be removed and a new top step added. Hickerson said it would only be fair to add another step for those who have topped out, since they have been working for 10 years or more in the university system. “These workers are loyal,” she said. These workers, like all of their colleagues, are bracing for possibly the fi rst student services employees strike at Oregon’s public universities since 1995. “We are prepared for the worst but hoping for the best,” Hickerson said. DEQ Continued from Page 1A base fee is then multiplied by one-tenth and added to the base after being multi- plied by the scoring of other factors. The DEQ considers if the business in question has had previous citations and if they were handled — this was B&K’s fi rst citation and therefore this factor received a zero value. It also considers whether the violation was a single or ongoing occurrence. Because this violation involved alleged multiple instances of oil being dumped, this factor received a value of four. The DEQ also considers the “mental state” of the violators, and in this case B&K received a 10 for al- legedly telling the employ- ee to dump the oil where it cannot be seen. The score for the ac- tions taken to correct the violation was negative two because efforts were even- tually made to minimize the effects of the violation, as B&K had met with Steve Rich Environmental Con- struction to discuss cleaning “DEQ issued this penalty because the used oil you generate may be harmful to human health and the environment when released.” — Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to B&K Auto Salvage of La Grande regarding an alleged oil spill and mislabeling of oil. The DEQ fi ned B&K Auto Salvage more than $9,200. up the contamination. The salvage company was also given a fee of $458, the approximate dollar value of the benefi t gained and the costs avoided or delayed as a result of noncompli- ance, according to the letter. This totaled to the $9,258 penalty. “DEQ issued this penalty because the used oil you generate may be harmful to human health and the en- vironment when released,” the letter said. — Contact Sabrina Thompson at 541-963- 3161 or sthompson@ lagrandeobserver.com. “I grew up really respecting police offi cers, what they do, what they go through to accomplish their goals, and to keep people safe. This is a great way to be part of the department and show the department and community my work ethic and the kind of person I am and my integrity.” — Cody Kirby, La Grande Police Department’s new code enforcement offi cer department, according to a press re- lease from LGPD. Kirby has been spending his fi rst couple weeks in training for the more physical aspects of the job, such as learn- ing how and when to use force. He also said he has a lot of ongoing book learning to do as he goes through binders full of different codes that he will need to know. “It will be an ongoing process,” Kirby said. “I am not going to walk up to your door without knowing what I am talk- ing about.” Kirby believes this position offers him a healthy work/life balance. He cases.” The agencies also did not consider and accord due weight to the policy of Congress in the CWA to protect the responsibilities and rights of the states to prevent, reduce and elimi- nate pollution and to plan the development and use of land and water resources. The repeal of the rule also prevents interpretations of the CWA that push their constitutional and statu- tory authority. Lastly, they concluded that the rule’s distance-based limitations Continued from Page 1A THE OBSERVER — 5A LOCAL FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019 said he sees the police department as family and can go to them when he needs. He also said he doesn’t work weekends, which gives him time to do some of the things he enjoys like hiking, playing guitar and camping. However, he understands more than anything that the code enforcement offi cer has an important role in the La Grande community. “One of the things that makes life worth living is serving others,” Kirby said. “To have the tools and ability to help people on a daily basis is a very motivating factor for me.” had procedural errors and a lack of record support. The repeal of the rule will return water jurisdiction back to their pre-2015 clas- sifi cations. R.D. James, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, fi rst signed the fi nal rule on Sept. 5 with the EPA administrator, Andrew R. Wheeler, signing it on Sept. 12. The EPA is submit- ting it for publication in the Federal Register, which will be used for compliance once published. Interested in becoming a Double Up Food Buck Sponsor? 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Rice, M.D. 541-962-0162 1501 6th St., La Grande Wellness Exams & Physicals Injections & Minor Procedures Men & Women's Health Pediatric Care NEW: t4BNF%BZ"QQPJOUNFOUT t"DDFQUJOH/FX1BUJFOUT t&YUFOEFE&WFOJOH)PVST t/FX8FCTJUF UI4U-B(SBOEFt www.lagrandefamilymedicine.com Gross score winners Michelle Bell, Women’s Division Blake Bars, Men’s Division Thank You to the 2019 Tournament Sponsors Allstate Insurance Brent Wylam Pepsi Cola of Eastern Oregon B & K Auto Salvage, Inc. Banner Bank Boise Cascade Byrnes Oil Company, Inc. CAM Credits Carpet One Floor & Home Coffey Communications Desert Sage Wall Systems Farmers Insurance Group C&M/Subway GrandeScapes Nursery & Landscaping Hampton Paving Johnson Controls John Howard and Associates Koza Family Dental Care Life Flight Network, LLC Mountain West Moving OTEC Papa Murphy's/Hulden, Inc Physicians Insurance PKA Architects Regence BlueCross BlueShield Robert Brooks Painting Scott's Heating & Air Conditioning Sid Johnson & Co. 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