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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (May 19, 2017)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | May 19, 2017 | PAGE 7 UNION DEMOCRACY Oregon AFSCME convention: Respect for public service Honors The public sector union’s biennial convention started with a noisy rally in the Capitol Rotunda Nearly 140 delegates represent- ing over 22,000 members gath- ered at the Salem Convention Center April 28-30 for Oregon AFSCME’s biennial conven- tion. Oregon AFSCME (Amer- ican Federation of State, County, & Municipal Employ- ees) is the statewide coordinat- ing body for 113 AFSCME lo- cals in Oregon, each representing workers at a differ- ent employer. As the name sug- gests, Oregon AFSCME repre- sents state, county, and municipal employees, but also some employees of nonprofit organizations or private contrac- tors that do work formerly done by public employees. Delegates recognized Michael Arken, former Oregon AF- SCME vice president for re- tirees, for his years of service to the union with a new award named after him. Going for- ward, every statewide conven- tion will present the Michael Arken Leadership Award to honor a member who has served the union selflessly. Officer elections Delegates also nominated and elected members of Oregon AFSCME’s 85-member Exec- utive Board, including local and regional seats, as well as eight statewide officers: REVENUE, NOT CUTS: The message at an April 28 union rally at the Oregon Capitol. (All photos by Ross Grami, courtesy Oregon AFSCME) Budget fight The convention began with a rally in the Capitol Rotunda to protest a “cost containment plan” proposed April 21 by the co-chairs of the Oregon Legis- lature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee. The plan includes a temporary hiring freeze, an in- crease in public employees’ share of retirement costs, and a policy of limiting collective bar- gaining agreements to two years for economic issues. Rally-go- ers’ message: Cuts to public services are unacceptable so long as Oregon corporations continue to pay the lowest effec- tive tax rate in the nation. Law- makers must have heard them: Their chants made a deafening din inside the echoey rotunda chamber. The following day, Oregon Governor Kate Brown came to the convention floor to address delegates, pledging to work with Oregon AFSCME to make sure that the state budget isn’t bal- anced on members’ backs. Right-to-work coming The opening night keynote speaker was Lee Saunders, AF- SCME national president. Saunders delivered a fiery wake-up call: 1.6-million- member AFSCME — like all other public sector unions — is likely six to 12 months away from a financial crisis. Mem- bers of the U.S. Supreme Court have indicated that they are open to overturning the Court’s 1977 unanimous Abood v. De- Oregon AFSCME interim executive director Stacy Chamberlain at the April 28 Capitol rally. Newly elected Oregon AFSCME officers (from left): secretary Korie Erickson, treasurer Beth Toms, president Jeff Klatke, first vice president Christy O’Neill, and second vice president Dominic López. troit Board of Education deci- sion. The Abood decision said that union-represented workers who don’t want to join the union can still be assessed “agency” or “fair share” fees to recover the costs of collective bargaining, contract adminis- tration, and grievance adjust- ment. But a pending case called Janus vs AFSCME challenges the Abood decision, and it’s thought that the new 5-4 major- ity is likely to overturn it. If that happens, public employees wouldn’t be required to pay anything at all to the union for representation. To prepare, Oregon AF- SCME — like other unions — has been working to persuade “fair share” payers to convert to full membership. Oregon AF- SCME president Jeff Klatke says union membership has gone from about 78 percent of total represented workers to about 85 percent in the last few years. Total membership now stands at just over 27,000. Klatke, who’s been president since 2013, says lately he’s been seeing an upsurge of new members, and of energy. “A lot of people are saying: ‘I can’t sit on my hands. What can I do in my local?’” Klatke said. A welcoming union In light of recent tensions around immigration and reli- gious belief, delegates passed a resolution affirming that Oregon AFSCME is “a welcoming and safe union for all members and their families,” and that signage announcing that be posted at all of its offices. Equity Oregon AFSCME’s Diversity Committee gave a presentation to delegates about the “equity lens” it has crafted over the last few years with the help of the Labor Education and Research Center at the University of Ore- gon. The equity lens is an ap- proach to examining the union’s policies and practices to make sure all members are being treated “equitably,” not just equally. For example, union meetings are open to all mem- bers equally, but are they sched- uled at times and locations that make it easy for car-free mem- bers to attend? Is child care available, to make it easier for single parents to attend? And in bargaining, are there proposals that benefit some groups of workers more than others? Us- ing the equity lens means asking those questions and taking ac- tion to make the union more eq- uitable. “This isn’t just about creat- ing diversity,” said Klatke, who’s a member of the com- mittee. “It’s about creating a union that honors the input of all members, and it’s about holding our employers ac- countable for equitable prac- tices.” ■ President Jeff Klatke of Local 3135 (Home Forward) ■ First vice president Christy O’Neill of Local 2619 (Southern Oregon Head Start, Medford) ■ Second vice president (and Political Action Committee chair) Dominic López of Local 1790 (Basic Rights Oregon) ■ Treasurer Beth Toms of Local 173 (Polk County) ■ Secretary Korie Erickson of Local 88 (Multnomah County) ■ Trustees Denise Choin of Local 3241 (Oregon Office of Emergency Management); Jeff Coffman of Local 3361 (Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution); and Theresia Lloyd-Siemer of Local 328 (Oregon Health & Science University) All the newly elected offi- cers ran as a team. Lopez out- polled Local 3361 member Bryan Branstetter, and Erick- son outpolled incumbent An- nette Skillman of Local 2376; the others ran unopposed and were elected by acclamation. Except for Klatke, it’s an all- new team of officers. All the elected officer posi- tions are unpaid and are for two year terms of office. The orga- nization’s staff of about 60 is led by an executive director ap- pointed and overseen by the Executive Board. Oregon AFSCME Stacy Chamberlain has served as in- terim executive director since the March 31 departure of Michael Seville, who served than a year on the job. The ex- ecutive committee of the Exec- utive Board is recommending that the full board name Cham- berlain to the post permanently when the board next meets in July.
