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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 14, 2003)
news eriers by TOM TOMORROW f UO SEIU WCiRKERS ministration, sent an e-mail to the university community Aug. 5 saying, the UO "has long THREATEN TO STRIKE enjoyed a positive and constructive relation- ship, based on mutual trust and respect, with Negotiations have broken down between our local SEIU," and he expects the "terms classified workers and administration in the and conditions of the final agreement will be :Orc,gon University System (OUS) and threats are being aired of a mid- or late-September mutually beneficial to everyone iJ?. this uni- strike. Students return to campus Sept 29 . . versity communityt Management declared an impasse Aug. 8. Williams says the administration's latest "What this means is that the clock is ticking proposals include a lump-sum payment of towards our grand finale - whatever that $350 for all eligible employees to be dis- ends up being," says Star-Holmburg, a mem- bursed in November 2004. DAS workers got ber of the OPEU/SEIU Local 503 bargaining a similar payment. table. "By Friday of next week, Aug. 15, we Regarding the controversial "greater level will have to submit our last, best final offer to of flexibility" in scheduling, Williams says management ... So, it is now ·officially crunch "OUS is not attempting through this change time. And they are dead serious." to be able to switch an employee's schedule Once an impasse is declared, both sides in an ad hoc manner, but to have the ability to have a week ta submit final offers and then a make reasonable scheduling changes when 30-day "cool~g-ofl" period begins. absolutely necessary to .ensure the safe, con- Classified workers in the system consist sistent operations of our universities." of about 1,300 technical, maintenance, cleri- Joe Sicotte, the OUS bargaining team cal and other support staff at UO and about leader, says negotiations are on the same 3,770 employees statewide. schedule as the DAS negotiations, which The current contract with OUS classified wrapped up in July. "DAS declared impasse, workers expires Sept. 15 and workers are · and it was another 37 days before negotia- complaining about a lack of raises, possible tions concluded, all of this time the union cutbacks in health insurance for .. part-time threatening a strike," says Sicotte workers, and "hostile language" in manage- "Negotiations could go on for another 30- ment proposals. OUS is seeking the right to plus days, we are hopeful that they will con- lay off employees for up to three weeks with- clude at the next negotiation on Aug. 14, 15." out pay, flexible scheduling (a 40-hour Union members are planning to. workweek could conceivably cover seven hold a series of events and rallies days), and eliminating some seniority and around the state at noon Thursday, layoff protections in the current contract. Aug.I 4, according to Janet Szliske, communica- "If we are pushed to strike the first day of tions di- classes in September due to hostile OUS proposals, the blan:ie for the shutdown of -~ .... - ~ campuses will rest squarely on Chancellor Jarvis," says UO employee James Jacobson. "I'm thoroughly disgusted with the way uni- versity workers are being treated," he says. "This is the worst treatment I've ever seen or heard of in the university system." "It sounds like people are pretty upset," says Lynn Feekin of the Labor Education and Research Center on campus. "You're in a terrible economic environment and you're trying to negotiate contract and your mem- bers in [the Department of] Administrative Services (DAS) have settled a contract and you're anticipating at least parity." Dan Williams, UO vice president for ad- a . l . HIS DAILY HOROSCOPE . CANCER (June 22-July 22): Go on and resolve that unfinished family business-but don't forget your friends in the process! Ol<At PUT Tl¥:. fltOOPS OM ALEJti'••AtlO GU TIIOSE. REtOll$1'RflN'IOII toll- ffAt:1'$ AAMDED OUT! rector of SEIU Local 503. The Eugene demonstration will be at 12:10 pm Thursday in front of Oregon Hall at 13th and Agate. For more information, visit www.seiu503.org -Ted Taylor APOCALYPTIC COMEDY COMES TO EUGENE Ashland play- wright and come- dienne Joanie McGowan brings to Eugene Rude Awakening, her explosive comedy about waking up to an end-of-the- world atert. Rude Awaken- runs Wed- nesday, Aug. 20 through Sunday, Aug. 24 at the Comedy Sportz Arena, 10th and Oak, downtown Eugene. Tickets ($8 adv., . $10 dos.) are available at Tsunami Books (2585 Willamette) and Star Gate (1374 Willamette). Two dollars from the sale of each ticket goes to Lane County Bill of: Rights Defense Committee to support their' educational efforts and their campaign for a statewide resolution against the Patriot Act, Homeland Security and post-9111 federal or- • ders that violate the Bill of Rights. In the show, McGowan plays herself - a 47-year-old single woman, rudely jostled · from a lovely dream by an emergency broad- cast from Fox McFearlips of the American Spellcasting Network. McFearlips leads McGowan through a series of apocalyptic . preparations, many of which come directly from the Department of Homeland Security's website, www.ready.gov "I was experiencing a terribre case of writer's block halfway through the play," McGowan said. "l had just heard about the new DOHS website, so I checked it out, and KA-BOOM! I was blasted right through my &LIQJ . • We're sad to see Alan Siporin an- nounce that he will be steppin9 down soon from his "Critical Mass" public af- fairs call-in show · on KLCC-FM public radio. Last fall we profiled the talented Siporin and his book, Fire's Edge, which was inspired by some of the . remarkable guests on his Sunday program (see www.eugneweekly.com archives for Sept. 26, 2002). We hope Siporin remains ac- tive as a journalist and novelist, and of course we hope KLCC's weekly progres- sive talk show not only continues in some form, but eventually expands to match KRVM's two-hour Jefferson Exchan.ge weekday mornings at 1280 AM. • Cars. in the parking lot at the Em's game Saturday night, Aug. -9, were re- porteqly leafletted by the Aryan Nati~ns, a neo-Nazi grQup that occasionally pops up in town. Some neighborhoods were also targeted with racist, anti-Jew propa- 8 AUGUST 14, 2003 eugene weeKLV • Speaking of the local daily; the R-G fi- nally crafted a decent piece on the im- pact of corp_orate tax breaks on the local economy in its Sunday edition, Aug. 10 (search for "Unlucky Breaks" afwww.reg- isterguard.com). No big revelations here. We've been beating this subject to death for years, and volumes have been written ·about it nationwide (try Googling for "corporate candy"). But it's great to see · · • The Springfield News has a new edi- • ma_ iostream media going beyond superfi- ,. tor, Larry Berteau, most recently the · cial reporting. Hats off to Sherri ~uri award-winning managing editor of the McDonald and Christian Wihtol. What's Ashland Daily Tidings, and we hear next? · Berteau is talking about taking the twice- • Community supported art? We see·a weekly S'News to maybe six days a week. mural project is under way on the south Springfield could use· a daily rag with wire side of the Goodwill store on River Road. service news to compete with the R-G, and the Springfield paper does have its , River Road activists Martha Johnson and J~m Spencer have teamed up to make own printing press. But the big question happen a large "public interest" mural. remains: Will advertisers support an- The cost of the mural is being shared other local daily in this economy?- among ... residents of the area, and so far . ganda. Who's responding? Back to Back: Allies for Human Digriity, a program of Community Alliance for Lane County (CALC), is doing counter-leafletting and asking people to "please use your eyes and ears to make sure that hate activities don't take hold in our communities." Call local police, or CALC at 485-1755, calc@efn.org to help. more than 30 people and businesses have invested $1,000 in the 75 foot long painting. It won't be finished for .awhile, but check it out, and contribute. : • Recently the Vatican, followi •ng President Bush's awkward pronoun.ce- ments against gay marr.iages, issued it's own odd statement: "Such unions are not able to contribute in a proper way to the procreation and survival of the human race." What about all the couples who happen to be gay who are atso _dedicated parents, caregivers, workers, business- people, public servants and otherwise contributing members of society? Is there really a "proper" way to be a human being? The Vatican has not-pro- vided us with many good examples lately. SLANT includes· short opinion pieces, observations and rumor-chasing notes compiled by the EW staff Heard any · good rumors lately? Contact Ted Taylorat484-0519 , ed- itor@eugeneweeldy .com www.eugeneweeKlv.
