The Oregon state employee., December 01, 1944, Page 4, Image 4

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The President's Message
I appreciate deeply the honor and
the responsibility attached to the office
of President of the Oregon State Em­
ployees Association. I appreciate also
the confidence of the men who elected
me to that office. I particularly appre­
ciate this confidence because of the
high regard in which I hold employees
of the State of Oregon as a group. In
my associations w ith' State employees,
I have found them to be whole-hearted
and sincere, honest and unselfish. The
State of Oregon can well be proud of
the high type of men and women in
the public service.
I like to believe that most State em­
ployees are that old-fashioned, that
they have a certain patriotic regard for
their State and that they feel that
they owe some allegiance and devotion
to it as an employer. In State service,
the dividing line between employer
and employee, between officer and
worker, is indistinct. In a way all State
employees are officials, and as such,
their position in an employee organiza­
tion is definitely different than that of
employees in industry. In industry, the
dividing line between employer and
employee is distinct. The employer is
spurred on by the profit motive, and
the employees feel they must organize
to counter-act possible selfishness or
greed. In the State service, however,
there is no profit motive. State officials
are limited in their actions, likewise
State employees are limited in their
activities.
The State Employees Association
then is composed of individuals work­
ing under circumstances peculiar to
public employees, and as an organiza­
tion, is concerned with problems pe­
culiar to public employees. Every State
employee should become a member to
make more effective and representative,
the efforts to improve the State ser­
vice and the working conditions of
State employees.
I feel that much has been accom­
plished, that the Council Meeting was a
success, and that the delegates can all
return to their chapters w ith an en­
couraging report. However, all agree
that only a start has been made, that
much remains to be done, and that
hard work is the price of continued
progress.
Our program, in addition to that of
membership, is one of informing our­
selves and the public concerning the
true circumstances of State service and
of study and analysis of those improve­
ments which have been proposed. We
have confidence that with the facts
concerning any weakness, inequities or
abuse in. the State service brought to
their attention, the State officials and
the Legislature will make a conscien­
tious effort to adopt such improve­
ments as will, in their best judgment,
contribute to the welfare of both the
State and its employees.