Image provided by: SEIU Local 503; Salem, OR
About The Oregon state employee. (Salem, Oregon.) 1944-195? | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1947)
21 experienced employees or those w ith less training.^ Under our Civil Service, system anyone in such a position has ad opportunity to compete for a better position. If a woman;, has the ability and the training, she need not be "dead ended” in a $130' job. I It is j difficult to‘ discuss in detail all of the salary ranges for all of the positions open to w o m e n !» the ,s.tate service. They range from ;$130-$165 for an elevator operator, $1^5 3-195 for a clerk-typist II, $200-260 for a* lab oratory technician Ily tb/$280-330 for public health nurse IV, and $'320-400 for public ¿welfare supervisor' IV. We recognize th at this still does not make the picture bright for those recei'ying'- less than \$ 2 0 0’J monthly, be cause federal income, deductions’ greatly deplete the am ount of ' home pay.,A -single woman m u st have » s a l a r y * o f , at ^ a st i^OO before she has as m uch as $ 173 left after tax .^ J u c tie ^ ^ f shew^ofks for $13<fcMx. deductions leave only I $*113.70. A'/per- son one dependent who receives $200 has $189.20 left after deductions. J fn o ^ ^ W e d ■ salar w isiM '70. she receives ¿©illy ^15'’6.80 ¿after tax deduction's atV made. ^Sbfh.p/employcks'j'.'irrC barely able to meet ¡^present livingycosfy .wjth their m onthly' pay checks. Some have had to cash savings bonds or forfeit insur ance policies. Others have' expensive hic^iiCaT bills for themselyes/or for their uepehdents. I t I^^ m ^ II remember th at this, touches' employees all ’along the salary scale. Those who receiv^ more pay and have axc©psiderable' num ber of dependents! find th a t they hav^ Very little or 'nbfcsavings beyond Re tirem ent deductions at the end of each m onth. The person in ;th ^ m o s ^ diffi cult position, how’eyfer, is the one 'w ho has one or more dependents and whose salary range is in the lower .brackets. We very frequently find in' this posi tion m any of the liy d d ^ o f every 1Q0 women ^who are the sole support for their families. We do believe, however, that our situation has improved, and we do not understand employees who fail to appreciate w hat the OSEA has done for them. All of the récent improve ments in the working situation of women state employees have come-; as az direct result of Association/efforts. The 'OSEA sponsored the passage of the Civil Service A ct, which subse quently m eant the first uniform classi fication of employées and standardiza tion bf salary radges, which provided for increased' wage levels and annual pay advances. It also means' equal sick leave and yâiC'âtion time .fot all depart- ments. It means an opportunity for advancement under the m erit ^system,. It'g^ygs an employee «affair opportunity tq state his or her case before the Civil SeryiW| Commission if injustices ¿exist. The Retirem ent A ct provides, .security for, those who devote, many years' to w orking fo r’ the stat.e seryiçeb If hon estly . adm inistered/’ the- merit ¿system means equal pay for équal work for women employe^. O n March 1, ail salarie'/ below the, minimum -.established by the new pay plan we,re increased to the base pay,- rafeS,.yA/‘|n-ajor portion of these increases was ^received by em ployees whose salaries are in the lower ‘pay brackets! We do- not claim th at salaries are adequate \ nor th at we. h a v e / accom plished every objective. The more H f l son why we should stand by the or ganization ¿which has accomplished thè ifiòst for employes- in the historÿ of Oregoq -state service! ' I There are three kinds of kickers— shotguns'/ and men. The mule kicks. because he was born th at way; the shotgun kicks because it w a s h ^ d e th at way, and men- kick because if,hfs «a right ’g ranted them by -the JC idustituti^/ - 1— Highways of Happiness .Material fo rI magazine received by May 21 will appear in M ay-June issufe’ Send contributions-tb OSEA, 141 Pa cific Bldg., Salem. 1
