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
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May 21 will appear in M ay-June issufe’
Send contributions-tb OSEA, 141 Pa
cific Bldg., Salem. 1