The Oregon state employee., January 01, 1948, Page 6, Image 6

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for jobs, discourages efficiency and in ­
itiative, and lowers the quality of serv­
icereiidered the public.
2. Inexperienced new employees come
to the service in fast* increasing rè?
placem ent of im patient and well-
experienced employees w ho leave in in ­
creasing numbers. More inexperienced
workers are required to do the work
form erly done by the experienced. The
result is a lowering of the present low
.average salary, an unw arrantedincrease
in personnel, less efficiency-,, less, .service -
and more cost.
I 3. Those faith fu l older,.and experi­
enced workers who 'remain under-paid
bn 'their jobs c a r f y H large burden in
^training the new, employees. Their job
experience is required fo r .„teaching, at
the sacrifice of their talents for doing.
"W ithout their Services, | the functions
of their departm ents would entirely
collapse. T h ey . are perm itted little time
to do their own work, being called on
to carry the burden th at their ''helpers”
are unable to do. This is
efficiency
and it costs the state thousands of dol­
lars à day, in loss of service and divided
application of valuable talent.
4. N ew employees accept the meager
.state- starting salary, in" great p art as
a tem porary condition while/, gaining
^experience. Their I experiehce, once
’gained at state expense, enables .them
to w ork anywhere else at more pay and
they soon leave for better jobs. D.oes
the taxpayer gaip<by schooling these
ambitious and intelligent new employees
for the benefit of private industry, át
¡¿state expense?
5. A welKtreated employee w ill »^4-
fleet his treatm ent in thè w ork he does
and the contributions hé makes to the
public service. Contrariwise, I unfair
treatm ent beget's discontent, resentment
and diSgust. A ny thinking person knows
that slave labor is poor labor, under­
paid labor cannot be cheerful labor, and
discontented and ¿resentful -laborers Can-
n o t be expected to perform the ¿ih?
creasing duties placed upon them.
6. Paying its „hire less th an a decent
living wage is -a shameful policy on
the p art o f the state of Oregon,. Stalling
such a merited salary increase borders
on the despicable? The well being and
livelihood of its employees is m uch i n ­
volved in the state’s,, salary problem.
W e deal here in terms of decency, in
the livelihood and health of employeejj
children, i n the perpetuation of a d "
cent home, life, in the m aintenance of
a fair standard of living, and in the
■creation„of a sense of appreciation afid
renewed spirit of good, w ith among the
employed.
O regon's Poverty O verstressed
The reportedI concern of ouf fin an ­
cially Responsible official^, in the state’s
financial problems seem somewhat
strained and overstressed. W hen i t is
said “ You are w oefu lly , underpaid, b u t
where do we 'fin d the money,” has
th o ught been given to the fact that" th e
employees are intelligent?
We are told there is a $3 £,000,000
surplus in the treasury, “ untouchable”
at.‘present. W e are told th a t the tax ­
payer will pay more into the. treasu rl
this year than ever before. We know
self-sustaining departrnents’- income's are"'
constantly increasing?» We know th at
shortsighted budgets ha^e been exceed­
ed in the past and their deficits- Covered
by regular subsequent legislative ap ­
propriations. W e know th at a budget
deficiency for foodstuffs does not re­
sult in starvation. We dare told there
will be a $7,000,000'D E F IC lT in the
state’s general fund by the end @f the
'year! We are alsp* told th at money can­
not be spent from the general fu n d in
excess of dts I credit balance.! W e are
told everything about the poverty of
the state; everything th a t is pessimistic
and bl^ek. We are asked to feel sorry
for Oregon’s financial condition' and
to accept as. fact the. state’s inability ti
do right k y k its people aqd its/p u b li'
. servants! I
I t -should be realized t h a t ' employees
know a little about the efficiency or
lacks of efficiency in state govern­
m ental functions. They see at first hand
th e result of state policies -as they affect
their own departments. If a dark? and