27
any legislative program . The most im port
ant thing before this m eeting is the in
crease of membership.
Original motion, as amended, w as passed.
Old Business: Salaries and Wages.
Mr. Ericksen recalled that the C ivil S e r
vice Commission had sent out information
that they w ere w orking on new salary
ranges to pertain to w age rates in effect
first of this year. Current w age negotia
tions are underw ay and adjustm ent w ill be
made the first of July. Unless the Associa
tion has an active part and has something
to say in form ulating these plans and works
w ith the C ivil Service Commission in fo r
m ulating these new salary ranges w hich w ill
be out in tim e for use in com piling budgets,
the Association w ill be behind the “ eight
ball.” The Association must have a v e ry
active committee to w o rk on this program
with the C ivil Service Commission. Some
administrators are so discouraged and dis
gusted w ith the C ivil Service w age that
they have threatened to ask that certain
employees be placed on the unclassified list.
Mr. S tew art said most of the legislators
are conscious of the w age status o f the em
ployees but that the Association would
have a unified em ployee program , one that
the state em ployees wanted, acceptable to
the G overnor and the Budget D irector and
the C ivil Service Commission. T hey must
all w o rk together and now is the tim e to
get together.
Mr. W hite suggested that possibly the
committee chairm an should be Mr. R. M.
Smith, D irector of C ivil Service, and that
he also would w ant B jarn e Ericksen on
the committee.
Mr. Erickson m oved that the President
appoint a v e ry com prehensive committee to
w ork w ith the C ivil Service Commission, to
form ulate w ith them the salary program
which shall be used as a basis in form ulat
ing the new budgets for the n ext biennium,
also to do w h atever is necessary to see that
the salary increase fund is approved b y the
next session of the Legislature. Motion sec
onded.
Mr. R. M. Sm ith reported that a little
groundw ork had been done; that he had
discussed this w ith some of the members
of the Legislature and also w ith a member
of the Em ergency Board, as to the problem
of salary adjustm ent betw een sessions of
the Legislature. He agreed that tw o years
was too long to take chances on losing state
employees on account of increased cost of
living. Mr. Sm ith said h e asked the m em
ber of the Em ergency Board w hat he
thought of the Legislature passing a law or
act appointing an interim committee to
stjudy state em ployee problem s, the same
as th ey study h igh w ay problems. T he fact
was pointed out that it was not a good idea
for the great State of Oregon, whose m a
jor expense is wages, to let it drift and Mr.
Smith said he w as quite surprised to see
this m em ber take such a liv e ly interest in
the suggestion. If the Association is w orking
with him at that tim e it is lik e ly they m ight
set aside an allocation in our em ergency
fund to adjust w ages and that this interim
committee would h ave something to say
about it or th ey would act through the
Em ergency Board to m ake appropriations
out of the fund w hich would be a special
fund to adjust wages. So w e are already
h alfw ay started. A lot of future argum ent
can be added and the trem endous turnover
should cause them to think before turning
anything down. Mr. Sm ith continued that
he believed the Legislature realized that
the request presented b y the Association at
the last Legislature for $500,000 to be set
aside in addition to the em ergency fund
was a good idea.
Mr. Chidsey rem inded that there was a
Lane Gravel Company
Mabel W. H illstrom
Sand, Gravel and Crushed Rock
Office Phone 1276
P. O. Box 375
Eugene, Oregon
Nagle Lumber Co.
1845 Franklin Boulevard
Eugene, Oregon
Springfield
Sand &
Gravel Co.
Springfield, Oregon
WHITE VULCANIZING WORKS
VULCANIZING and RECAPPING
345 Van Buren Street
Eugene, Oregon