Oregon’s Citizens Urged to Know
Their Government; State Employees
Invite Investigation
By VIRGIL G. O’NEIL
Since the beginning of time, the sub
ject of wages has been 'of concern.
Throughout man’sB truggle for self-
improvement, the rewards of service
Eave increased but I-riot entirely apace
with other advancements.
Oregon’s state financial problems are
closely linkecLyuth its state wage scales.
Until the w agH of State employees
-come proper, there can be no real pro
gress madeBM irfipfoving the State’s
governmental services.
In spite of transitory relapses to sel
fish interests, the precept that "the ^ser
vant is worthy of his hire” has common
acceptance, although not always hasAts
real meaning been evident. The Oregon
State Employees Association voices its
position by saying j State employees
should recei S wages equal to those paid
by others for like wdrk, in the inter-
. ests alike of employees and the State.”
Some Employers Are Weary
EmployeH get tired of hearing that
same old cry from their help that "we
want more pay.” Some of them are in
clined to think that no matter what
they do or what they offer,^their em
ployees are never saSgK||d. Of course,
all employers do not get tired of this
perennial question, for some know the
yalue of proper reward for good s e r S ^
A few em^plbyers^ have exclusively sel
fish interests, some are indifferent to
their employees’ welfare and many pro
fess their interest "to do more later;”
z fhese are they who hear the complaints!
stand business and finances; that they
don’t know when they are well-off;
that they wouldn’t be s^^isfied regard-
less of what is done for them. Ah yes!
The employee also gets tired, and in
more ways than One.
In these days, labor as a group has
largely organized itself to f^ Q p ig h e ad -
edneHwithfs'tubbornness, to point the
light of truth ongllfish interests-’and
to prefjfit sufficient strength to give
them bargaining rights equal to those
with whom they bargain. The OSEA—
the state employees—
—now are contem
plating the use of some of the success
ful tools of organized labor, if need be,
"to’’gain thefb^proper status in Oregon’s
state-f unctiori^M
The Public Is Apathetic
Oregon’s 1,50 0^0'0 citizens are not
receiving the State services they are pay
i n g for. They are not paying for the
services - they hope for. They are not
askihg for the full services they are en
titled to. True, the framework for pro
per igqy|rnment is established, but how
is it working? The answer is found in
^comparison with other States, in the pri
vate records of State Departments and
in the locked-up opinions of State em-
ployees who know.
Present Situation in Oregon
Oregon, here spoken of as a sovereign
State representative of all its people and
aS its^^^urce's, has had a State wage
problem since 18 59. Nothing much was
heard about it, however, until about
1932 when its State employees were re
quired to give part of their low wages
to some State relief activities whic|i,
Many Employees Are Getting Tired:
||
f
ven 'yet have not completely exhausted
Employees als^|g |t tired! They hear
that same old stoiy "We are sorry, but the employees charity fund created ffom
we haven’tsthe money to pay you more.” the given-up part of their pay of 1932-
^ Employees are told they don’t under