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About The Oregon state employee news. (Salem, Oregon) 1959-1969 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1966)
Page 2 MARCH, 1966 OREGON STATE EMPLOYEE NEWS $2.6 Million Price Tag. . . OSEA Recommends Salary Adjustments Salary increases for more than 40 percent of the state’s class ified positions have been recommended to the Civil Service Commis sion by OSEA. The recommended increases range from one to three steps and will cost approximately $2.6 million to implement. The commission will hold public hearings on the increases in May. and after the compensation plan is approved, will request the Emer- gency Board to release the funds. The 1965 legislature approp He pointed out that even if the riated $1.3 million in general funds legislative intent had been to grant to the Emergency Board and ear across the board salary increases marked a like amount to be spent to all state employees, if the al by the dedicated fund agencies for located maney was divided equal salary adjustments after July 1, ly each employee would receive 1966. $8.17 per month. The bill appropriating the money “Salary inequities now exist in states the funds are to be used nearly all classifications, and in for adjusting those classifications many çlasses the discrepancies which have fallen furthest behind. are becoming worse, ” he declar It was not the legislative intent ed. to give across the board salary He pointed out that private sal increases to all state employees aries are increasing in Oregon during the mid-biennium. at about three per cent per year. OSEA Wage and Salary Analyst In addition, the Federal Pay Acts Everett B. Stiles, in making the of 1962 and 1964 have resulted recommendations to the Civil Ser in major salary changes for fed vice Commission, said“the pre eral employees.' sent salary picture in the State “ These two federal adjustments of Oregon is no better today than have resulted in an average 16 it was prior to the last salary per cent increase to all federal plan.” employees with advances up to Stiles said that Melvin H. Cleve 39 per cent in the highest grades. land, Director of Civil Service, Federal employees were given an stated in December, 1964 that over additional increase in October, 75 per cent of the state salary 1965. Congress is presently con ranges for the surveyed Civil Ser sidering an additional adjustment vice classes were lower than the of from two to three per cent rates being paid within the state for most federal employees,” he by other employers. In December, said. 1965 Cleveland made almost the The cost of living is also on same statement in his annual re the rise, Stiles said. “ The Con port. sumer Price Index has risen in “ It is evident that the 1965-67 excess of three per cent per year compensation plan was deficient,” over the p ast four y ea rs in O re Stiles said, “otherwise the state gon, o r a 12 p e r cent in crease would not be back in the same since 1962. During 1965, the In position.” dex rose 1.8 per cent nationally; In his salary recomendations, in Oregon, the increase was three Stiles said every available statis percent.” tic regarding salary increases “ I want to emphasize the fact justified granting at least a one- that these salary increases will step increase to all state employ by no means bring the state’s ees. pay ranges into line with other “ I am reluctant to confine my public and private employers,” salary adjustment recommenda Stiles said. tions to only 40 per cent of the “ Until the Oregon Legislature state’s working force when the assumes the responsibility of ap need for an across the board in propriating sufficient funds, state crease for all employees is so salaries will continue to fall be apparent,” he said. hind.” The idea of a mid-biennium salary adjustment fund has much merit, Stiles said, but added that in the future “a more realistic sum of money must be allocated by the legislature if we are ever to correct the inequities that a- This year’s primary election in rise out of the time lag between Oregon will be held Tuesday, May the annual Civil Service salary 24. In previous years the pri survey, the commission’s recom mary election was held on the third mendations to the legislature and Friday in May, but the 1965 leg the legislature’s implementation islature amended the election laws, of the salary plan. making the fourth Tuesday in May “ We can only approach the task the primary election date. of salary administration by the The general election will be held inadequate ‘ finger in the dike * on Tuesday, November 8. method as long as the legisla Voter registration for the May ture continues to appropriate such primary must be completed by no meager amounts of money for sal later than 8:00 p.m., Saturday, April 23. ary increases,” Stiles said; Primary Election Set For May 24th MARION MOTOR HOTEL f t Reduced $6.50 Model Rates Available Ta State Employees f t Velvet Horse Lounge f t Free Off-Street Forking f t Coffee Shop Dining Room f t Heated Swimming Pool f t Free Television MARION MOTOR HOTEL 363-4123 200 Commercial Street S.E., Salem Enroll Now For Medicare The deadline to enroll for Medicare is March 31, and everyone 65 or older is urged to sign up now for both parts of the plan. You may sign up whether you are actively employed or retired. Failure to sign up by March 31 will make it impossible to enroll in Medicare until the next general enrollment per iod— October 1, 1967 to Dec ember 31, 1967— and the monthly payment may be high er by that time. Remember that Medicare does not go into effect until July, so do not cancel your present health insurance. To sign up, contact your district Social Security office. 'CoverAge 65' To Supplement Medicare Plan “CoverAge 65,” a new low-cost medical-hospital insurance plan designed to supplement the bene fits offered by Medicare, is now available from Blue Cross of Ore gon according to OSEA Insurance Manager Donald G. Olds. Olds said any member of the OSEA-Blue Cross medical-hosp ital group plan who is 65 or old er has two choices: he may con tinue in the group plan or he may convert, effective July 1, 1966, to Blue Cross’ new Cover- Age 65 plan. OSEA Enters Case. . Legal Briefs Sought In Bargaining Suit Legal counsel for the State Civil Service Commission, defendants in a suit by the Oregon AFL- CIO which seeks to have the 1965 collective negotiation procedures law declared unconstitutional and the Civil Service rules adopted in accordance with the law void ed, and OSEA, which has been granted leave to intervene in the suit to defend the law, this week will file briefs with the Multnomah County Court in behalf of their legal positions. A panel of three circuit court judges who recently heard an as sistant of the Attorney General, representing the commission, and counsel for OSEA argue that the union suit should be dismissedbe- cause it did not state a justi ciable controversy, gave the AFL- CIO attorney 10 days in which to file a brief, and the defend ant,and.inj;ervenor another 10 days in which to file their briefs. It is uncertain at this time whether the panel of judges will make a decision on the basis of the complaint and answer in the suit, and the legal briefs, or call for further Oral argument and in troduction of evidence. Thomas C. Enright, legal coun sel for OSEA, said that the first defense submitted by the Attorney General’s office and agreed to by OSEA, is that the AFL-CIO complaint merely states that it may be hurt by the collective negotiation law and rule but that no damage to the unions was plead ed or shown. “The courts are reluctant to grant judgments which are mere ly advisory and before the fact of any injury, ” he said. The Supreme^ Court of the State of Washington recently set aside an injunction granted by a lower court, ruling on an appeal that a complaint filed by the Washing ton State Employees Association in an attempt to have that state’s collective bargaining law declared unconstitutional, did not state a justiciable controversy for the same reasons presented in the Civil Service Commission and OSEA briefs. The Washington court made a similar ruling in a 1964 case. If the defense of lack of just iciable controversy is not sus tained, the defendant and inter- venor will defend the case on the basis that the 1965 law is not an unconstitutional legislative delegation of authority to the Civil Service Commission and that the contested rules were properly adopted. An appeal to the Oregon Sup reme Court may follow any de cision which is reached by the circuit court panel. ‘ ‘CoverAge 65 has four main ad vantages, ” Olds said. “ The f ir s t is that it will pay the $40 deduct ible required by Medicare when hospitalized.” It will also pay $10 per day from the 61st to the 90th day of hospitalization, he said. Medi care has a $10 per day deduct ible during this period of hosp italization. Olds said CoverAge 65 Will pay for hospital out-patient services for minor surgery and accident treatment within 72 hours of an accident. “ Finally, the Blue Cross plan pays $3 towards medical or sur gical expense each day of hosp italization up to $270 maximum each calendar year,” he said. Olds said the cost of the plan is $10.50 quarterly. STATE REPRESENTATIVE CORNELIUS C. BATESON, who is a candidate this year for the state senate, was invited by Capitol Chapter 19 to speak on state employee legislation at the chap ter's March meeting. Shown talking to Bateson after the meeting are President W. J. LaClair, Bateson, Secretary Gloria Corry, Treasurer Martha Turner and Vice-President R. L. Reimann. Strike Draws Stiff Fines, Jail Terms Thirty public school teachers in Newark, New Jersey who went on strike last month in defiance of a court injunction have been given stiff fines and suspended jail sentences by a Superior Court judge. “ If we are to have an orderly society, public employees must seek redress for their grievances within the framework afforded them under the law,” Judge Nel son K. Mintz said. Mintz, who called the strike an “incredible spectacle of open de fiance of the law,” issued fines totaling $19,500 and placed the defendants on probation for one year. He warned that failure to pay the fines within 30 days would be a violation of parole. Most of the fines were $500 apiece. Four members of the Newark Teachers Association, which led the strike in a wage dispute with the city, also were fined. A STRATEGY MEETING of the Employment Relations Commit tee and the OSEA staff to discuss the latest developments in collective bargaining was held in Salem recently. The committee is composed of Harold W. Adams, Chairman; James G. Fisher, Franklin G. Reynolds and John W. Gordon. Gordon was recently appointed to the committee to replace Clint Laminers. I I I I I I I ONGFORD MOTEL APTS. 1417 S. W . 10th at CO LUM BIA PORTLAND (4 blocks to State Office Bldg.) REASONABLE RATES BY DAY, WEEK, OR MONTH ruuman Kitchens rree rarking Phone 227-9591 or 223-6603 AAA I I 1 I I
