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About The Oregon state employee news. (Salem, Oregon) 1959-1969 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1966)
Page 2 474 Classes To Get Salary Adjustments The Civil Service Commission has proposed salary increases for some 474 of the state’s approx imately 1,100 classifications in its recommended mid-biennium ad justments to the state compen sation plan. The Civil Service recommenda tions included many of those pro- Fisher Appointed To Awards Board Governor Mark 0. Hatfield has appointed Vernon K. Fisher to the Employee Suggestion Awards Board to replace Robert Stev ens who resigned. Fisher, who is President of Fairview Chapter 57, was sworn into office on April 19. The ap pointment was effective April 8. Along with two other members of the five-man board, Fisher will serve an undetermined period “ at the pleasure of the governor.” The other two members are ap pointed to one year terms. Also on the board are Lloyd A. Griffiths, Department of Ag riculture; V. H. Osborn, Liquor Control Commission; Frank J. Healy, Department of Commerce and Eloise Ebert, State Librar ian. In discussing the recommenda tions, Civil Service Director Mel vin H. Cleveland said, “ Adjust ments are needed in most Civil Service classes based on comp arable salaries and increased liv ing costs; however, we are able to recommend adjustments only to the extent that funds are avail able. In preparing our recommenda tions, we have taken into account salary survey findings, department recommendations, and recruiting and retention problems. In summary, theadjustmentspropos- ed are for those classes which ap pear to have the greatest need.” Cleveland said implementa tion will be limited to a one- step increase except for those few instances where a greater in crease is required to bring an employee to a new minimum rate. In commenting on the Civil Service salary recommendations, Stiles said, “ I certainly agree that salary increases are needed in all classifications. All available salary data and cost of living in formation justifies at least a one- step increase for all employees. However, the 1965 Legislature simply did not appropriate enough money for the mid-biennium ad justments.” Stiles was critical of the rec ommendations “because many of the deserving classifications will not get salary increases. Numer ous pay relationships witHih an agency will be distorted because of a lack of funds necessary to adjust all of the classifications which qualify.” “ From my salary findings, it is apparent some classifications have not received adjustments be cause of the weight Civil Service placed on departmental recom mendations based on ability to re cruit and retain employees^” he declared. hi authorizing funds for mid biennium salary adjustments, Stiles said, it was the legislat ive intent the Civil Service use the money to adjust those class ifications in which the greatest salary inequities existed. “ The legislature made only $2.6 million available for this purpose when, according to all available salary data, at least $8 million was necessary to do a proper job,” Stiles said. W it h B lu e C ro ss y o u a lw a y s h a v e t l x e z r ig lx t c a r d . . . (please carry it in your w a lle t — not up your sleeve) REPRESENTATIVE OR YOUR DEPARTMENT payroll office fo r ' f u u . particulars APRIL, 1966 OREGON STATE EMPLOYEE NEWS 2 5 Y e a r s o f s e r v ic e •' 1 9 4 1 - 1 9 6 5 D e c is io n C lo s e O n O S E A -A E E An agreement between OSEA and the Association of Engineer ing Employees for joint represen tation in collective bargaining for the “ engineering and allied em ployees” of the State Highway Department is currently being studied by both groups. The Highway Department re- Think Membership! JACOB PETERS "Mr. Fixit" At Capitol Retires “ I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.” That was the comment of Ja cob “Jake” Peters who retired March 31 after 17 years of em ployment as the popular and cap able “ Mr. Fixit” around the state capitol building. Numerous friends and co-work ers attended a retirement party held in the hearing rooms of the capitol to wish him well. Secretary of State Tom McCall presented him with a memorial scroll signed by 240 of his co- workers. In the centerpiece of the scroll was a brand new $100 bill. The scroll read, “ To Jake, in appreciation for 17 years of loyal service, January 3, 1949 to March 31, 1966.” Governor Mark O. Hatfield sent a letter expressing his regrets that he could not personally at tend the parly. He signed it sim ply “ Mark” since he and Jake are first-name basis friends. Peters was a member of Cap itol Chapter 19. OSEA Members Meet Death In Copter Crash Three men— two OSEA mem bers and a pilot— were killed when the helicopter they were flying in clipped a 115,000-volt electric power line and plunged to the earth about 15 miles south of Tillamook on April 19. The dead were Virgil C. Sum mers, 46, Portland, and Raymond Breuser, 45, Coos Bay, both em ployed by the Oregon State Fish Commission. The pilot was iden tified as Roger Lamoureux, Seat tle. Summers, who worked for the engineering department, was a member of .Chinook Chapter 58. Breuser, a biologist, was a mem ber of Coos Bay Chapter 65. The craft smashed to the ground about three-quarters of a mile up Beaver Creek in rugged cut-over and second growth timber land. Tillamook County sheriff’s dep uties reached the scene about one- half hour after the crash and reported that the three men ap parently burned to death. Summers and Breuser were making an aerial survey to chart log jams and other fish obstruc tions. The helicopter was own ed by Columbia Helicopters of Portland. BY DALE E. STURMER DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP OSEA seems to have reached a lull in membership growth. The association gained 87 new mem bers in January, but this figure dropped to only two in February. This compares with 124 and 209 new members enrolled in January and February, 1965. What is the reason for this de cline? I believe that one explan ation might be collective bargain ing. The new procedure in state government seems to have pre empted the attention of our chap ters and membership. However, the collective bargaining educa tional phase is about over, and chapters should once again con centrate on enrolling new mem bers. It is time to capitalize on the interest that collective bargaining has created in OSEA. The assoc iation has been winning represen tation elections by landslide pro portions. State employees know what OSEA stands for and what OSEA can do for them. Non-mem bers are probably more receptive than ever to membership in the association. Thanks to Retirement Director Jerry Liebertz and the OSEA Re tirement Committee, it appears that we are making real progress in our attempt to obtain some legislative improvements in Ore gon’s Public Employees Retire ment System. The OSEA proposal for improvement in the PERS is a good one and, I believe, will make the system far superior to its present form. The OSEA proposal has gained the support of numerous public employee and employer organiza tions who benefit from the PERS. OSEA needs the support of every state employee to assure passage of the proposal by the 1967 Leg islature. All chapters and members should immediately make plans for strong membership drives. Each chapter president and member ship chairman should take the lead now without waiting for others. P act cently granted a request by the engineering employees of the department who are affiliated with AEE for a separate negotiating unit composed of engineering and allied employees. George LeTourneux, past-pres ident and director-at-large-of AEE, said that his organization has mail ed out copies of the agreement to all AEE members for their approval. “ The agreement was approved by our Board of Directors, but we wanted to submit it to our members for their approval. I expect it to be favorable,” he said. The OSEA Board of Directors will discuss the agreement at the May 7 meeting in Salem, accord ing to President R. M. “Hoad” Smith. The agreement calls for OSEA and AEE to jointly circulate and file petitions for an election among the engineering and allied employ ees for the purpose of electing a collective bargaining repre sentative. The two organizations will be a joint or council type of candidate for representative of the employees in the unit. The, agreement states that OSEA will be the spokesman in matters pertaining to the “general bene fit and interest” of all State High way Department employees, and AEE will be the spokesman “ re garding matters primarily con cerning engineering work and the engineering profession.” AEE has 1,000 members and OSEA over 14,400. C o u rt T o G e t _ Union Briefs The plaintiff AFL-CIO, defen dant Oregon State Civil Service Commission and intervenor- defendant OSEA have all submit ted their briefs as directed by the court in organized labor’s suit to try to have Oregon’s 1965-col- lective bargaining procedures law and Civil Service rules adopted under the law declared unconsti tutional and invalid. An unusual three-judge panel composed of Circuit Court Judges Paul R. Harris and Alan F. Dav is, Multnomah Counly, and Lyle R. Wolff, Baker County, which heard oral arguments on March 2, now may decide the case on the basis of the briefs, or sched ule further oral argument or the taking of evidence from witness es. An appeal to the Oregon Sup reme Court may follow any de cision which is reached by the circuit court panel. x". 40th Anniversary Celebrated Miss Lois R. Manning on Ap ril 8 celebrated 40 years of em ployment with the State Insurance Department, now a division of the State Department of Commerce. A charter member of OSEA and Marion Chapter 18, Miss Man ning joined the department at age 18, upon graduation from high school. She has served as sec retary to nine insurance commis sioners, from Will Moore in 1926 to Walter S. Korlan, the present commissioner. Miss Manning is now a mem ber of Chemeketa Chapter 64. She also is active in the Cascade Chapter of the National Secre taries Association. ONGFORD MOTEL APTS. 1417 S.W . 10th at COLUMBIA PORTLAND (4 blocks to State O ffice Bldg.) REASONABLE RATES BY DAY^ WEEK, OR M O N TH Pullman Kitchens Bree Parking Phone 227-9591 or 223-6603 AAA
