The Oregon state employee news. (Salem, Oregon) 1959-1969, April 01, 1966, Page 2, Image 2

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    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