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About The Oregon state employee news. (Salem, Oregon) 1959-1969 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1969)
DECEMBER, 196 9 Page 3 OREGON STATE EMPLOYEE NEWS Plan to 'Contract Out' Food Services Draws Fire The University of Oregon M edical School has been warned by OSEA that it in tends to fight the school's plan to "contract o u t" food services to a private concern. PERB Adopts 'Appeal' Rules New rules and procedures governing appeals, hearings and investigations in state service by the Public Employe Re la tio n s Board have been adopted by that agency. It replaced the old Civil Service Commission July 1. "A n y regular employe who is suspended, reduced in pay, demoted or dismissed shall have the right to appeal the action to the Public Employe Relations Board," the rules say. Notice of appeal must be filed w ithin 10 days of the action. In addition, any classified employe, or an organization certified by the rules of the board as representing such an employee, "m ay appeal any personnel action affecting the employe that is alleged to be arbitrary or contrary to law or rules, or taken for political reasons." The board is expected to adopt rules governing collective b a rg a in in g in s ta te servi.ce a t its D e c . 1 8 m e e t in g . Three Named To Personnel Division Jobs Supervisors for the three major divisions in the state's Personnel Division have been named by William G. Hughes, Oregon's new personnel ad ministrator. Appointed were Donald F. Peer, S alem ; Edward P. Rosenlund, Placentia, Calif.; and Terrence F. Collins, San Jose, Calif. The positions have been vacant since the Personnel Division was established by the 1969 Legislature. It replaced the old Civil Service De partment July 1. Peer, 38, joined the former Civil Service Department staff in 1959. He w ill supervise the personnel development and re search section and head studies of classification, examination and salary schedules fo r all state employment. Rosenlund, 47, w ill head the employee relations section. His major responsibility w ill be collective bargaining . agree ments. His background in cludes some 15 years in in dustrial relations for private industry, most recently with North American Rockwell. Collins, 39, w ill supervise the personnel operations and support services section, in cluding recruiting fo r the state se rvice. H is most recent position was w ith Stanford Re search Institute. He has been in personnel administration since 1952, including work w ith Raytheon Co. The plan raises some "very serious legal questions with re gard to personnel, and it is felt only fair to remind you of our interest before you enter too far into any commitments," Executive Secretary Thomas C. Enright said in a letter to the school. E n rig h t said the plan apparently envisions operation of the food service by a management concern, w ith em ployees of the bidder replacing present supervisory personnel. The bid specification says that the bidder "a t his dis cretion, may offer employment to the present supervisory food service employees of the Medical School." Apparently non-supervisory d ie ta ry and cafeteria em ployees working at the Medical School would continue on its payroll. The specifications, however, say that "the contractor w ill not be required to retain those who do not meet his standards, nor those in excess of the number required fo r efficient operation." The statement is qualified by the words "b u t he w ill be subject to the rules and regulations of the Oregon Ex ecutive Department, Personnel Division." " I t is assumed that the ar chitects of this proposal are aware of the position taken by this association in a M ult nomah County Circuit Court suit in 1967, when we obtained from Judge Dean Bryson an injunction against Portland State College and the State Department of General Ser vices contracting out janitorial services at the college to a private concern," Enright said in his letter. " I f not, it is suggested that you examine the record of this case," he said. Enright said it was OSEA's intention to "pursue all legal remedies available to us to pro tect against ‘contracting out' infringement on the state's merit system of personnel ad ministration, even if only a limited amount of supervisory personnel may be presently affected." Additional questions are raised by the provisions giving a private concern the power to set performance standards for state employees and to term i nate employees if they do not meet the standards or are in excess of the number which the private party feels is re quired for an efficient oper ation, Enright asserted. He said OSEA is concerned that the bid solicitation and specifications were circulated w ithout any notice to the association. "Although this may not be a breach of the specific wording of the collective bar gaining contract between the U of 0 Medical School and OSEA The Need fo r a Dues Increase . (Editor's Note: OSEA dues w ill be increased 50-cents per m on th-from $1.50 to $2.00—as the result of action taken by delegates to the 1969 General Council last month. The increase becomes effective Jan. 1, 1970. There are many justifiable reasons why dues must be increased, and General Council delegates discussed them at length before approving the increase. A summary of the main reasons and arguments discussed by delegates appears below.) Why a Dues Increase? In fla tio n is tb»e m a i n r e a s o n . E x p e n s e s , s a l a r ie s a n d o p e r a t i n g , c o s ts h a v e in c r e a s e d t o and beyond present dues income. Demands and workloads have increased to and beyond the capacity o f present staff. W ithout a dues increase, OSEA could not carry on its present level o f services. A t the present dues structure, the association would go $3J3,115 in the hole next year. Services and possibly staff would have to be cut. How Would the Increase be Spent? In addition to balancing the budget, OSEA badly needs increased staff. One field representative, one young male trainee and two office girls, w ith payroll taxes, travel expenses, etc., would eat up practically all of the increased revenue from a 50-cents per month raise in dues. What About OSEA's Present Staff? To serve 16,500 members, OSEA has only ten "fie ld " staff and six employees on its office force. That means there is one "fie ld " staff member fo r each 1,650 OSEA members. By comparison, the Oregon Education Association, w ith only 3,000 more members, has a combined staff and office force o f 48! The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union (AFL-CIO), our main competitor in state service, as one of its main arguments to state employees, claims unions have one staff member for each 1,000 union members. How Much Do Others Pay in Dues? Associations in our neighboring states of Idaho, Utah and Nevada pay $2.00 per month, compared to OSEA's present $1.50. California's dues are $3.00, and Washington's are $3.50. A t a recent meeting held to organize state employees, an AFSC&ME union representative told prospective members they would have to pay $3.86 to its national office and AFL-CIO affiliates before one cent could be spent fo r local purposes. AFSC&ME union dues o f $4.50 to $5.00 per month are cheap compared to most union dues, and much more expensive, of course, than OSEA's new monthly dues of $2.00 What Have Unions Got to Do With It? If independent employee organizations such as OSEA are to survive, they must offer as good as, or better services than the unions. All over the country, including Oregon, associations such as OSEA are under attack by unions who promise more and better services. Two collective bargaining elections between OSEA and AFL-CIO unions are now pending in state service. covering the food service em ployees, it is certainly not con sistent w ith the spirit of the c o n tra c t o r o u r state's collective bargaining law," En right declared. Nine Holidays Due in 1970 State employees w ill ob serve nine holidays next year, according to the Personnel Division. They w ill, however, lose tw o holidays which fall on Saturday. The holidays to be observed in 1970 are: New Year's Day, Jan. 1st, Thursday. Lincoln's Birthday, Feb. 12th, Thursday. Washington's Birthday, Feb. 22nd, Monday Primary Election Day, May 26th, Tuesday. Labor Day, Sept. 7th, Mon day. Election Day, Nov. 3rd, Tuesday. Veteran's Day, Nov. 11th, Wednesday. Thanksgiving D^y, Nov. 26th, Thursday. Christmas, Dec. 25th, F ri day. The tw o holidays which will be lost because they fall on Saturday are Memorial Day, May 30th and Independence Day, July 4th. "A ll of these holidays w ill -faW on or be observed on, a work day of those employees who work a regular Monday through Friday work week " William G. Hughes, personnel administrator, said. "A number of state em ployees work an irregular work week and have days other than Saturday or Sunday as their regularly assigned days o ff," he noted. "In order to provide the same number of holidays for all employees," Hughes said, "persons working an irregular work week should be credited w ith a day of compensatory time at the occurrence o f each of the holidays listed above. This day of compensatory time should be given to each em ployee as soon after accrual as practicable arrangements can be made." ' P ¡ STATE EMPLOYEES! I 509 N. Riverside, Medford I Phone: 773-4579 What About OSEA's Reserves? A t the end of 1969, OSEA w ill have about $65,000 in its reserves. Many accountants say reserves of an organization such as OSEA should equal at least half a year's expected income, which in OSEA's case would be almost $150,000. If any part o f these reserves were spent, how would OSEA fare if, fo r instance, a union came in w ith more than 20 loaned organizers and spent $100,000, as it did when it wrecked the under financed Rhode Island State Employees Association? And as it is trying to do in Massachusetts and other states? And as it may very well attempt to do in Oregon? Dues Are a Big Bargain Defense from the unions, of course is not the main point—only one of them. The fact is, OSEA dues are the state employee's biggest bargain. State employees need and want services and are w illing to pay fo r them. OSEA dues of $2.00 per month is less than the cost of a good meal; less than a carton o f cigarettes; less than a pound of fille t; less than the m onthly cost o f a daily newspaper; but a great deal more important. Think it over. ~J I When in Medford, stay at the Tiki Lodge. Rate for | state workers: $7.00. Large rooms with work ! table. Restaurant and | Lounge across street. j TIKI LODGE MOTEL Good for 50c Discount H O LID A Y MOTEL Commercial rates for state employees! SKIERS WELCOME! TV • Phones • Long Beds Additional 50c off with OSEA card Highway 97 Blend, Oregon Phone: 382-4620 Harry & Edith Canoy, Hosis Clip and Save 50c i I
