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
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state workers: $7.00.
Large rooms with work
! table. Restaurant and
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H O LID A Y MOTEL
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SKIERS WELCOME!
TV • Phones • Long Beds
Additional 50c off
with OSEA card
Highway 97
Blend, Oregon
Phone: 382-4620
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