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About The OSEA news. (Salem, Oregon) 1970-1981 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1970)
June, 1970 The OSEA News Page 5 From The In q u irin g P h otographer M a ilb o x Editor's Hotei All letters to Ute editor of this newspaper are welcome and w ill be pubiished, provided they are signed and space is available. Anonymous letters w ill not be pubiished; the w riter's name, however, w ill be withheld upon request and kept in complete con- fidence, ' ‘ , * ' 'd ; The OSEA News reserves the right to edit a il letters to meet space and legal requirements. Letters state only the views and opinions of the w rite r; they do not express the views, opinions, nor the policies of the Oregon State Employes Association, nor do they gain OSEA endorsement by appearing in this publication. Then It Happened to Him To the Editor: in the May issue of the OSEA News I read with pleasure about the newly sighed collective bargaining contract" between OSEA and the Department of Agriculture. When I firs t read the d raft of OSEA's ''model contract" in the March issue of the paper, I noted it contained the following provision: "Salary increases shall be given upon the successful completion of tria l service and an nually as provided in the rules of the Personnel Division. If the Employer intends to deny a salary increase to an employe, he shall notify the em ploye at least 15 days prior to his eligibility date and such notice shall include the reason(s) for the denial." Upon reading that section of the contract, my firs t tho ug ht w a s th a t it is unnecessary. I thought, "Who in the world would violate such a sound personnel practice?" Then it happened to me. Not only was I promoted from tria l service to a permanent position without the usual pay raise, but also I was not told about the pay denial until a month had gone by. As a matter of fact I wasn't even told; I didn't learn of it until I saw my pay check. The denial, I later learned, hinged on the in terpretation of the usual m erit rating. I work for the Executive Department, and have learned that OSEA has no collective bargaining position with the agency. I was told that there isn't enough interest among the department's em ployes to form a bargaining unit. Yet I know that many are members of the association, as la m . And I don't see much advantage In membership when OSEA is not able to stand behind me in case of need. I think the other members in the agency should feel the same way. It may be to the ad vantage of the association to conduct an opinion poll among Executive Department employes to learn whether or not they want to form a bargaining unit. The lesson I learned tod late may wake up the others to do something about it now, before it is too late for them. Tristan R. Knapp Capitol Chapter 19 Salem "Sulky Reaction** To the Editor: On the front page of the Salem Capital Journal on May 22 a bold two-line heading announced the good news: "State's Employes Get 4.25 per cent Increase/' Many active OSEA members must have smiled in satisfaction, having worked diligently tp convince the.State Emergency Board that we meant to have the monies set aside for us by the last Oregon Legislature. However, the second paragraph of the story started with a "b u t" and related the reactions of House Speaker Robert F. Smith (R-Burns). At the May 21 Emergency Board meeting Smith said he was "personally upset the way it was handled by state employe leaders." He was further quoted in the article as threatening to "oppose pay raises in the future if it is handled like th is." Smith's sulky reactions make me wish we had more state employes in Harney County so we could seriously work for his defeat at the next election. He may be Speaker of the House, but it is frightening and most discouraging to learn he w ill never be a speaker for state employes. Robert F. Smith had better realize that not only OSEA members, but ALL 30,000 State employes throughout this great state earnestly intend to increase their political activity. There may be wide open spaces for Smith to shout down his personal annoyances in Burns country. But there's little room in the Oregon House of Representatives for a non-representative attitude by a man Whose opinions and votes are petulantly swayed by his emotions. May a registered Republican Suggest to the House that they do some housecleaning at the start of their coming session . Surely there is among you respected people a more astute and fair-minded man for the Speaker's chair. George H. Dow Compensation Chapter 20 Salem Wha t Was Your Reaction When the Eme rgency Board Voted to Release The Salary Fund ? (Asked.at Hillcrest School for Girls, Salem) JIM LIN V ILLE Maintenance Repairman I was real happy when I heard the news. The Legislature set the money aside for state employe pay raises. No group had the right to use it for another purpose—except the Législature meeting in special session. I also thought Speaker Smith's remarks were out of line; citizens have the right to w rite their representatives anytime on any subject. JOHN SHEPP Storekeeper I fe lt real Satisfaction that the Emergency Board didn't let us down by using the money for other purposes. The remarks made by Rep. Robert Smith were uncalled for. They were especially inappropriate for the Speaker of the House of Representatives. However, I don't think we have to worry too much because I'm sure he doesn't speak for the entire House. OSEA "Resf Organization'' To the Editor: Recently I was given an advancement in ray job and I want to use our newspaper to make my appreciation publicly known. My reclassification was due to the very hard work of our collective bargaining representative at the University of Oregon, OSEA.staff member Jack Schoonover. My supervisor had been trying for almost two years to get three of us reclassified but couldn't Seem to get anywhere. She told me that She would back me all the way if I went to OSEA for help. That's when I got in touch with M r. Schoonover. It is my firm belief that OSEA is the best organization to be a part of or affiliated with.. LoiS Madsen Webfoot Chapter 49 Thanks to AH To the Editor: The Highway Division recently received a thank you note from Mrs. E. A. Collier and fam ily ex pressing appreciation to all of those employes who made contributions in memory of her husband, E. A. Collier. Mrs. Collier cannot possibly thank each person individually, so she has asked that we extend her sincere appreciation through the OSEA News. James J . Kinns President Salem Chapter 1 Salem Do You K now ..... That all state employes in Marion, Polk, Linn and Yamhill Counties may save or borrow money at the Oregon Employes Federal Credit Union? Now is the tim e to Start saving for your 1971 vacation. You'll be surprised how fast the money ac cumulates! Oregon Employes Federal Credit Union 1515 State Street, Salem Phone: 581-1505 BEST PLACE TO SAVE OR BORROW I Wig Problem ? I Are you wearing your wig ? Or |is it wearing you? The Busy J Bee Beauty Salon wi ll thin fyour wig for $2 and up—either ¿natural or Synthetic. We also ’ clean, comb and set wigs. : Busy Bee * Beauty Salon f | _ 388 State Street Downtown Salem Phone 363-3663 MARIAN LENTZ Trust Fund Clerk I was confident we would get a raise and very grateful when the Emergency Board voted to release the money. I was also glad to see Gov. McCall give state employes the backing that he did. I'm happy the raise was given "across the board," rather than giving raises to some and denying others. After all, living costs affect everyone equally. RITER DEAN Food Manager I thought the pay raise was better than nothing, considering the rapid rise, in the cost of living. I really think, however, that I would be ahead on my present salary if living costs and taxes would rem ain constant. Realistically, however, I know living costs and taxes w ill keep going up, and we need pay raises to be able to pay them. SAM BERGER Maintenance Repairman I thought it was real fine. I kind of expected it because the raise was promised by the 1969 Legislature. I would have been very disap pointed if the Emergency Board wouldn't have released the funds. State employes are hurt by increased living costs the same as employes in industry. We'Ve all got to buy groceries and pay taxes, and that takes money. M ARGARETBELLEQUE Campus Services Coordinator I really don't think a pay raise is the answer to our problem. Because every tim e we get a raise it seems as though everything else also goes up; Democrats and Republicans ought to get together and study state employe salary needs, then relate those needs to the cost-of-living. Maybe prices wouldn't go up If we didn't get a pay raise. JUT
