Another Attempt to Reclassify
Custodiáis, Domestics Proposed
Another attem pt by the Personnel Division to
solve what has become a thorny problem—
reclassification of the state's custodial and
domestic w orkers—has been proposed.
It w ill not be supported by OSEA for most of the
same reasons the Association has not backed other
attem pts made to reclassify those employes
during the past fo u r years.
The division's new plan—its second in five
months—proposes placing all employes in those
classifications into two new classifications:
custodial and food service workers.
It recommends establishment o f two levels
w ith in each classification at the following salary
ranges: custodial w orker 1, $326-$415, and
custodial w orker 2, $415-$531; food service w orker
1, $326-$415, and food service w orker 2, $397-$506.
A proposal made by the Personnel Division last
July recommended three levels of custodial
workers and three levels of food service workers,
all at higher salary levels than the latest plan.
"O S E A
cannot su p p o rt the
proposed
classifications," Assistant Executive Secretary
E verett B. Stiles said, "because they fa il to ac
complish the original goals fo r revision of this
series."
" F irs t, they do not elim inate pay differences
based upon the performance of light and heavy
w ork. Second, they do not cle a rly d ifferentiate the
functions of custodial and food service workers.
And th ird , they do not elim inate the means by
which state agencies m ay use the classifications in
a d iscrim in a to ry m a n n e r."
S tile s re s u b m itte d O SEA's proposal fo r
overhauling the classifications. That proposal
recommends establishment of five levels w ithin
each classification at the following salary ranges:
Custodial w orker 1, $483-$531; custodial w orker
2, $531-$586; custodial w orker supervisor I , -$586-
$646; custodial w orker supervisor 2, $646-$712; and
cusotidal w orker supervisor 3, $748-$824; food
service w orker, $483-$531; cook 1, $531-$586; cook
2, $586-$646; cook 3, $646-$712; and assistant food
service supervisor, $646-$712.
The Personnel Division's attem pt to revise the
custodial and domestic worker classification dates
back to the early months of 1969. It was given
added impetus, however, in 1971 when OSEA filed
complaints on behalf of nine employes of the State
System of Higher Education with the Bureau of
Labor.
The employes—all female and all classified as
domestic workers—charged discrim ination on
accountof sex. All nine said they performed like or
s im ila r work to male employes classified as
custodial workers, but were paid from $113 to $125
a month less.
A few months a fte r OSEA filed the complaints,
the Office fo r Civil Rights, U. S. Department of
Health, Education and Welfare conducted a
"contract compliance re v ie w " at Oregon State
University.
It found "no substantial degree of difference"
between the duties performed by custodial and
domestic workers. It did find, however, th a t 95 per
cent of the domestic workers were female, while
96 per cent of the custodial workers were males.
The last m ajor study of the classifications was
conducted by the Personnel Division in 1972 under
the auspices and monetary support of the Public
Service Careers Project, a program financed by
the U. S. Department of Labor.
It found that comparison of the tasks performed
by custodial and domestic workers involved in
cleaning showed only "s lig h t differences," which
do not "ju s tify the salary differences currently
existing between the classes/'
Highway Employes Due Training
On 'Highly Dangerous' Poisons
The Highway Division has inform ed OSEA it has
scheduled a tra in in g program for its employes on
the hazards they m ay face from transportation of
highly dangerous poisons over Oregon highways.
Field Representative Donald F. Larkin asked
George Baldwin, a d m in istra tor of highways,
about the m atter a fte r he learned the poisons were
being moved in bulk liquid form through the state.
"T h e poisons—n a m e ly P a ra th io n —a re e x
tre m e ly dangerous," Larkin said. "Exposure to
them could result in death w ithin eight hours. An
individual can be exposed through fumes or by
w alking in the residue from a leaky tanker. The
poisons can be absorbed through shoe leather or
clo th in g."
"W e are aware of the hazards and are in the
process of establishing educational programs for
our em ployes," Baldwin told Larkin. He said the
tra in in g sessions w ill be conducted by personnel
from the Bureau of Motor C arriers, U. S.
J a n u a ry, 1973
The OSEA News
Page 2
Departm ent of Transportation in Portland.
Because the hazards may involve personnel
from other state agencies, Baldwin noted, em
ployes from the State Police, Emergency Ser
vices, T ra ffic Safety Commission and Department
of Environmental Quality w ill be invited to attend
the tra in in g sessions along w ith Highway Division
employes.
" I t is our belief th a t because the exposure is
great to personnel controlling tra ffic o r cleaning
up a site following an accident involving hazar
dous m aterial, these persons are the most in need
of tra in in g ," he said. The sessions w ill begin in
February.
OSEA Asks Review
Of Reclass Denial
_____ For Printers
Employe Retirement
Accounts Valued
Editor's Note: In an effort to keep OSEA members informed
of the value of their accounts in the Public Employes'
Retirement System, the OSEA News publishes the following
table.
Both the "variable annuity" portion of the account (which is
invested in common stocks and short term notes) and the
"fixed" portion of the account (which is invested in long term
bonds and mortgages) are listed. The table shows the value of
each $100 invested in either the variable annuitv or fixed ac
count on the date listed.
VARIABLE
F IX
ACCOUNT
ACCOUNT
$101.89
$100.52
January 31, 1972
$105.79
$101.05
February 29, 1972
$106.78
$101.57
March 31, 1972
$108.24
$102.09
April 30, 1972
$108.76
$102.61
May 31, 1972
$104.42
$103.14
June 30, 1972
$103.45
$103.66
July 31, 1972
$107.09
$104.18
August 31, 1972
$105.62
$104.70
September 30, 1972
$106.87
$105.22
October 31, 1972
$112.38
$105.75
November 30, 1972
OSEA has appealed to the
P u b lic E m p lo ye R elations
Board a reclassification denial
on behalf of six employes who
work fo r the Department of
General Services.
The employes—all classified
as offset p rin te r 2—requested
the Personnel D iv is io n to
reclassify th e ir positions to
offset p rin te r 3.
The d iv is io n refused the
request, claim ing the men do
not perform many duties of
o ffs e t P rin te r 3, such as
supervising other personnel,
requisitioning supplies, pricing
out jobs and m a in ta in in g
equipment.
The printers contend they
c o n s is te n tly p e rfo rm both
offset p rin te r 2 and 3 duties
d a ily, and argue th a t to be paid
at the lower level is a rb itra ry .
The appeal was filed by
OSEA staff attorney John S.
Irvin .
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