Lobby effort an uphill battle
With the start of the 1961
Legislature, OSEA — like most
other special interest groups —
is facing an uphill lobbying
effort because of dire economic
predictions for the state.
“OSEA is faced with the
disadvantage of starting this
session by having to dispell
unrealistic proposals,” says
Chuck Mendenhall, OSEA
government relations director.
He points to Gov. Victor
Atiyeh’s suggested five percent
salary increase for state em
ployes as a graphic example.
Mendenhall doesn’t feel that
legislators are unsympathetic
or that they are not concerned
about state employes.
“They tend to think of what is
the best for the most,” he says.
“With the present economic
forecasts, they feel they have
an inadequate number of
dollars to spread throughout
the state. This means no one
gets what they are entitled to.”
However, Mendenhall feels
the current pessimistic mood of
the legislature may ease by
mid-session.
Why? Economic forecasts
may change.
Prior to the start of each
le g isla tiv e sessio n , the
governor and the legislative
leaders must project what the
economic conditions and needs
of the state will be over the
next two years. Because
economic conditions and data
are constantly changing, this
type of forecasting is ex
tremely difficult and often
results in significant dis
agreements in w h a t th e ec o n
o m ic d a ta s u g g e s ts .
Many feel that the economic
data on the first quarter of 1981
— which is due in April — will
give a much more optimistic
picture of Oregon’s economic
future, than information that
has spawned the current tight-
belted philosophical attitude.
While more encouraging
economic signals are quite
possible, they cannot be
counted on. Mendenhall feels
this means OSEA’s lobbying
efforts will have to be very
energetic and persistent in
stressing the special needs of
our programs.
Major efforts have been
made to assure a strong lob
bying posture.
• Considerable work has been
done since the last session to
insure OSEA will have a good
working relationship with
legislators in this session. This
included maintaining a dia
logue with every incumbent
legislator, working in over 50
winning
cam paigns
and
opening communications with
the 18 newly-elected legis
lators.
• Eric Parker has been
added to OSEA’s lobbying
team. He will deal with all
legislation effecting senior
members of OSEA.
• Groundwork has been laid
to insure OSEA will be called
upon to provide background
information and technical data
to legislators and testimony to
committees.
• Special committees are
being formed to monitor the
progress of specific legislation
and to review changes in
legislation as it occurs.
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OSEA's legislative program
OSEA’s 1981 legislative program will center
on seven areas of legislative interest. The
following is a capsulization of each area. In-
depth articles on each of these issues will
appear in The OSEA News as they become
timely.
Workers Compensation Law
A Governor’s Task Force and the House
Labor Committee will be suggesting sweeping
changes to the current Workers Compensation
Law. The OSEA lobbying effort will continue
to monitor and help shape this legislation to
insure proper protection for public employes.
State Classification System
The state classification system has
developed piecemeal since its inception. OSEA
will initiate legislation to begin the process of
updating the classification system to meet five
goals: equity, administrative efficiency,
upward mobility, affirmative action and
comparable worth.
Personal Liability Insurance
Current statutory language makes
protection of state employes from all lawsuits
filed against them as a* result of on-the-job
activities, less than certain. OSEA is studying
the need for additional legislation.
Public Employes Retirement System
Benefits: OSEA will negotiate for significant
increases in benefits, with particular em
phasis on ways to address the dilemma of
inflation and reduction in spendable income.
Housing: OSEA will initiate legislation to
permit current employed members and PERS
annuitants to receive PERS support for home
loan financing.
However, special interest
demands on each legislator will
grow each week. Mendenhall
says our efforts in the
legislature must also grow if
we are to keep pace.
“Membership participation
will help us maintain a strong
posture,” he said. “Few people
realize the significant impact
they can make on legislative
opinion. In many instances, as
few as ten letters from con
stituents can influence a
legislator’s decision.”
Mendenhall
encouraged
members to stay informed on
the issues facing state em
ployes to communicate their
opinions and concerns to their
legislators and to contact
Parker or himself if they want
to participate in any other way,
including working on mon
itoring committees.
Shared Work Compensation Plan
OSEA will initiate legislation establishing a
voluntary program of temporary work
sharing, as an alternative to potential employe
layoffs. The legislation will also provide
partial replacement of lost wages and benefits
for workers who elect to reduce their work
week.
S.B. 57 and S.B. 496
Both pieces of legislation are likely to be
reviewed during this session. OSEA’s lobbying
efforts will be to guard the gains made by
these model pieces of legislation and to thwart
any possible counter-productive legislation.
Chuck Mendenhall
Procedures for political rebate
PREAMBLE
In response to concerns
which have been expressed
regarding the constitutional
rights of persons who are
required by contract to pay
money to the Oregon State
Employes Association or any of
its affiliates (hereinafter
referred to as the OSEA), the
OSEA Board of Directors
adopts the following political
activity rebate procedure.
1. DEFINITIONS
A. “Affiliate” means any
local affiliate of the OSEA.
B. “Fiscal year” means
October 1 through the following
September 30.
C. “Nonmember” means a
nonmember of the OSEA who is
required to make a monthly
“fair share” payment to the
OSEA.
D. “ Political activity”
means:
(1) the administration of
an independent political action
committee;
(2) the
determ ination
and /o r publicizing of an
organizational preference for a
candidate for political office;
or
(3) efforts to enact, defeat,
repeal, or amend legislation
which is not related to the
working conditions, welfare,
job security, or working en
v iro n m en t of em ployes
represented by the OSEA
and/or its affiliates.
E. “Fair share” means a
monthly payment in lieu-of-
dues which is paid to the OSEA
(or to an OSEA affiliate for
subsequent transmission to the
OSEA) by a nonmember
pursuant to a contractual
requirement as authorized in
ORS 243.650 (10), ORS 243.650
(16), and ORS 243.666 and
related statutes.
II. PRELIMINARY POLITI
CAL ACTIVITY REBATE
A. Not more than thirty (30)
days after the Board of
Directors adopts the OSEA
annual budget, the Executive
Director shall determine the
percentage of the budget which
is allocated to political activity
except that for the fiscal year
beginning October 1, 1977, this
determination shall be made
within 30 days of adoption of
this policy.
B. The OSEA dues for
members for the fiscal year in
question shall be multiplied by
the aforesaid percentage and
the product shall constitute the
preliminary political activity
rebate for nonmembers who
are eligible for OSEA mem
bership.
I I I . NOTIFICATION
OF
REBATE PROCEDURE
A. The Salem office of the
OSEA shall have on file and
available for inspection during
regular working hours a copy
of the OSEA political rebate
procedure.
B. As soon as possible after a
fair share agreement is im
plemented in a bargaining unit
for which OSEA or one of its
affiliates is the collective
bargaining representative, the
Executive Director or his
designee shall cause to be
posted in the work, area :
(1) a copy of the OSEA
political activity
rebate
procedure; and
(2) a notice which in
dicates:
(a) that nonmembers
may request a political activity
rebate from the OSEA
(b) the steps to be taken
by a nonmember in order to
request a political activity
rebate; and
(c) the amount of the
preliminary political activity
rebate and the manner in
which it has been computed.
Such notice shall be posted
for a period of not less than
thirty (30) days in the same
manner as normal posting of
notices of interest to members
of the bargaining unit, or the
Executive Director or his
designee shall make a good
faith effort to communicate to
nonmembers in the bargaining
unit the contents of said notice.
Steps likewise shall be taken to
inform promptly any non
member who first becomes
subject to the fair share
requirement after the aforesaid
po stin g o r o th e r com
munication of his or her rights
in this regard.
C. A copy of the aforesaid
notice shall be printed in the
first two issues of “The OSEA
News,” published during each
fiscal year in question. For
the fiscal year beginning Oc
tober 1, 1977, said notice shall
be published in said newspaper
as soon as practicable and shall
also be published
following month.
in
the
IV. REQUEST FOR REBATE
A. A nonmember who ob
jects to the expenditure of any
portion of his or her fair share
payment for political activity
may request a political activity
rebate by sending a written
c o m m u n ic a tio n to th e
Executive Director.
B. T he w r itte n c o m
munication shall include a
statement by the nonmember
that he or she is not a member
of the OSEA and objects to the
expenditure of any portion of
his or her fair share payment
for political activity, a request
for a political activity rebate,
and the following information:
(1) - the name and address
of the nonmember;
(2) the position in which
the non-member is employed;
(3) the name of the em
ploying agency
If the written communication
does not contain the above
information, it shall be
returned to the nonmember
with appropriate instruction for
resubmission.
V. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
OF REQUEST FOR REBATE
The Executive Director shall
send to each nonmember who
requests a political activity
re b a te a w ritte n com
munication informing him or
her that:
(a) his or her request for
political activity rebate has
been received ;
(b ) an amount equal to the
preliminary political activity
rebate has been placed in an
escrow account on his or her
behalf; and
(c) the political activity,
rebate to which he or she is
entitled shall be sent to him or
her not more than thirty (30)
days after the end of the fiscal
year in question.
VI. FINAL POLITICAL ACTI
VITY REBATE
A. After the fiscal year in
question has ended, the
Executive Director shall utilize
the procedure set forth in
Section II above to compute, on
the basis of the percentage of
the OSEA annual budget ac
tually spent for political ac
tivity, a final political activity
rebate for nonmembers who
are eligible for OSEA mem
bership.
B. Not more than thirty (30)
days after the end of the fiscal
year in question political ac
tivity rebates shall be sent
certified mail, return receipt
requested, to those non
members who requested such
rebates.
(1) A nonmember who has
paid fair share for less than an
entire year shall receive a
proportionally reduced poli
tical activity rebate.
C. The Executive Director
shall include with such rebates
a written communication which
explains the reasons for any
d iffe re n c e betw een the
preliminary and final political
activity rebates and indicates
(Continued on page 4).