The Oregon public employe., June 01, 1981, Image 1

VOLUME XXIII, No. 5
JUNE 1981
P U B L IC
A publication of the Oregon Public Employes Union, *
Talks With State Broken-Off
S ta te Refuses
to Rem ove
Take-B acks
M em bers Plan
“ S olidarity”
Rally J u n e 6
At least 3,000 people are expected
to march through the streets of
downtown Salem to deliver what is
being described as “the strongest
statement yet" that state employes
will not stand for the State’s “take
back” proposals.
The “ Solidarity March,” which is
scheduled for June 6, will begin at
Marion Square Park and conclude on
the Capitol Steps.
“ Victor Atiyeh is going to see the
members of this union deliver the
strongest statement yet, that they will
not stand for the State’s calculated
campaign to take back provisions
they have won in previous contracts,
that they will not be forced to accept
less than equitable wages and that
they will not give-in to union busting
tactics,” said Thomas Gallagher,
OPEU Executive Director.
"Members and their families will
come from all over the state io
participate in this event,” he said.
“ The more people that participate the
larger its impact will be. I urge all
members to invest one day in helping
to secure a better contract for
themselves and their fellow workers
and to come have a good time while
doing it."
Members and their supporters will
begin assembling at 10 a.m. at Marion
Square Park, located on North
Commercial Street at the east end of
Marion Bridge in Salem.
Rally organizers are urging march­
ers to arrive early, because the Salem
Police have ordered that marchers be
on the street at 11 a.m.
Buses and carpooling are being
arranged in many cities around the
state. OPEU business agents will
have details on how interested
persons can take advantage of these
rides.
There will be considerable parking
around and close to Marion Square
Park. Salem Police will not be
checking parking meters around the
park. Free parking will also be
available under the bridge adjacent to
the park.
In addition, free parking is available
two blocks south in the Chemeketa
Parkade, located at the corner of
Chemeketa and Commercial Streets.
Commercial Business Supply has
also offered free use of their parking
lot (the old Capitol Chevrolet lot),
located across the street from the
park on the northwest corner of
Union and Commercial Streets.
Buses will drop marchers off at the
park and pick them up at the Capitol.
Prior to the march, helium-filled
balloons will be distributed and
marchers will organize into their
coalitions. Members are asked to
come up with a theme for the march
and to put it on a banner. The theme
that is chosen by the marchers at the
park will lead the parade.
,S
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WE* I
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May Protests
During May, state employes began to show their agitation over the State's
bargaining position. Over 10,000 state employes wore “ Must We Strike” buttons
(top), approximately 6,000 members gave their reaction to six of management’s
contract proposals In a workplace vote (middle) and nearly 1,000 state employes
participated in a statewide Informational picketing.
Contract talks between the State
and OPEU ground to a complete
standstill during the last week of May,
when OPEU broke-off mediation over
what they characterized as the State's
“total unwillingness to bargain.”
State mediator Ken Brown said that
any more meetings would be a waste
of time and began the process of
moving the talks into factfinding.
The actual break-off of mediation
was a dramatic event involving
OPEU’s central table negotiating
team and over 150 OPEU members.
After presenting the State with a
major compromise on its economic
proposals earlier in the day, OPEU
negotiators were pressing the State
for justification on each of its seven
major “take-back" proposals. State
negotiators repeatedly refused to
offer justification and in each case
said that their take-back proposal was
their final position on that issue.
When the State removed a key
article covering employe's layoff
rights from the table, OPEU chief
negotiator Alice Dale chastized the
State negotiating team. She noted
that the layoff provision was the only
major non-economic area where the
two sides had made any progress.
“We have made every ^effort to
reach compromise with you on the
issues in this proposed contract,” she
said. “This move on your part
(withdrawing the layoff clause) is a
clear indication that you are not
willing to compromise.”
Dale then told the State team that as
long as th e ir m ajor take-back
provisions were on the table “it is a
clear indication to us that you do not
want to reach an agreement.”
She concluded by informing the
State’s negotiators that as long as the
major take-backs remain on the table
OPEU will not continue with media­
tion.
At that point the OPEU team and
the entire audience of OPEU mem­
bers and supporters got up and left
the room.
Later in the day, Dale said that the
employes who showed their support
during the mediation session were
more upset over the State's take-back
proposals than they were over
economic issues.
¿‘They are trying to force us to give
up what we have won in previous
contracts in order to get an agree
ment,” Dale said later in the day. “Thi
is to ta lly unacceptable to the
members of this union; they will not
accept a contract with losses of major
work rights.
The State has proposed major take
backs in shift differential, penalty pay
union rights, grievance definition
grievance arbitration, trial service and
holidays.
On May 26, John Demusiak, State
continued on page 4