In
Brief
Western Bank Urges Reduction of State Wages
State legislators are being urged
by Western Bank to “ reduce (state)
expenditures through reducing state
staff and related expenses.”
In a letter addressed to all 90
Oregon legislators, Western Bank
President Merle D. Courson said
that tax dollars have been
"squandered" by state employes
and accused them of "destroying
credibility between state govern
ment and the citizens, and have
succeeded in completely discourag
ing business and industry from
having much to do w ith a state
devoted to bureaucratic domina
tion.”
Courson also urged legislators to
Federal Workers
Contemplate
Job Actions
>
The federal government's Office
of Personnel Management (OPM ) is
trying to head off union unrest
among federal employes.
According to the Wall Street
Journal, OPM D irector Donald
Devine has promised federal
employes he will let them know in
advance about staff-cutting plans
and will refer latdoff employes to
agencies, like Defense, that are
hiring.
In addition, Devine said President
Reagan will soon praise “ the
positive contributions*' of federal
workers.
However, these steps offer little
remedy, according to Kenneth
Blaylock, president of the American
Federation of Government
Employes. “ People have reached a
point of exasperation,” he says.
“ Mass leave requests and picketing,
as welt as w ork slowdowns, are
possible courses of actions we are
considering.”
A strike by federal employes
would be illegal.
Nominations
for Officers
Due June 20
Nominations for statewide office
in OPEU will close at noon, June
20, according to Delbert Bolton,
OPEU President.
The General Council’s Candidate
Search and Nomination Committee
will meet at headquarters on June
20 to formally accept the nomina
tions and seconds. The meeting is
open to all members.
Candidate nomination forms can
be obtained from Candidate Com
mittee members (all Assistant
D istrict Directors), Board members
and Local presidents.
Statewide offices include presi
dent, vice president and secretary-
treasurer. Each office is a one-year
term.
VOLUME XXHl, No- 5
JUNE
H
E OREGON
P U B L IC
EM PLOYE
A potHtaHkm <H the O ffro » PuMk E m p to y Untow, SOU
Th® Oregon Public Employe is published monthly (except
August) toy the Oregon Public Employes Union, a public cm«
ploy e labor organization. Editorial and advertising offices are
located at 11x7 X5th Street SB, Salem, Oregon 97301, Second
class postage paid at Salem.
Subscriptions: $5 per year.
contem pt by state employes,” said
OPEU Government Affairs Director
Chuck Mendenhall. “ I would urge
state employes to withdraw any
funds they have deposited at
Western Bank as a means of
protesting inis action.” *
BANK
producers cannot be tolerated.”
“ Western Bank’s attempt to use
state employes as a scapegoat for
the State’s financial posture and as
a means to lobby against increased
taxes, should be viewed w ith
W estern Bank has' offices in
Ashland, Baker, Bandon, Bend,
Brookings, Clatskanie, Coos Bay,
Eagle Point, Florence, Gold Beach,
Gold Hill, Harbor, Cave Junction,
Keno, Klamath Falls, La Grande,
Medford, N orth Bend, Prineville,
Redmond, Scappoose, Shady Cove,
Sisters, St. Helens, Tillamook,
O ntario, Vale and W hite City.
Less Government, Not Lower Wages
To House and Senate Members:
As the 61st Legislature practices
its juggling act w ith the G overnor’s
budget in one hand and money
requests in the other, I find it
extremely im portant that we keep
ourselves thoroughly informed
about those needing money and
why.
As more and more deserving
groups enter the “ act,” I have
discovered how easy it is to pick
up on a piece of incorrect
information and pass it on as fact. I
think some o f my colleagues have
inadvertently done this concerning
the income level of state employes.
fv e heard it said that the
G overnor’s offer of a 6 percent pay
raise for state workers is “ indeed a
generous offer,” and even th a t.
“ state employes do all right; they
d o n ’t need a raise."
W hether you are in agreement
w ith these statements o r not, there
is one point that we can all agree
on: the public has spoken loud and
clear that it does no t want higher
Accountant #2
Carpenter (flat rate)
Electrician
Engineering Technician
Secretary
Autom otive Driver
taxes but it does w ant less
governm ent.,
The message got through to the
Legislature, but how some of us
translated that message into action
is unworkable. Some of my
colleagues see the solution as
simply cutting wages of the state
workers so taxes won’t have to be
raised and services can be
continued at their present level.
I find trying to maintain the
current level of services by not
providing a reasonable standard of
living fo r the service providers to be
a short range solution to the
problem.
In m y mind, the real answer to a
call for less government is just that
. . . less services and less taxes.
This means less programs, possibly
a freeze o n hiring arid p e rh a p s
layoffs.
Here are some approximate
figures on the disparity between
Oregon State and C ity of Portland
employes:
State Pay Range
C ity of Portland
$1302.0041663.00
$1436.0041584.00
$1507.0041663.00
$1302.0041663.00
$ 818.0041031.00
$ 985,0041082.00 (2 yr.)
$1817.0042059.00
$1782.00 (flat rate)
$1974.00 (flat rate)
$1692.0042021.00
$ 931.0041245.00
$1315.0041482.00 (1 yr.)
Rép. Lonnie Roberts, D-Multnomah
USPS 411*499
POSTMASTER: If undelivered, please send form 3579 to
OPEU, P.O. Box 1X159, Salem, Oregon 97399*
OREGON PUBLIC EMPLOYES UNION
P.O. Box 1X159
Salem, Oregon 97399
Telephone: 581*1595
Portland members call: XX3-1599
Elsewhere: 9O0-45X-X149
PORTLAND BRANCH OFFICE
SALEM BRANCH OFFICE
X399 SW Sixth Avenue
1879 Hawthorne, NE
Eldred Realty Bldg., Suite 193
Portland, Oregon 97X91
Telephone; XX4-1979
Salem, Oregon 97393
Telephone: 599-9130
EUGENE BRANCH OFFICE
1749 W. 19th Avenue
Eugene, Oregon 97403
Telephone: 34X-19S5
MEDFORD BRANCH OFFICE PENDLETON BRANCH OFFICE
4x4 SW 9th
1133 S- Riverside, Suite 7
Medford, Oregon 97591
P.O. Box 1959
Pendleton, Oregon 97801
Medford members call:
Telephone; 179*4993
779-43X4
Elsewhere: 800-451-7995
Page 2
rejecf/a series of bills that increase
personal and corporate taxes. He
warned that “ additional taxes on
Resolution
Deadline
is June 26
Open Period
for BUBB
Begins June 15
Deadline for submitting resolu
tions to headquarters for the 1981
General Council is 2 p.m., June 26.
Open enrollment period fo r all
insurance programs in the Bargain
ing U nit Benefit Board (BUBB)
begins June 15.
OPEU President Deb Bolton is
urging members to submit their
resolutions or ideas for resolutions
to their Local o r D istrict Executive
Committees for review. “ Your
Executive Committees will deter
mine if the subject matter has been
previously covered, and will be able
to put the resolution o r idea into
proper form at for submission,”
Bolton said.
However. Bolton says that if
members want to submit a resolu
tion directly to headquarters,
District and Local officers or
delegates to General Council can
answer questions on proper format.
State employes currently enrolled
in BUBB programs may change
insurance companies or add depen
dents during this period. The open
enrollment period ends August 15.
Informational brochures and ap-
plications can be obtained from
personnel and payroll offices or by
balling BUBB at 373-1174 in Salem
o r 1-800-452-1174 statewide.