Image provided by: SEIU Local 503; Salem, OR
About The Oregon public employe. (Salem, Oregon) 1981-???? | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1994)
OPEU/SEIU Local 503 District candidates District 1 • For Director Geraline (Geri) Washington Local 333, Health Division I QUALIFICATIONS FOR OFFICE: My qualifications for the office of District Director for District 1 are that I am currently serving as Assistant Director for District 1. Also, I hold the elected office of Local President (two terms), have been a Shop Steward for six years, and am a representative on our labor-manage ment committee team for the Health Division. Last year served as cochair for the Civil and Human Rights ad hoc committee for a term of one year. My representation as a Member Or ganizing Committee member (MOC) for four years has served the Union well in helping recruit new members into the Union. I organize and coor dinate group meetings effectively in developing worksite actions. UNION EXPERIENCE: Other Union experience that plays a major role in my ability to be a leader, organizer, and communicator for District 1 was as a Flying Squadron member during the 1987 strike and General Council and bargaining delegate for Local 333. WHY SEEKING OFFICE: I am seeking the office of District Director for District 1 because of the need to continue our strong District participation statewide and help continue to build and train new leaders both at the Local and District levels. GOALS FOR OPEU: My goals for OPEU during my erm of office are to work effectively toward the accomplishment of the four adopted statewide goals for the Union, help build a more diverse leadership representation for the Union_and the members we serve, continue to help build a strong Union, organize new members into the Union, and speak collectively the thoughts and feelings of our Union in as many political forums, communities, and many multi-Local and District Union worksite action planning sessions when called upon. GOALS FOR DISTRICT: To continue to Work closely with Citizen Action by Public Employees (CAPE) and Local and District leadership to help elect a pro-labor Legislature. With this successfully accomplished, all others will come together more easily. BIGGEST SINGLE ISSUE FACING THE UNION: The biggest single issue the Union will face during my term will be replacement revenue. This issue along with the personal issue of the Union’s membership will be the struggles we will continue to deal with until we effectively educate the citizens of Oregon. PROPOSED RESOLUTION OF ISSUE: The resolu tion, as always, is to continue to encourage our membership to effectively educate their neighbors, churches, communi ties, and family members. Also, to resolve this problem of replacement revenue, we must communicate an unselfish mes sage to Oregonians in order to receive their buy-off and support in these efforts. District 1 • For Director Ken Penner Local 412, Children’s Services Division QUALIFICATIONS FOR OFFICE: My experience as a statewide officer for four years with the CSD Local, and as an Assistant District Director and District Director, have provided me with the necessary experience for this office. UNION EXPERIENCE: Steward, 10 years; Member of the state Central Bargaining Team. WHY SEEKING OFFICE: Public employees are facing increasing attacks and I believe I can bring the needed leadership experience to OPEU. GOALS FOR OPEU: 1. Increase member involvement in OPEU in all facets of Union activities. 2. In crease political involvement of OPEU and individual members. GOALS FOR DISTRICT: 1. In crease member involvement in Dis trict activities. 2. Increase and strengthen the leadership within Dis trict 1. BIGGEST SINGLE ISSUE FAC ING THE UNION: The attacks on public employees, particularly in pay and benefits, is the biggest single issue. PROPOSED RESOLUTION OF ISSUE: I believe we need to educate and organize all our members about the issue in order to have as many members as possible actively involved in the fight we are facing. We must continue to communicate to the public the contributions made by public employees. District 1 • For Assistant Director David R. Roth Local 839, Bureau of Labor and Industries QUALIFICATIONS FOR OFFICE: Member, District 1 Executive Committee; five years, Secretary-Treasurer, Lo cal 839; Active in District since strike year (1987); Very knowledgeable about problems in establishing worker participation in management of public agencies. Currently a member of BOLI’s labor management committee. Led Dis trict 1 ’s campaign to make worker participation in reinventing govern ment a statewide goal of OPEU. Leader in organizing job actions and political actions in the Portland State Office Building. Good communica tion with director and deputy direc tor, as well as other staff. Trained and experienced in negotiations. UNION EXPERIENCE: Worked hard to coordinate ac tivities among different agencies. Organized a conference on labor-management relations in late 1980s funded by District 1; attended bargaining strategy sessions; staffed phone polls and canvassing for District 1 ; edited newsletter for Local 839; completed Labor Education and Research Center (LERC) course on worker participation in govern ment agencies (Portland State); staffed Labor Day picnic for District 1; organized and edited an evaluation of BOLI’s management for OPEU. WHY SEEKING OFFICE: I believe the District level has great potential for empowering our membership because it can break down the boundaries between Locals, enabling activists and other members to learn from each other and support each other in job actions. More initiatives should come from Districts, so that OPEU avoids the high/low cycle of membership activism. GOALS FOR OPEU: 1. Establish strong labor-manage ment committees in each agency. 2. Perform professional study of OPEU’s organizational culture. 3. Create a strategy for answering public attacks on public employees based on reinventing government through Union strength. 4. Establish direct election of statewide officers. 5. Win reform of worker replacement rule of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) so that the number of union members in Oregon will start to grow again. 6. Increase the number of nonprofits organized by OPEU. GOALS FOR DISTRICT: 1. Increase interagency coop eration within District. 2. Increase membership activism through special projects like fund-raising for the OPEU Hardship Fund. 3. Develop a public relations strategy for District 1 based on Goal 4 — worker participation and reinventing government. 4. Defeat PERS initiative and other public employee bashing initiatives. 5. Help Locals develop effective worker participation programs. BIGGESTSINGLE ISSUE FACING THE UNION: Worker participation and reinventing government, because they will have the longest term effects on our members’ working lives. Whether we win or lose on the anti-union initiatives, we will still need to fight for more rational planning of our work and more respect from our managers and the public. PROPOSED RESOLUTION OF ISSUE: District 1 should organize s series of conferences or meetings on Goal 4 at different worksites around the District. This process would educate the membership about their rights under the Government Efficiency Act and provide a Union-oriented framework for reinventing government. District 1 • For Assistant Director Alice Chaney Local 412, Children’s Services Division QUALIFICATIONS FOR OFFICE: I am the chairperson representing all Human Services Assistants (HSAs) in Metro Region as part of the staff development committee. I have held this position two years. I assisted in planning for the statewide Family Resource Worker and HSA conference. I helped plan and develop training for East Multnomah branch. I do have good oral and written communication skills. UNION EXPERIENCE: I was a member of the Union’s collaborative bargaining team. I have attended leadership training. Attended OPEU/CAPE Leadership Conference in February 1994. WHY SEEKING OFFICE: I would like to become a more active member of our Union with high hopes of meeting our goals. GOALS FOR OPEU: To help members become aware of the issues that we all face. And to try to influence them to take a more active part in fighting all initiatives. GOALS FOR DISTRICT: Increase membership involve ment. Organize employee participation programs. Defeat all attacks on public employees’ pay and retirement ben efits. BIGGEST SINGLE ISSUE FACING THE UNION: At tack on public employees’ PERS (retirement). PROPOSED RESOLUTION OF ISSUE: As discussed at the CAPE/OPEU Conference, everyone needs to take an active part and talk with friends, relatives, and neighbors about the initiative. Each employee needs to be well informed to be able to answer questions that might be asked about our PERS benefits. District 1 • For Assistant Director Flavio Martinez III Local 199, City of Tigard QUALIFICATIONS FOR OFFICE: I have been an active Union member: Steward for Local 199, and Vice President, and now as President. WHY SEEKING OFFICE: To get a broader view of Union business and keep local government perspective on the Board. GOALS FOR OPEU: Get a better communication with all local cities and other local unions. GOALS FOR DISTRICT: Help with the membership. BIGGEST SINGLE ISSUE FACING THE UNION: The PERS and retirement plan. PROPOSED RESOLUTION OF THE ISSUE: By fight ing all the negative people and policies filed against the unions. DISTRICT CANDIDATES CONTINUE PAGE 10 Page 9 I
