Homecare Workers Celebrate
Mileage Reimbursement Reduction Stopped;
Unity Picnic-Members Share Food, Fun and Ideas
utting m ileage reim bursem ent to volunteers is outrageous. Cutting
he list of measures that voters will consider this year is beginning to come
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together, how that the deadline for submitting signatures has passed.
While the Secretary o f State has until August 5 to verify the signatures on
initiatives, voters will consider two referrals from the recent special session o f the
Legislature— both recommended for approval by the SEIU Local 503, OPEU Board of
Directors — at a special election on September 20. They are:
♦ Measured: Permits taking money ($150 million) from the
Education Endowment Fund.
♦ M easure 20: Raises the cigarette tax to 600.
On November 5, voters will consider five referrals from the regular 2001 session
o f the Legislature, as well as those measures placed on the ballot by signature. As of
presstime for The Oregon Public Employee, the initiatives have not had their signatures
verified and, therefore, ate also not numbered. That task will conclude by August 5.
Here is the ballot measure initiative that will be of critical interest to SEIU Local 503,
OPEU members:
Paycheck Deception: The Sizemore measure to prohibit payroll deduction for
"political purposes" without the employee's written permission. This measure will
cripple our Union’s political power. This measure is similar to ones defeated in past
years and is ju st as damaging to the rights of public employees. Bill Sizemore put this
measure o n the ballot.
Sizemore and the people who support him have used the initiative process repeatedly
to do damage to public services and to public employees. If the “paycheck deception”
measure is passed, the means public employees, acting together through our unions, have
to protect our jobs and the programs we work in will be severely reduced. Here’s how:
| ♦
E
m ileage reim bursem ent to workers in the m idst o f contract |
negotiations is a possible unfair labor practice. Fortunately, sw ift
action by SEIU Local 503, OPEU hom ecare workers and organizers in late
lu n e stopped the cuts — including those for the volunteers not represented by
the Union.
About this same time, a weekend picnic for homecare workers, their
clients and families in the Portland area drew more than 200 — and the SEIU-
recommended candidate for governor, Ted Kulongoski.
Arguing that people are more important than pizza, Union homecare
workers testified at an Office o f M edical Assistance Programs hearing that a
possible reim bursem ent o f 90 a m ile for homecare workers who drive
wheelchair-accessible vans is unfair, when pizza delivery people receive 180 a
mile. Also, a call to the managem ent negotiator for hom ecare workers stopped
the potential unfair labor practice in its tracks.
On the bargaining front, however, things appear to be m oving much
slower — though w e thwarted the state’s effort to remove m any workers from
the bargaining unit. At the present time, the next talks are scheduled to take
up July 22.
The Union has given hom ecare workers who w ork in clients' homes, often
isolated from one another, a means to get together to share experiences and
ideas and to negotiate for better pay and benefits. The picnic showed
homecare workers in the Portland area all of those things.
This measure, i f passed, would reduce the right that public employees
have to participate in the political process that all other Oregonians have.
•
I t would reduce the money that public employees have available to participate
♦
in the political process.
From local government to the federal government, the political process
determines the pay and benefits and the programs we-work in.
Whether we’re talking about highway funds or collective bargaining rights; whether
we’re talking about programs that benefit seniors or health care; whether we’re talking
about support for public higher education or PERS, decisions that affect all of these tilings
are determined by the political process.
Paycheck deception will be on the b allot It needs to be defeated — for the sake of
our jobs and for the sake of the quality public services and public education that Oregonians
depend on. •
"
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SEIU Local 503, OPEU homecare workers testify against a proposed reduction of the
.
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mileage reimbursement, and gather in Portland for a unity picnic with family and clients
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— and SEIU-recommended candidate for Governor Ted Kulongoski.
Victory of PEBB
Part-time workers won an important victory with the Public Employee Benefits Board, the agency which provides health
insurance to state employees.
E B B v o te d to co n tin u e fo r an o th er y e a r a subsidy o f th e p a rt-tu n e r w orkers'
P
h ealth p la n , a su b sid y th at m ak es th e h e a lth in su ran ce affordable an d reaso n
able. B u t, it to o k th e activ e lo b b y in g a n d testim o n y o f S E IU L o cal 503,
O P E U m em b ers to d em o n strate th e im p o rtan c e o f p art-tim e h e a lth in su ran ce to a
w o rk fo rce th a t en ab les th e em p lo y er to b e flex ib le en o u g h to m e e t th e n eed s o f
O reg o n ian s.
A b o u t 7 0 0 p art-tim e w o rk ers are a g ro w in g p a rt o f a w o rk fo rce th a t delivers
serv ices in a un iq u e, flex ib le m anner. I t h as b e e n a g o al o f th e G o v ern o r an d th e
S tate o f O reg o n to create policies th a t p ro v id e affordable h e a lth care fo r low -in co m e
w o rk ers. T h e cu rre n t P E B B p art-tim e h e a lth in su ran ce p la n is co n sisten t w ith th is
g o al an d th e m issio n o f P E B B .
S o m e o f th e m o n ey fo r th is w ill co m e fro m P E B B reserv es an d som e fro m
B U B B reserv es. T h ere m ay b e so m e very m o d est increase s in p rem iu m s fo r p art-
PACE 2 THE OREGON PUBLIC EMPLOYEE
tim ers (a few d o llars a m o n th ), a n d so m e chan g es in th e d en tal b en efits fo r p art-
tim ers. B u t becau se o f o u r w ork, p art-tim ers w ill av o id h av in g th e ir p rem iu m s
doubled.
S te p h a n ie D e n b y -S p e n c e r o f th e U n iv ersity o f O reg o n S tu d en t H ealth D ep art
m e n t m ak es it c le a r w h y th is decisio n w as'"critical."
"M y jo b req u ires m ed ical k n ow ledge," sh e said. "T he u n iv ersity w o u ld h a v e a
very difficult tim e fin d in g so m eo n e w ith th o se skills w ith o u t th e p ro m ise o f b en efits.
A s it is, I fo reg o so m e o f th e treatm en t m y d o cto r reco m m en d s b ecau se I can 't afford
th e copay. I f th e h e a lth c a re b ecam e m o re exp en siv e, it w o u ld b e im possible."
S E IU L o cal 503, O P E U rep re sen tativ es o n P E B B ’s d esig n rev iew p an el in clu d e
K a r l a S p en ce, fo rm er L o cal p resid en t a n d cu rren tly h o m ecare coordinator, an d
C h u c k M e n d e n h a ll, th e U n io n 's h u m an reso u rces an d b en efits director.