Unite to Win
Our country, our unions,
and all working people
are at a crossroads
Nursing home workers settle first contracts
We have reached first contracts with three nursing home providers,
covering 11 homes. Although each contract is different, all contracts
include significant pay raises. All contracts include "Just Cause" so that
workers can only be disciplined or fired with good reason, with due
process, and with fairness to all concerned. All contracts contain union
security and respect for seniority.
* We must
build the
labor
movement
bigger,
^faster
...NDW. 99
To Risk
To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach for another is to risk involvement.
Shirley Stigler from Piedmont Nursing Home in Portland (L) and
Carlotta Davison from Willowbrook in Pendleton at General Council.
To expose your ideas, your dreams, before a crowd, is to risk their loss.
Belonging to a union...
To live is to risk dying.
by Carlotta Davison, Certified Nursing Assistant, Pendleton
My name is Carlotta Davison and I am a Certified Nursing ;
Assistant at a nursing home in Eastern Oregon. We just
recently signed a contract which we have been bargaining for
a very long time. This jsa poem about risk that my co-workers
and ! found which describes our recent experiences through
this whole process, and we would like to share it with you;
Our union gives us the opportunity to take these risks for a
better quality of life for ourselves, our family, and for the
elderly. We really can, be heard when we all speak with one
voiceand stand together, because what lies in our power to
do alsojies in our power not to do. My co-workers and I
would like to thank SEI U Local 503 nursing home workers for
this opportunity.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To believe is to risk failure.
Gerry Hudson
hprau^p thp greatest hazard in life is to risk....
Rut ridsc
nothing.
SEIU International Executive Vice President
The people who risk nothing, do nothing, have nothing, are nothing. "
They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel,
change, grow, love, live.
Do we continue to let our labor movement get
smaller and weaker, while global corporations
get larger and Stronger? Or do we make bold changes in
Chained by their attitudes, they are slaves;
They have forfeited their freedom.
1..
the labor movement to build new strength and unity to win good jobs;
affordable, quality health care; opportunity for all; and retirement with
dignity?
Only a person who risks is free.
- Anonymous
In November 2004, Andrew Stern, SEIU International President, began
a debate among the national leaders of the AFL-CIO affiliated unions
around the structure of the American labor movement. The ideas
proposed by SEIU could result in major changes at the AFL-CIO's July
2005 quadrennial convention. The plan promoted by President Stern,
Legislators Introduce four worker-friendly bills
Electing pro-working family
politicians is already paying off as
legislators file four new bills on our
behalf.
services in Spanish., All Oregonians should
have the tools necessary to pay our taxes
and be productive,members of our
communities.
Protecting personal information
Making safety and staffing levels
mandatory in bargaining
The first would require st^te agencies that
use prison labor to notify cajfers that they
are pos-sibly giving personal information to
inmates/ This issue is big for our brothers
and sisters in DMV, where work once done
by un ioti members for family wages is
now done ¡quietly behind prison walls for
far less.
Guarding against contracting-out
A second piece of proposed legislation.
guards against public funds going to
contract-out our jobs to other countries.
This once unthinkable idea is a reality in
several states where services are adminis
tered by call centers overseas. We need to
insure that taxes paid in Oregon stay-tra^
this state and help provide quality jobs.
Providing equal rights to citizens
Over that past two decades Oregon has
seen a dramatic increase in our Spanish
speaking population, but the state has not
kept up by providing help to these taxpayers.
Legislators addressed this problem last
week with legislation that would require
the Department of Revenue to provide
"Unite to Win: A 21st Century Plan to Build New Strength for
Working People" asserts that we should unite the strength of workers
I think every Oregonian should
have the choice as to whether
or not they give personal
information to prisoners.
99
The fourth piece of legislation would make
safety and staffing levels mandatory sub-
jects of bargaining for non-strikeableunits
like OYA and several local governments,
For years our members who do correc
tions and public safety work for youth and
adults have seen increases in offenders
without adequate staffing increases. Now
management is hot legally required to
bargain over many safety
and staffing issues; This
makes it difficult for us to
The 503 Voice is published by SEIU Local 503, OPEU.
make progress on these
Editor: J. Szliske szl@opeuseiu.org
critical issues in bargain
LOCAL 503
ing or through binding
Salem Headquarters
arbitration. If this bill
1730 Commercial St. SE
is signed into law our
PO Box 12159
front-line workerswil^
OPEU
Salem, OR 97309-0159
finally have some of the
503-581 -1505/ 800-452-2146 (Fax) 503-581 -1664
protection that has
always been provided to
Portland Field Office: 503-408-4090 / 800-527-9374
Bend Field Office: 541 -385-8471/ 800-832-0593
the rest of us.
Corvallis Field Office: 541-766-4968
Eugene Field Office: 541-342-1055 1 800-521-3446
Medford Field Office: 541 -779-4324/ 800-452-7965
Pendleton Field Office: 541-276-4983 / 800-452-8146
SEIU
www.seiu503
SEIU Local 503, OPEU - STRONGER TOGETHER
I SKI
SEIU International Executive Vice-President, Gerry Hudson inspires stewards
with his keynote address on why we must unite to survive at Stewards’
Conference last week in Portland.
PAGE 3
who do the same type of work or are ih the same industry, sector or
craft to take on their employers. To achieve this goal, the AFL-CIO
Executive Council should have the authority to recognize up to three
lead national unions that have the membership, resources, focus, and
strategy to win in a defined industry, ^is would include a plan
produced by lead unions to win for workers in their area of strength.
The following are some of SEIU's proposed principles to build
21st century unions with the strength to change workers' lives.
We hope they will lead to a bold discussion at all levels of the labor
movement, prompt action, and a new future for American workers.
"Unite to Win" recognizes thitworking people are strong only when:
■ AU unions work together, and not for separate or competing goals.
■ All union members who deal with the same employer or work in
the same industry or sector - no matter what union they are in -
unite their strength to win contracts and legislation.
■ Uniqns make it a top priority to help the 90% of American workers
who don't have a union to join Us and add their strength to ours in
each industry or sector.
In our "Unite to Win" proposal, SEIU calls for one united union
movement to:
■ Lead a coordinated campaign for quality, affordable health
care for all, including state and local reforms.
■ Challenge the "Wal-Marting" of American jobs before Wal-
Marl's low-wage, no-benefit policy drags down standards for all.
■ Build a global union movement so workers around the world who
work for the same employer or industry can coordinate strategy and
fight the corporations' use of outsourcing and other tactics to drive
down pay arid benefits everywhere.
Bold improvements must be made now so that working people
can speak with a strong, united voice.