Image provided by: SEIU Local 503; Salem, OR
About The 503 voice. (Salem, OR) ????-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2005)
I H h M I CW I ftrM I STOP ¡RAISE lAHordabtel H h M i .O TW ' M» J Smp I STOP* WeN edA Slfet RE U RA SEI 9 i ------------------- . of ROvdAUG J eiu — ^ordableH I Health ■ real I Care W I for All ■ ilRAISE ■ REAL RAISE IS® real I Abordable I | WE I IsfidEAL REM RAISE REAL WU may zi: Five molisana march for fairness The streets of Salem were purple when we marched to the Capitol for affordable health care for all and a fair contract - to make progress on wages, health insurance benefits, and to address the inequities created by two years of a step freeze. We heard from members across Oregon: Nancy Weaver (Portland Metro area), Deon Chandler (Eastern Oregon), Carol Ann Mickey (Southern Oregon), Barbara Casey (Statewide Strategy Committee), Sonya Reichwein (Willamette Valley), Sandra Huckleberry (the Coast), and Greg Ledbetter (Bargaining Team Chair). Legislators Jeff Merkley and Phil Barnhart gave their support. Joe DiNicola, Leslie Frane, and Tim Nesbitt inspired us. But most uplifting was the great show of unity - members with their families fighting for fairness. legislators forced to go on record on health care by Arthur Towers, Political Director Senate Bill 501 would have required the health insurance industry to report how much'of our insurance premium goes to PAGE 2 SEIU contracts reached Non-medical expense fund and 3% for members at Baker City Although chances to pass these bills may look bleak, SEI U members forced legisla tors to take a stand on health care. We lobbied, wrote letters, came to rallies, and marched for affordable health care for all. •Here's what happened with the bilk iin the affordable health care package. On June 27, House Republicans defeated motions to bring Senate Bilk 501 and 329 to the floor. Deanna Berglund is a Grant Technician at the University of Oregon in Eugene. Members fa Baker City provide water treatment plant services, maintain roads, and work in information technology, the planning department and as front-1 ine office staff. Contract highIights include a 3% increase each year of the three-year contract, adding a 3% step, and a $5,000 catastrophic farad (to he distributed by a committee)for non-medical expenses, like driving ip Boise for cancer treatment. The Oregon Senate passed legislation to make health care more affordable, but at press time, the Oregon House of Representatives had denied a full debate on the affordable health care package. SEIU Local 503 members Melany Hammang, Linda Ingham, Paula Allen and Barney Gorter were among the many who testified at hearings about the impact ovit-cff-Gontrol health care costs have on working families. More than 1,500 members of Local §03 and sister SEIU Local 49 led the lobbying effort, as did a broad range of community organizations. The session-long focus on the profiteering and price gouging by the health care industry helped to protect SEIU members from a backlash created by talk show hostiLars Larson, who criticized the level of public employee benefits. All those people, that energy! It was so inspiring to see so many SEIU members and their families. I really felt a sense of unity. We are truly part of a large, energetic, forward-looking group that is out to change things. 99 City of The Dalles workers win 10-year battle to gain a voice Bargaining team members felt this round of negotiations went better than any other with City of The Dalles. Wages will increase 8.3% over their three-year contract, plus workers will get an additional sfap. Members pre sented a petition with 25 of 27 signatures demanding a Labor Management Committee. After a 10-year struggle, this committee was finally established.. Workers at LCOG are able to maintain current health plan SEIU homecare members joined thousands of seniors and people with disabilities in at rally at the Capitol on April 20 to protect funding for services. overhead, ad vertisi ng, and CEO pay com pared to how much goes to provid i ng health insurance. Senate Bill 329 would have expanded the State's prescription drug p u rc h as i n g pool, al I owi ng h u n d reds of thousands m ore Oregonians access to cheaper medication. Both bilk were denied a fall debate by a 32-26 party I ine vote. Every Repu bl ¡can voted against the two motions and every Democrat voted for the two motions. Two legislators were absent. Senate Bill 1040, which would have required hospitals to fully disclose their SEIU Local 503, OPEU - STRONGER TOGETHER pricing practices also passed the Senate, but Is stuck ¡in the House Budget Committee. All three bilk could come back to ilife, but as the legislature enters its final days, chances for the passage of affordable health care legislation seem slim. We put health care on the legislative agenda and legislators had to choose between standing up for people in our communities or standing up for health care ¡corporations. A majority Of Senators passed with flying colors, but the majority of House of Representative members failed. Lane Council of Government workers managed to keep their current Preferred -Provider Option plan rather than bei ng .forced to move to a Health Reimbursement Account plan. Members purpled up every bargaining day, came;to bargaining sessions, and held a tally to show strength and reach victory. Workers also won protection against mis-use of temporary employees, expanded grievance timelines, non-discrimina tion and harassment language, and a.3% increase in each .year of the three-year contract. Wallowa County members get innovative retiree plan Besides a 2.5% cost of living Increase (COLA) in the first year and a 2 -4% increase in successive years (based on the Consumer Price Index), mem bers who maintain roadsfa Wallowa got a new lead worker scale that is 2% above the top wage and an innovative plan for those retiring at age 60 or higher. These workers can draw on thei r retirement and come back to work the minimum hours that allow them to pay for their health insur ance and stay on the County plan. Courts workers in Wallowa won strengthened vacation scheduling language in addition to their COLA's. One of the finest trade unionists by Leslie Frane, Executive Director KAREN THOMPSON November 8, 1954 - May 9, 2005 Karen Thompson, president of our homecare local, passed away after a long struggle with cancer. Karen died the way she lived - with dignity, faith, and courage. Until the end, Karenigx pr es s e d hergr^tittide ^nd love for h e r un i on and sisters, whose struggle to win health insurance for home care workers enabled Karen to receive good medical care throughout the final stages of her illness. it would be hard to over estimate Karen's importance to our union. As a leader, as a so u rce of i n spi rati on, as a symbol of our progress, Karen gave every ounce of her energy to build our union and to defend the home care program from budget cuts. When faced with anychallenge - whether in contract negotiations or in her own medical needs — she maintained a level of optimism and determination that was infectious. That optimism helped the rest of us to keep struggling when we mightotherwise have grown discouraged.:Karen wilI be greatly missed. SEIU Local 503, OPEU - STRONGER TOGETHER PAGE 3
