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About The 503 voice. (Salem, OR) ????-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2007)
SEIU Local 503, OPEU Nonprofit Org U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 202 Salem, Oregon PO Box 12159, Salem, OR 97309-0159 In this issue... Address service requested Craig Davis and City of Beaverton members win by standing together.......................................2 LOBBY DAYS: 503 is still stormin' the Capitol....................................2/3 Our union welcomes Child Care Providers ....................... .........2 Organizing Adult Foster Care Providers ........................................ 3 Vision to Action! 9MMI Announcements inside flap SEIU members act fast when services are threatened............ outside flap 203-73581-M-2 SCOTT FLETCHER 961 MIMOSA ST S SALEM OR 97302 President's column: What members do.......................... 4 Bargaining chair speaks out ......4 9730ÄSS637 C021 97302563761 DAS, OUS and Homecare members' Contract deadlines approaching Telling our communities about our living wage campaign by Leslie Frane, Executive Director, SEID Local 503, OPEU Ninety percent of our members work under contracts that expire on July 1 of this year. That includes members of three of our largest bargainng units: DAS, OUS, and Homecare. For all three, bargaining is well underway, but it's already clear that the path to victory will have lots of twists and turns. For State members in the DAS and OUS bargaining units, one piece of good news was the State's agreement to bargain jointly on wages and health care. Less promising was the State's initial economic proposal (described on page 4 by SEIU bargaining committee chair Cory McIntosh). They have offered us a whopping one percent raise in each year of the contract! No state worker should need to rely on food stamps Our proposal to management would enable us to keep pace with inflation. It would protect our health insurance and guarantee that no full-time state worker earns less than the gross income limit for food stamp eligibility for a family of four. enough to fund the progress our members deserve, so we are lobbying hard to amend those budgets. - in the worksites, at the Capitol, and in our communities. This year, we're on track to break our record for the number of members partici pating in our lobby day program. Elsewhere in this issue, you can read about members having face to face conversations with legislators to build support for our services and our contract campaign. One problem we face is that the money set aside in the Governor's recommended budget and the Legislature's Ways and Means Committee Co-Chairs' budget is not We're finding creative ways to purple up in the worksites, through unity breaks, sticker days, and other actions. In April, we'll be having press conferences and informational pickets to publicize our living wage campaign in our communities. As July 1 approaches, there will be count less opportunities to stand up for ourselves, our families, and our clients in the struggle to win a fair contract. Check our website (www.seiu503.org) for updates, and talk to your steward or bargaining delegate. When I first got in the union I had a hard time believing anyone would listen to us, much less care about our issues. Now, into our third contract, Homecare v know firsthand the worth of working t< d feel very hopeful we'll negotiate an even better contract. Bob Grant Homecare provider, Roseburg We “adopt’ Colorado and Arizona Homecare seeks raises and expanded training Homecare members are asking for raises equal to forty-five cents an hour each year and to protect our health insurance and workers' compensation coverage. We also want to expand the training program begun under our last contract to cover clients as well as workers. So far, the Homecare bargaining team has not received even an initial bargaining proposal from the State. We win contracts away from the table The members comprising our negotiating teams for DAS, OUS, and Homecare are talented and dedicated. But ultimately, we win contract victories away from the table SEIU Board members voted to "adopt" Arizona and Colorado after hearing presentations from SEIU members and staff from those states. Mike Parachini from Colorado (back row, second from right) told how bad road conditions are because of lack of state funding. Being adopted means that we'll send member organizers to both states to talk to workers and help them organize into a union. Congratulations to Tanaya Brooks (Homecare), Joye Camacho (DHS), and David Meyers (ODOT-DMV) who went to Arizona to organize Pima County public employees who just voted to join SEIU (by a vote of 1163 to 701). SEIU Local 503, OPEU - STRONGER TOGETHER PAGE 1
