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
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