“Burtie” Awards expose contractors
who rip off taxpayers
Concerned SEIU members and community supporters rallied on
the Capitol steps in Salem on May 23 to expose abuses by private
contractors funded by public dollars.
The biggest abusers received Halliburton, or "Burtie" awards, to
highlight their role in gouging Oregon taxpayers for millions of
dollars in unplanned and often unwarranted costs. We named
these awards in honor of the Halliburton Company, which is under
public scrutiny for its questionable use of hundreds of millions of
federal dollars in Iraq.
"In Oregon, we have a well-trained workforce that takes pride in
providing high-quality services. But practically every day, there is
another story in the news about contractors abusing the system,"
explains Sonya Reichwein, a Public Service Representative at the
Albany Driver and Motor Vehicle field office and chair of the SEIU
Responsible Contracting Committee. Here are a few of the "Burtie"
Award recipients.
The Revolving Door Award
This award highlights cases of cozy dealing, where agency staff go to
work for the contractors they should be overseeing.
Winner: ODOT's Office of Project Delivery In 2002, ODOT
hired an engineer who had formerly worked for a design and
engineering firm. During the three years this person was employed
by ODOT, she steered two-thirds of ODOT's environmental work to
her former firm. She also was instrumental in awarding her former
firm a $5.3 million contract, and only one week after that contract
was signed, she returned to work for the same contractor.
Source: Oregon Secretary of State Report No. 2006-34 (September 2006).
The Rotten Fish Award
This award highlights the difficulty agencies can get into when they try
to get rid of a contractor that is not meeting expectations.
Winner: Vantage Learning In attempting to comply with the
Federal No Child Left Behind Act, the Oregon Department of
Education contracted with Vantage Learning, a company that
builds computer touchscreen testing systems. When errors in the
system led to complaints and lost data, the State cancelled
Vantage's contract. In response, Vantage billed the State for an
extra $2.8 million.
Source: “Log Off and Grab a No. 2 Pencil," Oregonian (March 13,2007).
The "They Break It, We Fix It" Award
This award goes to contractors who run into trouble, and then walk
away, leaving the State to fix problems and pick up the tab.
Winner: Accenture In 2004, the Governor announced a
$1.7 million contract to consolidate 12 different data centers into
one State Data Center. Later, that cost grew to more than $11 million.
Savings were projected to be $10 million per year, which would
more than pay for the consolidation. The company chosen to per
form the work, Accenture, has a history of being removed from
jobs in other states amid controversy over costs and performance.
Accenture promised that the state would begin to see cost savings
within 2-5 years, although they admitted they had never done a
project like this. After making unrealistic claims in what staff
referred to as "the $2 million slide show," Accenture was removed
from the project and the remaining work done in-house.
Source: Oregon Secretary of State Report No. 2006-33 (September 2006).
SEIU awards $25,000 in scholarships
SEIU Local 503, OPEU awarded 40 scholarships
totaling $25,000 to members and their immediate
family members this year. Our union offers
awards of $500 per school year to students
entering school, and awards of $750 per
school year to students who are currently
enrolled.
$750 Scholarship recipients /
qualifying member:
Michael Bassett (Robert Bassett - DHS),
Amanda Boice (Linda Boice - Employment),
Amy Christy (Ann Christy - DHS), Lindy
Clayton (Rebecca Cutsforth - Employment),
Heather Conwell (Self - DOJ), Deidre Crowell
(Self - DHS), Alyssa Elting (Self - DHS), Wende
Glimpse (Richard Glimpse - DMV), Donna
Harris (Self - PSU), Bryn Jansson (Kyle Jansson -
Parks), Eric Learning (Gary Learning - ODOT),
Daniel Newth (Twila Nesky - PSU), Jeremy
Rayman (Kathy Lewis-Rayman - JCEA), Zachary
Stark-MacMillan (David MacMillan - Water
Resources), Kristen Stiegler (Don Stacy - OSLP),
Theodore Sweeney (Kathleen Fishier - PSU),
Heather Whisenhunt (Lilly Whisenhunt - DHS),
Jennifer White (Self - ODOT)
Jessie Bostelle Memorial Scholarship -
This $750 scholarship was awarded to Melissa
Anderson, a library clerk at the University of
Oregon in Eugene. Melissa is enrolled in the
Library Sciences program at UofO.
Tony Lowery Memorial Scholarship -
This $750 scholarship was awarded to Chuck
Wynns from Salem who is enrolled at Western
Oregon University in the Special Education
program.
• With the rising costs of college tuition, it's hard to know
where to turn for financial help. I'm glad that my union
saw this need and has a scholarship benefit. Both of my
children and I really appreciate SEIU's help. 99
Linda Boice is an Employment Specialist in Brookings and the mother
of two scholarship winners - Amanda and Jerry Boice.
ANNUAL LABOR DAY PICNIC
OAKS PARK, PORTLAND
$500 Scholarship recipients /
qualifying member:
(in Sellwood at the east end of Sellwood Bridge)
FOOD AND FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Jerry Boice (Linda Boice - Employment),
Chelsey Carlson (Rebecca Cutsforth -
Employment), Scott Crook (Douglas Crook -
DCBS), Colin Jabin (Darrell Jabin - PERS), Tyra
Jansson (Kyle Jansson - Parks), Elizabeth Kean
(Robert Kean - MCEA), Alyssa Koida (Kristin
Engelbretson - PSU), Gabriela Morey-Castro
BBQ hosted by SEIU and Portland-based Labor Unions
Look for SEIU's purple banner and balloons. You must sign
in to receive script for food. Served between 11 am - 3 pm.
Regular food vendors will not be available on Labor Day.
Ride wristbands available from Oaks Park at discounted prices.
WANTED: Volunteers to work 1-hour shifts between the hours of
9AM - 4PM. Please contact Phyllis Wills @ 503-846-9459 to sign up.
Five ways you can make a difference by Joe DiNicola, President SEIU Local 503. OPEU
Wherever we work, at the Legislature
and in communities all over Oregon SEIU
Local 503, OPEU members provide quality
services and speak up to make life better for
all Oregonians. In this issue of The 503 Voice,
you can read about member victories at the
legislature and victories organizing thousands
of new members. You can learn what members
in every corner of our state are doing to stand
up together to win better contracts.
SEIU Local 503, OPEU members'victories don't
happen by accident and they don't happen by
magic. When members join together we make
things happen. Here are five things you and
every member can do to get in the game
and make a difference:
Show up for union meetings.
That's where you can let your elected
officers and stewards know what matters to
you on the job and in contract negotiations.
You can find out what other members think
and brainstorm new ideas to fight back when
management isn't fair. You can help take
information back to share with your co-workers.
You can ask a co-worker to sign up to become
a member. You can also help hand out flyers,
gather signatures on petitions or just sign
a petition. It helps everyone win better
contracts.
Stand out where you work.
State workers step up to the plate to fix problems created by contractors
who are motivated by profit, not service. Pictured is Dennis Green from
Employment who accepted the Accenture award.
(Alcides Morev-Guerra - UofO), Amanda
Norman (Theresa Norman - DHS), Conor
O'Connell (Brian O'Connell - PSU), Andrew
Pearson (Burnie Pearson - MCEA), Hannah
Peter (Susan Peter - UofO), Jeanette Pruitt
(Craig Pruitt - DOE), Jessica Pruitt (Craig Pruitt
- DOE), Craig Pruitt II (Craig Pruitt - DOE),
Jenny Seward (John Seward - Forestry), Patrick
Stauffer (David Stauffer - DCBS), Erica
Thompson (Lynn Thompson - OSU), Gideon
Warren (Jean Phillips - Parks), Elizabeth
Woods (Thomas Wood - SOU)
Wear purple on bargaining days and for
any meeting. Wear a sticker or a button every
day and hang a flyer in your cubicle. Hang a
purple t-shirt over your chair. Use a union
PAGE 4
message as a screen saver on your computer.
Be visible and be vocal. It's easy and you send
a powerful message that we're all in this
together for dignity and respect.
Speak up and meet someone.
Greet new members on the job and tell
them how our union is working to win power
for all workers. When new workers join the
bargaining unit, you can tell them about our
union and about our contract rights. Let them
know our wages and benefits didn’t fall out
of the sky or come from the generosity of
management. Tell them how SEIU Local 503,
OPEU members have fought and won better
wages, quality health benefits and dignity and
respect for every worker. Let them know about
the sacrifices and struggles of workers and
union members who came before us. Who
battled for and won the 40-hour week, the
8-hour day, sick leave, family leave and the
absolute right to complain about bad work
places and bad bosses? Union members just
like you.
Sign up to be a two-cent CAPE
contributor. Never let anyone tell
you that politics don't matter. The men and
women we elect to local government, the
Oregon House and Senate, the Governor's
office and Washington, D.C. make decisions
every day that affect our lives and the lives
of our families. When you sign up as a CAPE
contributor, you can help to elect leaders who
know how to stand up for working people. The
best part about CAPE is that it doesn’t cost you
SEIU Local 503, OPEU - STRONGER TOGETHER
a dime. Your two-cent CAPE contribution (up
to $50 per year) qualifies for a dollar-for-dollar
tax credit on your Oregon income tax return. If
you are married, you can contribute up to
$100 per year and claim every dollar as a tax
credit. Contact any local officer or steward and
find out how you can sign up for CAPE. You
can make a really important contribution.
□R Make the call to your
representatives. Every politician
makes promises during an election campaign.
After the election, it's up to every SEIU Local
503, OPEU member to work to hold elected
officials accountable. Whether it's a vote on
budgets for state agencies, funding for services
for our clients or legislation to protect or
expand workers' rights, members are always
on the front line. When you contact your rep
resentatives by phone, by mail and in person
at the Capitol and in your community, you can
let elected leaders know exactly what matters
to working families. Ask your steward or
organizer how you can step up and do your
part. Every call you make makes a difference.
These are just a few
things you and every
member can do to build
unity and power. When
we act alone, it's hard to
make progress. When
40,000 SEIU Local 503,
OPEU members act
together, we can move
mountains.
Joe DiNicola
President
JULY/AUGUST 2007