Image provided by: SEIU Local 503; Salem, OR
About The 503 voice. (Salem, OR) ????-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2010)
SEIU 503, OPEU Nonprofit Org U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 202 Salem, Oregon PO Box 12159, Salem, OR 97309-0159 Sub-Local Election Process Under Way Members of SEIU 503 sub-locals across the state will elect new local officers starting next month. It's part of a biennial cycle of elections that includes vqting on members of the Board of Directors, the election of delegates to the 2010 General Council and, finally, four statewide officers in the fall. VOICE The election process in each sub-local is detailed on pages 3-7 of this edition of the 503 Voice and online at www.seiu503.org. Members are encouraged to run for office and, of course, to vote. Members in All-Out Effort for YES votes on January 26 The stakes could hardly be higher. That's why SEIU Local 503 members from every sector of the union and every part of Oregon are joining members of nearly 100 other organizations to make calls, knock on doors and do all in our power to win a yes vote on Measures 66 & 67 in the name of tax fairness and proper funding for schools, public safety and human services. The measures will be put to a statewide vote January 26 as a result of a campaign by banks, big business and right-wing anti-tax advocates to reverse action by the legislature increasing taxes on corporations and the wealthiest Oregonians to help cut a $4.2 billion gap in the 2009-11 state budget. The measures add marginally to taxes paid by couples who earn $250,000 a year and individuals who earn $125,000 and raise the minimum corporate income tax from $ 10 to $ 150 a year. Defeat of the measures, which actually lower taxes of some Oregonians and only increase theiin marginally on the wealthiest 2%, would tear a $733 million hole in the current budget. That would wreak havoc on quality services across the spectrum and undo a Carefully crafted solution that balanced the budget through a combination of worker sacrifices, federal stimulus funding, state savings and new revenue. “My annual share for taxes is $3,000. Is it fair that I pay as much as 300 corporations combined? Measures 66 and 67 are a balanced and fair approach to protecting the middle class, protecting services, and making corporations pay their fair share.” local government workers warily eyeing the impact Measures 66 and 67 will have on their communities. "We Can't keep our streets safe, keep people in their homes, and keep our City operating, if our citizens don't receive services they need frorn the State,"said SEIU 503 member Kathy Gaona, a Beaverton city worker. "We need to protect services during this recession, and Measures 66 and 67 do that while shifting the burden off the middle-class and moving it to large corporations and the wealthiest Oregonians. My annual share for taxes is $3,000. Is it fair that I pay as much as 300 corporations combined? Measures 66 and 67 are a balanced and fair approach to protecting the middle class, protecting services, and making corporations pay their fair share." Cameron McGinnis,an ODOT worker frorff Cove, expressed the feelings of many who lobbied hard for a fair compromise. "Front line workers from resource agencies like Parks and Forestry gave firsthand testimony about which program Cuts could be withstood and which would move Oregon backwards," McGinnis recalled. "I was there when my own legislators, Representative Greg Smith of Heppner and Senator David Jensen of Pendleton, provided the votes to help pass those taxes. These are Republicans who do not often vote to raise taxes. I know how hard it was for them to balance the possibility of increasing taxation even on large corporations and the wealthiest Oregonian^ against the certainty of weakening this state we call Oregon." ~Kathy Gaona, a Beaverton city worker How important are Measures 66 and 67? Just ask front-line state workers in DAS and OUS already taking unpaid furlough days and going without cost-of-living increases for two years, homecare and family child care providers forgoing rate increases, and nursing home and Gaona and McGinnis are among hundreds of committed SEIU 503 members who have signed the pledge to support Measures 66 and 67 and are going one step further.They're on the phones and in the field alerting fellow members, neighbors and the general public about the importance of the January 26 vote. December/January 2010 Volunteers gather in Salem for the YES on 66 & 67 campaign kickoff. SEIU 503 members and allies are on phones and doors until January 26. We need YOU for YES on Measures 66 and 67 We must get the message out that we need to vote YES on January 26. We will be calling Oregonians throughout the state and knocking on their doors to explain why it's about time corporations pay more than just $ 10 a year in taxes. Volunteer today to protect our services, preserve our jobs, and make corporations and wealthy Oregonians pay their fair share. Phonebanking from SEIU 503 Times Dinner provided each evening Through January 18 Sundays: 4:00-7:00 pm Mon-Thurs: 5:30 - 8:30 pm January 19 through 26 Statewide: All Day Places Now through December 17 and January 3 through 26: Portland/Salem/Eugene: Sunday-Thursday Medford: Tuesday-Thursday Knocking on doors in your area Jan. 9: Portland, Salem, Eugene, Medford Jan. 16: Portland (afternoon) Jan. 1 8: MLK Jr. Day statewide canvass Jan. 22-26: statewide Call your local field office to volunteer: Salem 503.581.1505 Eugene 541.342.1055 Portland 503.408.4090 Medford 541.779.4324
