OREGON
East Oregonian
A12
Saturday, October 16, 2021
State unions win six-week reprieve on vaccine mandate
By SAM STITES
Oregon Public Broadcasting
SALEM — Two of Oregon’s
most inf luential unions have
bargained with the state to allow
employees of the state executive
branch more time to comply with
Gov. Kate Brown’s mandate, which
requires them to be vaccinated by
Monday, Oct. 18, or risk losing their
job.
According to Liz Merah, press
secretary for Brown, the gover-
nor has agreed to a process that
will allow employees represented
by SEIU Local 503 and AFSCME
Council 75 who have received at
least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine
by Oct. 18 to complete their immu-
nization by Nov. 30.
The agreements with two of
the state’s largest public employee
unions will provide an extra six
weeks for just more than 26,800
workers to comply with the
mandate.
“This is a more productive
path than someone not getting
vaccinated at all and leaving state
service,” Merah said in an email
Oct. 13.
An addendum to the statewide
Kristyna Wentz-Graff /Oregon Public Broadcasting, File
Annalisa Birt, left, talks with Gov. Kate Brown after Birt received a
COVID-19 vaccination at a drive-thru vaccination clinic at Portland Inter-
national Airport, April 9, 2021.
policy issued Oct. 1 will give the
same grace period to an additional
7,156 state employees who are
unrepresented by a union or are
considered management and exec-
utive service.
That means a majority of the
approximately 43,000 state work-
ers who fall under Brown’s mandate
will be granted more time to
complete their vaccination require-
ment. In the meantime, those who
aren’t fully inoculated will be
allowed to work remotely or use
paid leave time as a stopgap while
they get vaccinated.
According to Ben Morris,
communications director for
SEIU Local 503, the union’s intent
through this bargaining process was
to ensure the state listened to the
concerns of frontline workers who
feel that, until now, they haven’t
been a part of the conversation.
“One of our biggest issues going
into negotiations was making sure
there was a clear process in place
for people who were not fully vacci-
nated by Oct. 18, those who are most
impacted by this mandate,” Morris
told OPB. “The goal of this mandate
was to get as many people vacci-
nated as possible. The grace period
encourages that because people can
start the process at the last minute.”
Morris said state employees
represented by SEIU — which
includes workers within divisions
such as the Department of Human
Services, Department of Transpor-
tation, Department of Justice and
State Parks, among others — have
varying opinions on and degrees of
comfort with the vaccine.
According to Morris, SEIU lead-
ership has fi elded concern regarding
side eff ects of receiving the shot, a
lack of fear over getting the virus
and even the spread of misinforma-
tion as reasons for hesitancy.
“State employees as a group
aren’t any diff erent than the general
population when it comes to their
views about the vaccine,” he said.
Morris also said workers are
extremely busy in balancing both
their personal and professional
lives. Many have families they’re
caring for while also trying to serve
the state the best they can, causing
delays in their ability to receive the
shots.
Part of the agreement between
the unions and the state will provide
employees with paid leave to take
the vaccine and recover from any
side effects, a major barrier the
unions hoped to clear in negotia-
tions.
“I think it’s really important to
note that when employers listen to
their workers and negotiate with
them over these kinds of things,
you get a better outcome,” Morris
said. “We’re going to see more state
workers get vaccinated, and we are
going to see a smoother process in
terms of the functioning of state
services as a result of this agree-
ment.”
EPA acts to improve ODA braces for potential staffi ng
salmon survival rates shortage due to vaccine mandate
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be
required to cool water at Snake River dams
By KEELY CHALMERS
KGW News
KENNEWICK — Starting this
spring, the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency will require Snake
River dam operators to limit hot
water pollution to help salmon
survive. The change comes after
an environmental group took the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to
court to try and stop the warming.
The Corps owns and oper-
ates the dams on the Snake River,
which is a major tributary to the
Columbia River.
Over the summer, sick and
dying salmon sought refuge in the
Little White Salmon River just off
the Columbia River. Video showed
sockeye salmon covered in lesions
and fungus — the result of water
that was 71 degrees.
Long-time fi shing guide Bob
Rees said that temperature is way
too hot.
“It’s just fl at out lethal to these
wild salmon that come up into
these rivers,” he said.
Rees has been a professional
fi shing guide for 31 years and he
knows the Columbia River well.
He also knows the fi sh that swim
in it are in trouble.
“Fish are dying in these
waterways because of the lethal
summer water,” he said.
The Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife said salmon exposed
to water above 68 degrees have an
increased risk of stress, disease
and mortality.
“It’s going to lead to extinc-
tion,” said Brett Vandenheuvel,
the executive director of Colum-
bia Riverkeeper.
The group has long maintained
that the large reservoirs behind the
dams are partly to blame for the
warmer river water.
The group fi rst sued the Corps
back in 2013, and last week got a
victory.
“For the first time ever, the
federal dams on the Columbia now
have to reduce the amount of pollu-
tion that they’re creating,” Vanden-
heuvel said.
Rees and Vandenheuvel both
said the change is long over-
due. However, they stressed this
requirement is an important step
in helping salmon survive a warm-
ing climate.
Many experts have said, with-
out significant change, the fish
won’t survive.
“There’s a limited amount of
time before we drive species of
salmon to extinction,” Vanden-
heuvel said. “So the time is now
for action.”
Five vie for four city council
Agency leaders say
drop could aff ect
services to farmers
By SIERRA DAWN
MCCLAIN
Capital Press
SALEM — The Oregon Depart-
ment of Agriculture faces a poten-
tial staffi ng shortage that could
impact the scope of services the
department provides to the state’s
farming community.
Over the past year, COVID-
19-related disruptions, including
budget cuts early in the pandemic,
impacted the department’s labor
force.
Seasonal and part-time posi-
tions have been the hardest to fi ll.
Now, with Oregon Gov. Kate
Brown’s vaccine mandate for state
government employees set to go
into eff ect Monday, Oct. 18, ODA
leaders are bracing for a potential
further loss of workers.
“There are workforce shortages
in the ag sector and for us as a state
agency that are impacting those
services that we’re providing,”
Alexis Taylor, director of ODA,
told state agriculture department
leaders at a recent National Associ-
ation of State Departments of Agri-
culture event.
Taylor said employees’ response
to the vaccine mandate adds
“another layer on the work staff
shortage that we’re trying to work
through in the state of Oregon.”
Taylor said some staff members
for various reasons don’t want to
get vaccinated, which is “becom-
ing a challenge in some of our
programs.”
How many staff might ODA
lose?
The agency declined to make
predictions, instead telling the
Capital Press that “at this time,
it is unclear what the vaccine
mandate will do to ODA staffing
levels.”
A nd re a Ca nt u- Schomu s,
spokesperson for ODA, said the
agency is committed to Oregon’s
requirement that state employees
be fully vaccinated or have started
the vaccination process by Oct. 18
except for employees with medical
or religious exemptions.
ODA leadership, staff and stake-
holders have been in conversations
“preparing for possible drops in
staffi ng and potential impact to
services,” Cantu-Schomus said.
Whatever happens, she said, “ODA
will do its very best to maintain
services that Oregonians expect.”
ODA’s leaders said they expect
the department will be able to
maintain its existing core staffi ng
levels for essential services but
are putting in place “contingency
plans” in case the agency has areas
with service gaps. Several staff
have already volunteered to help
cover gaps as needed.
This isn’t the agency’s first
tussle with labor challenges during
the pandemic.
When COVID-19 first hit,
lottery funds were hit hard due to
the closures of businesses, includ-
ing bars and restaurants. This
hurt ODA, which relies on lottery
dollars to fund some programs.
Some ODA staff members lost
their jobs, while others were reas-
signed.
In ODA’s Noxious Weed
Program, for example, which relies
on lottery money, the agency reas-
signed staff to other programs to
avoid layoff s.
As the pandemic progressed,
the lottery situation improved and
the Oregon Legislature passed a
“robust state budget” to allow the
department to fi ll more staffi ng
positions.
ODA declined to respond to a
Capital Press request for numbers
on how understaff ed the depart-
ment is or what percentage of
advertised positions has gone
unfi lled.
However, Cantu-Schomus did
say “as ODA begins to recruit and
fi ll key positions, the hiring pool
has been strong for most jobs.”
The hardest roles to fill are
seasonal and part-time positions,
especially in Eastern Oregon.
Committed to excellence for our readers
seats in Hermiston | REGION, A3
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1,
First Place Awards
2020
News Photo -"Embracing Disaster" by Ben Lonergan
A large crowd of Black Lives
Matter
protesters link arms and march
through downtown Pendleton
on
Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.
144th Year, No. 191
WINNER OF THE 2019 ONPA
Proactive
approach
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N
BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTE
$1.50
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200 march through
streets of Pendleton
in peaceful Black
Lives Matter protest
THE WEEK
IN PHOTOS
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five
HANDED
UMATILLA COUNTY SENTENCE WALLA times with organizers
IN
RESIDENTS WANTED DOWN MURDER prior to Aug. 29 march
A
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By ALEX CASTLE
FOR COVID-19 STUDY
East Oregonian
A2
NORTHWEST,
AWARD
Protest draws a crowd
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REGION, A9
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
GENERAL EXCELLENCE
LIFESTYLES, A10
By ALEX CASTLE AND
ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
P
ENDLETON — Pendleton
Police Chief Stuart Roberts
praised the proactive safety
planning of organizers with the
Black Lives Matter protest on
Sat-
urday, Aug. 29, as a key in keeping
the event peaceful.
And aside from a few minor
incidents between some protesters
Counterprotesters watch
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
and counterprotesters, the plan-
from across the road as Black
Lives Matter protesters lay
Park in Pendleton to pay tribute
down at Roy Raley
ning paid off.
to George Floyd on Saturday,
Aug. 29, 2020.
“I think what really gave us an
$1.50
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best LENCE AWARD
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was the AL EXCEL
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organizers
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on
Aug. 31.
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ings with the protest’s organizers
new
— Briana Spencer, Nolan Bylenga
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While police had a number of
at Kind Leaf Dispensar
y,
JULY 25-26, 2020
144th Year, No. 175
PENDLETON
Downtown
association
director
resigns
Chamber to take
a bigger role in
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ID,
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
See Approach, Page A8
Pend-
PENDLETON — The n is
leton Downtown Associatio
execu-
now looking for its third g the
tive director since establishin
position in 2017.
W
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announced that Executive resign-
tor Wesley Murack was
“personal
ing immediately for
reasons.”
was
Murack
native,
Texas
A
in late
hired by the association
nt
2018 for his tourism developme
lly and
experience, both domestica
abroad.
Murack replaced Molly Turner,
intern to
who was elevated from
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executive director in 2017. take a
to
quit less than a year later
Commu-
job with Blue Mountain
the posi-
that
adding
nity College,
a busi-
tion needed someone with
ness background.
In a press release, association
high-
President Angela Thompson nts
lighted some of the developme
including
in Murack’s tenure,
Oregon
obtaining a grant from the
ren-
Parks and Recreation to cover
Audito-
ovation costs at the Vert
rium and the old Eagles Lodge.
One of the last events Murack
departure
organized before his
concerts
was a series of outdoor
stoke
on South Main Street to help but
business during the pandemic,
COVID-
the series was cut short as
Umatilla
19 cases rose throughout
County.
reached
be
Murack could not
and
for comment, but Thompson
Pendleton Chamber of Commerce
about
CEO Cheri Rosenberg talked future
’s
the downtown association
Develop-
at a July 21 Pendleton
meeting.
on
ment Commissi
gap
Given the three-month
predeces-
between Murack and his
it would
sor, Thompson anticipated a new
take three months to hire mean-
executive director. In the exec-
time, she planned to assume she
utive director duties, although
please
Masks complicate
businesses asking
for identification
from customers
Pendleton on Wednesda
A truck fl ying a “Trump 2020”
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
July 22, 2020.
fl ag drives by a line of counterprot
ter during a protest at Roy
esters and shouts at Black
Raley Park in Pendleton
by Ben Lonergan
Lives Mat-
Staff
on photo
Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.
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bleed resulted from a congenital
abnormality called arteriovenou
malformation (AVM), a tangle s
of
abnormal blood vessels connect-
ing arteries and veins in the
By KATHY ANEY
brain.
The knot of vessels impedes normal
East Oregonian
EORRGÀRZ
The abnormality is rare in chil-
LEXINGTON — Kelly Boyer
dren. People with AVM sometimes
doesn’t see her grandson
much go their entire lives
without a rup-
these days. COVID keeps the
Lex- ture. The average age
ington woman away.
of diagnosis
It’s a frustrating reality, espe- is 31 and the risk of hemorrhage for
cially since this spring 5-year-old untreated AVM is between 2% and
4% yearly.
Evan Kates suffered a brain
aneu-
rysm and several strokes that
left
See Grandmother, Page A8
Business or Economic Story - "A reopening plan 173
years in the making" by Antonio Sierra
Feature Photo - "Comet NEOWISE" by Ben Lonergan
Contributed photo
Brothers Cole, left, and Evan
Kates pose for an undated
photo. Evan, who
is now 5 and has a rare congenital
brain abnormality called AVM,
ering after a ruptured aneurism
is recov-
and several strokes this spring.
Local Column - Kathy Aney
Special Section - "Sidelined"
Third Place Awards
General Excellence
Feature Story - "At the brink: Local COVID-19 survivor
remembers how close virus came to killing him" by
Antonio Sierra
Spot News - "Community mourns: Colleagues mourn
Pendleton city councilor" by Antonio Sierra, Kathy
Aney
Photo Essay - "Banjo Man" by Ben Lonergan
Enterprise Reporting - "Stuck in the middle: Police
officers of color describe experiences in law
enforcement" by Jade McDowell
Small size belies big
COVID-19 problem
2020 Oregon Newspaper
Publishers Association
Better Newspaper Contest
Awards
Sports Photo - "Pickup Men" by Ben Lonergan
Page One Design - Andy Nicolais
See Director, Page A12
when it
the pair are neck-and-neck .
comes to the virus’ prevalence took a
Morrow County’s surge
the county
twist on July 15 when
at the pub-
announced that a worker
had tested
lic health department
, and two
positive for COVID-19
presumed
other staff members were
positive after falling ill.
11,600
Overseeing a county of
Admin-
people, Morrow County said the
istrator Darrell Green
department
county’s public health
a
isn’t large enough to coordinate So
itself.
response to the virus by
See Problem, Page A12
Second Place Awards
Headline Writing - Andrew Cutler
U
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MORROW COUNTY — have
than 1,400 cases of COVID-19
national
earned Umatilla County Morrow
g
attention, but neighborin
County hasn’t been spared.
as of
Morrow County’s 207 cases to the
n
July 21 pales in compariso but the
Umatilla County case count, means
former’s smaller population
See Crowd, Page A8
CROSSING THE DIVIDE
Jacob Bryant just wanted to
chat —
peacefully, and quietly, with
someone
associated with the Pendleton
Black
Lives Matter protest. Page A8
5-year-old suffers
life-threatening brain
aneurysm, strokes
at
and a plastic sneeze guard lay-
the counter provide other
ers of protection.
lit-
“The masks do make it a
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even
not
to
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identi- because
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sunglasses or hats when
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complicated when people far, he said, they hav-
So
everyone is wear-
seen anyone trying to use
ing a mask, but en’t
mask to get away with using
local businesses say a
else’s ID.
someone
they’re making it work.
For anyone who is opposed
Brandon Krenzler at Kind to wearing a mask or is wor-
peo-
of shop-
Leaf Pendleton said most
from ried about the risk
ple are still recognizable
business now
their ping indoors, the
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
their photo, even with But offers a walk-up window where
y in
to Kind Leaf Dispensar
mouth and nose obscured.
people can be served outside Signage on a plexiglass shield at the entrance
a mask and
they are required to wear
if staff do have a question,
advises customers that
y, July 22,
cus- the building.
the people Pendleton 21 years of age to enter the facility on Wednesda
they’re allowed to ask the and
said
Krenzler
be at least
tomer to step back 6 feet
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By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
Counterprotesters joined in
chants
of “Blue lives matter,” “All
lives mat-
ter” and “USA” as roughly 200
ers against police brutality and protest-
injustice trickled into the park racial
to
to community speeches at 4 p.m. listen
At least one protester on the
Lives Matter side of the street Black
trading barbs with counterprote began
and organizers told them to stop sters,
engag-
ing or leave.
“We will not acknowledge them.
We
will not be them. Ignore them,”
Spencer, one of the protest’s Briana
organiz-
ers, said at the opening of the
event as
attendees donning masks and
carrying
signs circled around the park lawn.
Spencer, a Black, Puerto
Rican
woman of the Confederated
Tribes of
Grandmother raises funds
for her ailing grandson
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
Morrow County tries
to navigate its own
way through pandemic
P
ENDLETON — Despite a pal-
pable sense of anger, a Black
Lives Matter march in Pendleton
remained peaceful and unim-
peded on Saturday, Aug. 29.
By 3:30 p.m., about 150 peo-
ple had gathered opposite
of
Roy Raley Park on Southwest
Court
Avenue with an array of American,
Confederate, “Trump” and “Thin
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cers with the Pendleton Police
Depart-
ment stationed themselves at
the street
corners.
Feature Story Personality - "Finding peace: Pendleton
man coming to grips with trauma of Las Vegas
shooting" by Kathy Aney
The Astorian
East Oregonian
Bend Bulletin
Capital Press
LaGrande Observer
Baker City Herald
Wallowa County Chieftain
Blue Mountain Eagle
Hermiston Herald
Seaside Signal
Redmond Spokesman
Chinook Observer
Coast River Business Journal
Education Coverage - "Dashed dreams: $3.6 million in
Oregon Promise Grants revoked" by Kathy Aney
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan,
to increase
in Boardman is working
Columbia River Health
of a rapid testing machine.
ty through the acquisition
File
its testing capaci-
Lifestyle Coverage - "A spike in calls" by Kathy Aney
EASTOREGONIAN.COM