Things are heating up around the State. With DAS / OUS and Homecare contract negotiations, legislative hearings, town hall meetings, petition gathering, letter-writing campaigns and worksite actions in just about every Oregon community, SEIU Local 503, OPEU members are getting their money's worth out of our purple tee shirts. If you haven't stepped up yet, there's still some time left to get in the game. You can make a difference for every working family in Oregon right now.

In this issue of President Joe's Journal, DAS and OUS members come together to plan how to win a quality contract for the quality services we provide. Dr. John Kitzhaber, former Governor, tells the Albany Democrat Herald he wants "to revamp a failed healthcare system nationwide." Greg Hartman, PERS coalition attorney, says recent retirees should contest or challenge billings that are based on the PERS Board decision to recalculate pension benefits. Finally, nursing home workers speak up at the Capitol and OUS workers step up for fairness and respect with selective salary presentations scheduled for May 31st.

In this issue: DAS / OUS Bargaining Conference Rocks Dr. Kitzhaber Prescribes Universal Healthcare PERS Retirees: How to Respond to Recent Billings : eNews Flash: Nursing Home Workers Speak Up, OUS Selectives and Office Worker Petitions

DAS / OUS Bargaining Conference Rocks

More than 200 bargaining delegates, stewards and leaders from worksites all over Oregon gathered in Portland April 28 to map out strategies for the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) and Oregon University System (OUS) contract campaign. The energy level was high, along with the sense of outrage at management's proposals at the bargaining table.

Members reviewed the current offer from management: a "diet" COLA of 1% in October 2007 and October 2008, and a takeaway on health insurance in the second year of the contract.

DAS and OUS managers also said "no dice" to the living wage proposals SEIU Local 503, OPEU members presented at the bargaining table. It's very clear that it's time to turn up the heat.

Maggie Neel, Oregon State University (OSU) local president and Higher Ed bargaining team member, reported on an early morning action on the main road into Corvallis. OSU members joined the bargaining team to carry picket signs and deliver a strong message about a fair contract and a living wage for every worker. Maggie also talked about the "message in a bottle" to management in support of the ocean-going research vessel Wecoma crew, a highly skilled, creative and dedicated group of OSU members.

Randy Davis, central table bargaining team member from Oregon State Hospital (OSH), told delegates about an action at the OSH campus in Salem. Management tried to pull the plug on the event by refusing to allow the use of hospital tables and chairs, but more than 150 members refused to be intimidated and gathered to grill hot dogs, carry signs and march on the OSH campus for a fair contract. Randy summed it up when he said, "If you're not p...d off, you're not paying attention."

Kathleen Lamar, Department of Justice (DOJ) Child Support Case Manager, discussed the proposed selective salary increase for office worker classifications and thanked every worker who showed up to testify at bargaining. Kathy said, "Office workers have extreme workloads. They are the glue that keeps most offices around the state together and functioning every day of the week. More often than not, they live a life of poverty as a reward for their efforts. Management just doesn't seem to care."

Bill Morris, Eastern Oregon Training Center (EOTC) local president, reminded everyone that you can fight city hall and win. Fresh from a victory at the Capitol to maintain funding to keep the Pendleton EOTC facility open for another two years and keep 180 skilled and dedicated SEIU Local 503, OPEU members on the job, Bill told bargaining delegates: "We can win, we can win, we can win!"

Make no mistake about it, if you're a Department of Human Services (DHS) child welfare worker doing what it takes to make sure children have a safe environment...if you work at Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) making sure our roads and bridges are safe...if you help consumers every day on the job at Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS)...or if you work on one of our seven great Oregon University campuses to help make sure we have a world class system of higher education...you know Oregon works because you work.

If you work in Enterprise out in the Wallowas or in Eugene along the McKenzie River, you deserve respect for what you do every day to make Oregon a better place to live. Maybe you work on an OSU ship on the Pacific Ocean looking for fish to help grow a better economy for Oregon's seafood industry. Maybe you help businesses out in the Columbia Gorge bring tourists into our state. Maybe you work for the Agriculture Department on the high plateau farmlands of Oregon to help farmers grow better wheat. Maybe you work at Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) facilities to help grow a better future for troubled young people.

Whatever you do and wherever you work, you make a difference in the life of every Oregonian. Whether you work by yourself on a remote highway outside of Klamath Falls keeping trucks moving or whether you fight fires with hundreds of Forestry team members to keep our forests safe, everyone in our great union thanks you and celebrates the work you do.

And the job of every SEIU Local 503, OPEU member now is to help all Oregonians understand how important our work is to the future of this state. "You make Oregon work," isn't just a slogan, it's what every member does every day, day after day, year after year. And we're not going to rest until we win a fair contract, a better contract, a contract that works for every worker.

SEIU Local 503, OPEU members in every state agency and on every university campus know that we are now down to just 60 days in our current contract. This is no time for business as usual. Now's the time for every member to step up and let management know we can't and we won't accept an offer that sends us backwards. Contact any steward, officer or organizer today and find out what you can do to make a difference.

Dr. Kitzhaber Prescribes Universal Healthcare

The Albany Democrat Herald published the following report by Alex Paul in the paper last month. It provides an overview of former Governor and physician John Kitzhaber's current proposal for healthcare reform in Oregon.

"Former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber is passionate about making healthcare accessible for all. Kitzhaber orchestrated the ground breaking Oregon Health Plan of the 1990s and now wants to revamp what he sees as a failed healthcare system nationwide. Kitzhaber believes the system is operating with 21st century needs but on 20th century premises.

"Kitzhaber said it will be the baby boom generation of which he is a member that topples the current healthcare system in place since World War II. He believes...Oregon...can help fix the problem. [Oregon] would:

"Seek congressional authority to allocate public health dollars being spent on healthcare to optimize the health of Oregonians and maximize the value.

"Force a comparison between the current system and a more rational, equitable and effective way to provide health services to Oregonians.

"Define a set of essential health services 'core benefits' for which all Oregonians will be eligible.

"Finance the 'core benefits' from a pool of public funds funded by all Oregonians.

"Allow 'core benefits' to travel with employees who are also eligible to purchase supplemental healthcare coverage on their own.

"Create a process by which the public can compare the new system with the current system before moving forward with implementation."

Do you have any thoughts about the state of healthcare in our state and in our nation? Do you think the status quo is just fine? Is a health care system "of, by and for the healthcare industry" really our only option? Is it time to make health services accessible and affordable for every Oregonian? Please contact me directly (on your own time) and send me your ideas.

PERS Retirees: How to Respond to Recent Billings

Members who retired in 2004 began to receive billing notices from PERS last month. These are the so-called "post-window retirees" who left the system the year after the PERS "reforms" had been implemented. They retired believing they could rely on the pension benefits they were promised. Unfortunately, the PERS Board has a different plan in mind.

As a result of the Strunk and City of Eugene recalculations, members who retired in 2004 suffer a lowering of their account balance due to the redistribution of 1999 income (City of Eugene), but also realize an increase in their account based on the allocation of 8% earnings for 2003 and 2004 (Strunk). When these two changes are put together, the overall account balance at the time of retirement goes up. However, the look-back calculation adopted by the PERS Board has produced a lower monthly benefit amount!

So, we have a circumstance where a retiree has a larger account balance than PERS calculated when they retired, but they will now receive a lower monthly benefit. Unfortunately, the billing letters sent out by PERS do not offer any information about the computation and retirees cannot use the document to determine how or why their benefits have been reduced.

Attorney Greg Hartman advises all retirees who find themselves in this circumstance to challenge or contest the calculation of their new benefit and the resulting billing in writing to PERS. This will force PERS to provide more details to determine what is going on with their account balance and whether the computation is correct. Hartman also says a written appeal should extend the time for repayment, but that retirees should confirm this with PERS.

SEIU Local 503, OPEU members continue to challenge the "reforms" for both active and retired PERS-covered workers in a number of lawsuits. Our message is clear: "A deal is a deal. The pension benefits promised when you were hired are the benefits you should be able to count on when you retire."

eNews Flash Nursing Home Workers Speak Up: SEIU Local 503, OPEU nursing home workers came to the Capitol from every corner of the state April 26 to stand up and be a voice for patients in their care. At the House Ways & Means Committee, members from Pendleton, Salem, Milton-Freewater and Hillsboro explained how the current staff/patient ratios in their facilities make it difficult to provide care.

OUS Selectives: The Oregon University System (OUS) selective salary presentations are scheduled May 31 at Western Oregon University (WOU) in Monmouth. Make your plans to support the presentations. Ask for the time off now! Office Worker Petitions: Members will deliver petitions supporting office worker selective salary increases to the DAS / OUS Bargaining Team and agency heads. Be sure to turn in your petitions by Monday, May 7.