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Vol 4, Issue 6

SEIU Local 503, OPEU members stand up where we work, where we live and at the Capitol for dignity and respect. Whether you are a steward fighting for contract rights for a co-worker, a care provider fighting for the right to quality care for a client or a member determined to win the fight for health care reform, your actions make a huge difference in the lives of workers everywhere.

In this issue of President Joe's Journal , members celebrate legislative victories for care providers and clients.Every member extends thanks and appreciation for union stewards with "a steward's bill of rights" and now's the time to stand up for quality, affordable health care for all.

In this issue: Special Report: Legislative Update . A Steward's Bill of Rights. Quality, Affordable Health Care for All.

Special Report: Legislative Update

SEIU Local 503, OPEU members and the clients they care for were among the handful of winners in the budget adopted during last month's legislative session. Abused and neglected kids, seniors, people with disabilities and the mentally ill can expect better quality care as a result of efforts by members and community partners. Here's a special report on key budget items from Arthur Towers, SEIU Local 503, OPEU Political Director:

Child Welfare Workers Gain MoreFunding: The Ways and Means Committee of the Oregon Legislature unveiled a plan to increase funding by $2.5million for Department of Human Services (DHS) Social Service Assistants (SSAs) and case managers. The Committee requested that the agency figure out a way to fill all 78positions slated for elimination even though they were $1million short of the funds needed to fully fund everything members were fighting for. One plan might be to leave vacancies unfilled in other areas.

Adult Foster Care Providers Win Big: Adult foster care providers won $6.88million towards funding for their first contract as union members. These funds would be spread among a variety of providers including relative care providers, care providers for the developmentally disabled, and care providers for seniors and the developmentally disabled.

State Hospital Workers to Get MoreHelp: Workers at the Oregon State Hospital came up with$1.8 million in immediate funding for more staff and $4.87million in earmarked money to pay for additional staffing.The priority for this money is more front-line staff and for hiring to start as soon as possible. An additional$150,000 was set aside for a study of community mental health placements. This is important to relieve overcrowding at the hospital and could be a plus for adult foster care providers for the mentally ill. Plans are still on track for the construction of two new facilities that are desperately needed.

SEIU Local 503, OPEU members won these victories through determination, hard work and perseverance.Members elected worker-friendly allies to public office by signing up for CAPE contributions, spending hours on the phone talking to voters and getting out the vote by going door to door. Front-line workers made their voices heard at the Capitol. SSA and Child Welfare workers lobbied for more than a year to improve the quality of care for abused and neglected kids.

Adult Foster Care (AFC) workers fought for and won the right to bargain collectively last year. Next, AFC workers lobbied to secure adequate funding to be negotiated at the bargaining table. Nursing Home workers, Homecare providers and Childcare providers all stepped up in solidarity to support AFC members.

State hospital workers have fought defensive battles over worker safety for years. Members from the state hospital testified and won the right to bargain oversafety issues and staffing. That sets the stage to win more at the bargaining table next year.

Members didn't win these victories alone.It took the help of strong community partners all over Oregon to hold legislators accountable and make sure the needs of the most vulnerable were met. Children First for Oregon, AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), and the Human Services Coalition of Oregon were just a few of the many advocates that stood beside us.

Thanks again to everyone who stepped up to make a phone call, meet with a legislator, testify or make a CAPE contribution. When members stand together and fight for what’s right and what makes sense, it can make a difference not just for us, but for our communities and the people who depend on the services SEIU Local 503, OPEU members provide. Oregon works because we work.

A Steward'sBill of Rights

While stewards have responsibilities to the union and members, the union and members have responsibilities to the steward as well. You have basic rights as a human being who has chosen – or perhaps been drafted – to take on an incredibly challenging role. Think of these as Human Rights for Stewards, although you may not want to take violations to the United Nations. But for your own sake, remember, you have the right to:

  • Education and training. Your union should provide some way for you to get such training, even it it's informal.

  • Give and receive constructive criticism . You can't improve your performance unless you are given helpful direction. You can't improve your union unless you can offer it helpful direction.

  • An abuse-free environment. You are notguaranteeing yourself a peaceful life when you become a steward,but being a steward doesn't give anyone license to make verbalor physical attacks against you.

  • Be treated as an equal by management when performingunion work. This is a legal right as well, but we all know how management is flouting labor law these days. This right is just basic decency and common sense. Some enlightened managements are finally realizing that it makes good business sense as well.

  • Exercise your best judgment in a situation. Rare is the situation where the facts point to a clear-cut,unimpeachable decision. You have a right to make the call based on your best reading of the situation and shouldn't have to suffer endless second-guessing by others.

  • Receive appreciation for a job well done. Most stewards don't expect thanks and they don't get it. Isn'tit time to reverse this chicken-or-egg pattern? The most effective local unions almost always have a system of showing appreciation for their stewards.

This reprinted Stewards Bill of Rights is published at biglabor.com , adapted from the UnionSteward's Complete Guide, edited by David Prosten.


Please take a few minutes andlet your union stewards know how much you appreciate the workthey do on your behalf. If you are a steward, take a deepbreath, pat yourself on the back and know that you are making adifference every day in the lives of your co-workers, on the joband in your community.

Quality,Affordable Health Care for All

Every member knows that the health caresystem in America is broken. Average Americans are squeezedevery day by declining wages and rising health care costs. Atthe same time, a staggering 47 million people have no healthcoverage at all.

Here are a few statistics that tell thestory. There were 47 million uninsured Americans in 2006. Thereare 8.7 million children in America with no health care. Everyminute of every day, 5 more Americans lose their healthinsurance. Finally, at the rate we are going, the United Stateswill spend over $4 trillion a year on health care by 2017.That means one out of every five dollars spent in this countrywill be going toward health care.

SEIU International has adopted a strategic"Vision for Reform” in response to the health care crisisand the collapse of employer-based health coverage. The planincludes ten common-sense ideas for fixing the broken healthcare system:

  1. It is time for our nation to guarantee affordable health carecoverage for all Americans. Piecemeal reform is not asolution.

  2. The current employer-based health care system is not thefoundation for 21st century health care reform, particularlygiven the competitive challenges of a global economy.

  3. A universal health care system must ensure a choice ofdoctors and health care plans without gaps in coverage oraccess, and the delivery system must meet the needs of at-riskpopulations.

  4. A universal health care system must include a core healthcare benefit similar to one that is available to federalemployees.

  5. Preventive care must be a part of any basic benefit plan topromote health, control costs, and eliminate economic and racialdisparities.

  6. Any plan for health care reform must control costs byproviding care that is cost efficient and medicallyeffective.

  7. Secure electronic medical records that consumers control arenecessary to increase quality and reduce costs.

  8. Hospital and physician quality, outcome, and cost data mustbe available to consumers.

  9. A universal health care system must integrate long term careservices, reduce out-of-pocket costs, and maximize opportunitiesfor individuals to receive assistance in home- andcommunity-based settings, rather than in hospitals and nursinghomes.

  10. Employers, individuals, and government must shareresponsibility for financing the system.

This 2008 national election yearwill be a defining moment for health care reform across thecountry. Some states, including Oregon, have promotedprogressive changes. At the same time, there is anopportunity to elect a health care friendly President andCongress who are not afraid to take on the drug companies, thehospitals and the insurance companies at the federal level.Now’s the time to win quality, affordable health care foreveryone!